Sorcery!

The last thing Minnesotans want to think about in the middle of April is winter. We know the threat of snow is still lingering and that the previous winter was long and cold. We know that the upcoming winter isn’t as far away as the calendar says.

But Saturday night I happily watched snowflakes drift down lazily as I attended the opening night of Frozen by the Children’s Theatre Company.

It was spectacular. CTC always pulls out all the stops with their shows and the final show of the season is always on the next level.

I am not a super big Disney fan but I have a spot in my heart for their princesses. I can’t tell you how badly I wanted to be one when I was growing up. I still do.

I have seen more plays this year than I have seen movies and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Part of the fun of a movie is seeing how they did it. What I mean is that how the scene was shot (such as using a painting for the background) or how the special effects were done (such as using miniatures or other practical props). Even though it’s been forty years since I saw it, I’ll always be amazed at how Jim Henson made Kermit the Frog ride a bike.

It’s more than magic. It’s almost… sorcery.

I don’t think this is necessarily a cynical view, but it’s not as much fun to see a movie these days. If something amazing is on the screen we tend to think (and we tend to be correct) that it was done with CGI or AI (gross).

But plays? All of that is done by creative and artisitc people. It’s real, even when it’s not.

I was excited to see Frozen for this very reason. I wondered how they would do Elsa’s ice magic, I wondered how an animated movie would translate to the stage. I wondered how they would do the transformation of Elsa’s dress during the ‘Let it Go’ scene.

Like so many shows at CTC, the fun for me is seeing how they did it. A few months ago I saw Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster and not only was I charmed by the story and characters, my attention was HOW they told the story. The simple props used and designed by imaginative and creative people.

Pure storytelling. Pure magic.

Frozen is not an exact adaptation of the animated movie and it’s all the better for it. The characters are all there (Olaf and Sven are amazing) but there are new songs and new lyrics and some characters are fleshed out. I am in love with the sassy Anna.

Frozen runs through June 15th and I urge you to (Let It) go see it.

Thank you to CTC for the invitation and for a magical night. I can’t wait for the upcoming 2025/2026 season.

Love, Hannah