Frozen jr

Preppies Youth Theatre has been part of Ponteland Repertory Society since 2014 but this is their first independent production. I must confess, my personal knowledge of the film and the Broadway show consists of the song Let It Go!  And, as this is the "Junior" version, it is a further adaptation for young performers.

As the show opens, we meet 2 princesses, Elsa (Violet G) and Anna (Isabella K), playing together, during the summertime. Elsa has magic powers. Anna does not, but she persuades Elsa to use her to create some snow and ice, despite the Queen (Eve S) warning them those powers must remain secret. Nevertheless, the girls create a magical snowman named Olaf (Lukas R) and their games get out of hand. Elsa accidentally strikes Anna with her magic. The Queen rushes to help, with the assistence of the Hidden Folk, to revive Anna. They remove the ice from Anna’s head but also all her knowledge of Elsa’s powers. Elsa hides herself away to avoid creating more mischief but Anna doesn’t understand, wondering why her sister has abandoned her.

Over the years the princesses transmogrify into Middle Elsa (Evie M) and Middle Anna (Hannah S); and Adult Elsa (Amber P) and Adult Anna (Willow M).  Years pass and, while Elsa struggles to control her powers, Anna yearns for her sister’s love. The King and Queen are lost at sea and Elsa succeeds them. On coronation day, castle staff open the gates. As guests arrive, Anna bumps into Prince Hans (Alice L) and, together, they bump into local ice harvester, Kristoff (Amy Y). As the Bishop (Penelope D) crowns her, Elsa wonders what kind ofrelationship she can have with Anna. At the coronation ball they talk mischievously together, making fun of the the Duke of Weselton (James C). Anna and Hans fall in love and decide to marry but Elsa refuses to bless their marriage. Tensions rise, Elsa accidentally shoots ice into the ballroom and flees. Anna runs after her.

And so the story goes. You'll have to see it to find out how it ends! I had some sympathy for the young cast who struggled, during the first half, to make themselves heard above the tracks which provided the music. I must confess I had to look up a synopsis online (I hope I got it correct) because I struggled to follow it on the night, as the show progressed, which was a shame,. The stage was filled with a lot of young people singing, acting and dancing their hearts out. The sound in the second half was much better, allowing the cast to be heard much more clearly. I know it is invidious to pick out individuals from such a large ensemble cast (48, according to the programme) but I did enjoy the acting performance of Amber P who had considerable stage presence and made the part of Adult Elsa stand out. Also, Lukas R, who has a future as a stage comic; he was a hoot as Sven, the Snowman. But the entire cast worked hard throughout and certainly entertained the audience present, if the volume of the their applause at the end was anything to go by.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.