The Ziegfeld Theater Company interrupts this summer to chill out with “Frozen the Live Musical.” The production, based on Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee’s 2013 iconic animated Disney film telling the well-known tale of sisters Elsa and Anna who discover the power of love, runs July 8-12 at th e Egyptian Theatre. The musical made its Broadway debut in 2018 and won a Drama Desk award for Outstanding Puppet Design and three Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Score. Those accolades only attracted Kyle Esposito, who directed the Ziegfeld production. “Ziegfeld creates its season and then takes applications for directors, and ‘Frozen’ was actually my top pick,” he said. “I feel like there’s so much more depth than what people expect, and the challenge of reinforcing those aspects of the show while maintaining the heart and style of your traditional Disney venture was such a fascinating one that absolutely relished.” One of Esposito’s favorite aspects of the show, especially when placed as part of the wide pantheon of Disney properties, is its concept of true love. “Traditionally true love has always been romantic, but one of the great things in ‘Frozen’ is the musical takes that idea and realizes true love can come in many forms, whether it’s romantic, platonic or familial,” he said. “The whole purpose is to show our love for each other as human beings, no matter the relationship. What matters is that it’s genuine.” The production’s snowball started rolling with auditions that wound up with character list that double casts Sydney McAlister and Sarah Osness as Anna, Aurora Nelson and Taylore Cahoon as Elsa and single casts Aiden Mackay as Kristoff, Gavin Jenson as Hans, Peyton Alger as Olaf and Aurora Bailey as the reindeer, Sven. “The role of Anna is surprisingly complicated, and during the casting process we gave actors two vastly different pieces to perform,” Esposito said. One song was “First Time and Forever,” where everything is bright and optimistic, and the other was “I Can’t Lose You,” which was written specifically for the stage production and is, according to Esposito, more “grounded, genuine and … heartbreaking.” “Being able to see the actors’ wide range of emotions narrowed down our options and made me confident in who we did choose,” he said. Esposito went through auditions knowing Elsa would prove to be a challenge to cast. “Even though she’s the de facto face of ‘Frozen,’ she’s not as big of a part of the story,” he said. “It is much more Anna’s story, and that almost makes it more difficult for someone to play Elsa.” One reason is the actor needs to emote Elsa’s range in a shorter amount of time, compared to Anna, according to Esposito. “We have to see she was raised in difficult and repressed circumstances, where she was constantly being told that a fundamental part of who she is needs to be hidden away from the world,” he said. “We wanted to explore that aspect and the impact that family and institutional trauma can have on a child and how they grow out of that shadow.” Ziegfeld’s production plays with the “rigid aspects” of the town of Arendelle’s society and why Elsa holds back her powers, Esposito said. “One of the terms we discussed was Elsa represents the need for radical self-acceptance,” he said. “We worked with both of our Elsas to explore aspects of their own lives where they felt they had to repress. And we also let them look back at the times they were able to break through and feel free and feel more confident in who they are.” Esposito worked with Mackay in discovering Kristoff. “Aiden has been absolutely fantastic throughout the entire process,” the director said. “One of the things we talked about early on is how Kristoff is almost the antithesis of your traditional Disney prince.” The traditional mantle fell on Jensen as he played Hans, according to Esposito. “Gavin takes on that traditional role and shows how toxic and problematic that kind of person can be, whereas Kristoff is much more working class and more of the working man who sees the ridiculousness of that world, while also having a very big and kind heart.” Elsa, played by Taylore Cahoon, left, and Anna, performed by Sydney McAlister, share a tender moment of reconciliation during a scene in the Ziegfeld Theater Company production of “Frozen: The Live Musical.” The show is based on the Disney animated film that follows the sisters’ journey to find love and acceptance. Credit: Photo courtesy of the Ziegfeld Theater Company Alger and Bailey incorporate puppetry and special costumes to bring their characters of Olaf and Sven to life, Esposito said.  “Peyton does this through a spectacularly designed and constructed Olaf puppet, built by Egyptian Theatre Artistic Director Jake Larabee,” he said. “We did a lot of research, using Jim Hensen’s Muppets as a really good inspiration of how to make the puppet so expressive.” When casting Olaf, Esposito knew the actor needed to have a background in improv. “It’s almost like Olaf is in a different show because he can interact with the kids in the audience the way the other characters can’t,” he said. “It’s his levity and humor and cartoonishness that compliments the more emotional and complex things.”  Sven the reindeer is not a full puppet, Esposito said.  “He is performed in an almost pantomime style by Aurora, who has these child-sized forearm crutches to mimic the front legs, and hooflike shoes so her back legs take on the basic shape of a reindeer,” he said. “When we came up with the concepts of everything, I used ‘Lion King’ and street performances in theme parks as a basis.” Even though Sven doesn’t have any lines, Aurora is so expressive and so entertaining that she’s also a favorite of the kids who attended the show at the Ziegfeld Theater in Ogden, Esposito said. “We researched a lot of cosplayers who create different characters in video games and films and finally landed on this idea for Sven,” he said. Esposito’s experience on the stage and behind the stage informed how he wanted “Frozen” to look, sound and feel. “I first got into theater as an actor and performed for a very long time on a variety of stages in a variety of states, and then I started dabbling in the technical side and have done light design and set design,” he said. “So, I have both the storytelling aspects of what it is to get to the heart of a character through my experience acting and how technical aspects of a show can complement that storytelling.” “Frozen” marks Esposito’s third time directing a Ziegfeld show. “The more I direct, the more I understand the scale of different shows,” he said. “‘Frozen’ is on a massive scale, and it’s been an interesting challenge, which I’ve loved, converting that grand epic scale down the size of the Ziegfeld stage in Ogden and the Egyptian stage in Park City. And the logistics of being in these relatively small spaces played a factor in many choices.” Esposito, who cites Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Phantom of the Opera” the first, big-production musical he ever saw, started his steps to performing, acting and directing in high school. “I started doing theater because the class happened to be available,” he said. “I injured my shoulder playing baseball, and I needed to fill my school schedule. The class that was available was an introduction to theater class.” That class changed Esposito’s life. “I really fell deeply in love with it and started to see how theater could change people’s lives,” he said. “It taught me about empathy and understanding people who are different than I am. And I hope through the projects I work on at least one person, if only one person, is able to have that type of paradigm shift. If that happens, then I will feel that the whole production would have been worth it.” Esposito enjoys working with the Ziegfeld Theater Company because it cares about the depth and intricacies of stories it chooses to tell. “That goes above the face entertainment value,” he said. “Yes, ‘Frozen’ is very entertaining, but it’s also a story about being your true self and finding true love that needs to be told.” Ziegfeld Theater Company: ‘Frozen the Live Musical’ When: July 8-12 Where: Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main St. Phone: 855-745-SHOW Web: parkcityshows.com The post Ziegfeld Theater Company cools down the summer with ‘Frozen’ appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less