Disney’s ‘Frozen’ Offers a Blizzard of Talent at Olney Theatre Center

Gabriela Hernandez as Elsa and Alex De Bard as Anna

Less than two months away, winter and its likely snow will be upon us. What better way to get in the mood for the season than to see the magical spectacle Disney’s Frozen at the Olney Theatre Center.  How about some warmth from a tender story to create a thaw? 

Directed by two-time Emmy Award winner and Sesame Street veteran Alan Muraoka, Frozen is a snow-filled delight with an extraordinary cast and a stellar creative and technical team. Olney theatergoers may remember the work of Mr. Muraoka as he had helmed the splendid shows Once On This Island and South Pacific. In Frozen, Mr. Muraoka directs this well-paced musical with precision and skill as well.

Disney had authorized the Olney Center to be one of a handful of regional theatres to create the musical on its own and is the first professional theatre in the DMV to do so.

Based on the Oscar-winning 2013 animated Disney film, the musical is also magical on the stage.  With the score and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and book by Jennifer Lee, the story and songs, with some added from the original film, are mostly wonderful. The original Broadway production received three Tony Award nominations in 2018.

Frozen is an endearing fairy tale that the young and the not so young will enjoy. The story focuses on two orphaned sisters, Elsa and Anna, who are princesses in a Scandinavian kingdom. Their relationship is torn apart when Elsa cannot control her powers in which she can turn anything and anyone into ice. When Elsa, accidentally hurt her younger sister Anna while building a magical snowman Olaf, that’s when the problems become real.

Years later, Elsa is depressed because she cannot reign in her powers, which left the town of Arendelle in a state of eternal winter.   She remains guilt-ridden for hurting Anna and fears she has become a monster. Elsa heads to the icy mountains and builds an ice palace in order to cope with the situation. She ultimately learns that her powers can be controlled only by love.

Noah Israel as Hans and Alex De Bard as Anna

Anna, with the help of three friends, the kind-hearted Kristoff; Olaf, the adorable, crowd-pleasing
snowman (puppet) whom the sisters built when they were young children; and Sven, the equally lovable reindeer (also a puppet), go on an adventure-filled trek to find her sister to help restore summer to Arendelle.

Prior to that journey, Anna had fallen for Hans, a handsome prince, who becomes an important figure at the show’s end. But it is the love and bond between the two sisters that warms the heart enough to melt the prevalent ice.

Gabriela Hernandez excels as the adult Elsa. She demonstrates her powerful soprano vocals in conveying her burdened character. Ms. Hernandez belts out the first act finale the Oscar winning showstopper “Let It Go,” the popular girl-power anthem, to perfection. She hits it out of the park with another quality number in the dramatic song “Monster.”

Alex De Bard is wonderful as the adult Anna who is determined to find her sister and renew their love for each other. She falls in love with Hans (Noah Israel) only to be betrayed later on. Not all princes are princes apparently. Their duet in the comical “Love Is an Open Door” with its terrific choreography is one of the show’s best. Ms. De Bard and Ms. Hernandez hook up well in the emotional “I Can’t Lose You.” The chemistry between the two sisters is amazing.

As Kristoff, the ice harvester who joins Anna on her quest to find Elsa, Ricky Devon Hall is excellent. With his reindeer Sven (Alex Mills) in tow, Mr. Hall’s character finds himself increasing attracted to Anna.  He performs well in “Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People,” “Kristoff Lullaby,” and a duet with Ms. Debard in “What Do You Know About Love?”

Kennedy Kanagawa is superb as the puppeteer for the adorable snowman Olaf. Both Olaf and Sven are clear audience favorites, especially the kids in attendance, and provide much of the comical moments throughout. He performs well in the reprise of “Do You Want To Build a Snowman?”

"...Frozen is a snow-filled delight with an extraordinary cast and a stellar creative and technical team."

Noah Israel portrays the role of Hans adroitly. With his good looks featuring long flowing locks, Mr. Israel is convincing as the prince for whom Anna falls. But his dark side emerges later, leading to a dramatic conclusion. Mr. Israel possesses a strong tenor voice, and what I mean by strong, I mean Phantom of the Opera strong. It is evident in “Hans of the Southern Isles” and the aforementioned duet with Ms. De Bard in “Love Is an Open Door.” He also performs well with Ms. Hernandez and the company in “Monster.”

Additionally, superb performances are turned in by Aliza Cohen (alternates with Elise Chrappah) as Young Anna, Ruth Eloise Benson (alternates with Taylor Esguerra) as Young Elsa, Sarah Anne Sillers as Queen Iduna, Jay Frisby as King Agnarr, Tyler Dobies as Pabbie, Crystal J. Freeman as Bulda, Jared Michael Delaney as the comedic Weselton, and Jamie Smithson as another comical character Oaken.

The members of the Ensemble are also talented with their vocals and dancing abilities and provide added energy to the production. They include: Jessica Bennett, Quadry Brown, Mia Goodman, Angelo Harrington II, Stephen C. Kallas, Ariel Kraje, Robert Mintz and Haley Nachlas. Stellamaris Orellana and Walker Vlahos are the Swings.

Gabriela Hernandez as Elsa

The production features the meticulous choreography by Kelly Crandall d’Amboise, musical direction by Christopher Youstra and his nine-piece orchestra, vibrant lighting design by Christina Watanabe, clear sound design by Matthew Rowe, and brilliantly colorful costuming by Kendra Rai.

The skilled choreography of Ms. d’Amboise is on display in the various lively production numbers including in “Love Is an Open Door” and “Fixer Upper,” a high-energy romp. And there are others, which are stirringly entertaining as well.

Paige Hathaway’s scenic design is gorgeously imaginative. A glacier-like frame adorns the sides of the stage and above. Drop-down scenery and screens containing projected images of indoor and outdoor locales as designed by Patrick Lord add quality texture to the production. Along with dazzling special effects, representations of snow falling or blowing throughout much of the show form the perfect backdrop to the uniquely creative optics.   

There is no question that Frozen is geared towards children. However, there is sufficient humor, warmth, songs, dancing and dazzling scenery and costumes to entertain adults as well. And entertain it does.

I have seen over the course of many years a number of bravura productions at the Olney Theatre Center. This iteration of Disney’s Frozen takes it to a new level.

Running time. Two hours and 20 minutes with an intermission.

Disney’s Frozen runs through January 25, 2025, on the Roberts Mainstage at Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD. Tickets ($45–$60) are available online here or through the box office at 301-924-3400, open from 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. 

Discounts for teachers, active military, and first responders are available here

Performance Schedule

Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 7:00 pm.

Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday matinees at 1:00 pm.

Select Sunday evenings at 7:00 pm.

Additional performances around Thanksgiving and Winter Break.

See the full schedule here.

Accessible Performances

Audio-Described Performance – Wednesday, November 6 at 7:00 p.m.

ASL Interpreted Performance – Thursday, November 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Sensory Friendly Performance – Saturday, December 7 at 1:00 p.m.

****

Photos: Teresa Castracane Photography

Impactful ‘Evita’ Rises at Silhouette Stages

 

Samantha McEwen Deininger as Eva (C), Matt Sheer as Peron (R)
and J.R. Hontz (L)

With the U.S elections right upon us, there is, as you can observe, much political drama, apprehension, divisiveness and anger. With all that, our politics is quite tame (so far) compared to other periods in our world’s history.  The political atmosphere during the 1940’s to 1950’s in Argentina, which was at times tumultuous and deadly, forms the backdrop for the award-winning musical Evita that is kicking off Columbia Maryland’s Silhouette Stages’ 20^th season.

Despite some sound snafus, particularly with the mic’s on opening night, the talented and diverse cast and crew of Evita deliver a stellar production of this musical classic. Hopefully, the sound issues will be ironed out in future performances.

Andrew Lloyd Weber’s music and Tim Rice’s lyrics powered Evita to seven Tony Awards in 1980 with the musical achieving considerable success throughout the world. The lyrics and storyline of the musical are based on Mary Main’s biography, Evita: The Woman with the Whip.

The story, told mostly through song, spans the rise to prominence of Eva Duarte from her impoverished beginnings at the age of 15 to her ascent to power by becoming Argentina’s First Lady, Eva Perón, and concluding with her early death at the age of 33. The action depicting her story takes place between 1934 and 1952.

Along the way, Eva was a radio actress who had reportedly slept around to gain advantage. She met a military colonel Juan Perón at an earthquake relief concert and eventually became his wife prior to his becoming the country’s president.

Brian Dauglash as Che

She started a charitable foundation and connected with Argentina’s women and the powerless.  However, she was reviled by the country’s wealthy elite class and the military.

While historians and authors have debated over the years the historical accuracy of Rice’s portrayal of Eva derived from Main’s work, the production at Silhouette Stages will please no matter your political persuasion.

Daniel Douek directed, and Amie Bell choreographed this adroitly performed iteration of Evita.  The direction is taut and well-paced; the choreography is precise and plentiful. The dancing in such numbers as "Buenos Aires" and "And the Money Kept Rolling In (And Out)" is outstanding.  There is much motion and activity on the stage adding to the dynamism of the show.

Lloyd Weber’s splendid score encompasses an eclectic array of music including classical, rhythmic and ballads.  “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” sung by Samantha McEwen Deininger as Eva is the show’s popular signature song with its emotional might.  “And the Money Kept Rolling in (And Out)” is a favorite of mine not just for the musicality and clever lyrics but also for its snappy choreography. Other notable songs include the well-choreographed “Buenos Aires,” “Oh What a Circus,” “The Art of the Possible,”  “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” and “You Must Love Me.”

"...the talented and diverse cast and crew of Evita deliver a stellar production of this musical classic."

Samantha McEwen Deininger, an accomplished musical artist, plays the role of Eva with passion and nuance.  (Patti LuPone, who starred in the original Broadway production of Evita, characterized the vocal demands of the role as “a part that could only have been written by a man who hates women.”)

Ms. Deininger overcomes that challenge with her big and crystal clear soprano voice. She soars in many of the show’s numbers amid innumerable costume changes. Ms. Deininger is especially effective in the duet with Perón (Matt Sheer) in “I’d Be Surprisingly Good For You” and as a solo, the tender ballad “You Must Love Me,” a song that was actually written for the 1996 film adaptation of the musical.

Another superb performance is turned in by Brian Dauglash as Che. The name suggests that the character is the revolutionary Che Guevara who happened to have been Argentine.  No Che-related military attire and no other references to Guevara are in the show.  Instead, Che is generic and performs as the story’s “narrator” who binds the plotline together.

Matt Sheer as Perón (L), Samantha McEwen Deininger (R)

Mr. Dauglash is onstage a vast majority of the time and performs in all but a few of the show’s musical numbers including several duets with Ms. Deininger. He possesses a solid voice that because of the required workload, his vocals must stay strong throughout.  And they do.  When called on to dance, he does so very effectively.  Mr. Dauglash, with his energy and strength, commands the stage throughout the production.

Matt Sheer as Perón has a potent stage presence befitting the character and demonstrates vocal prowess particularly in “She is a Diamond.”

Henry Cyr who was superb in Silhouette Stages presentation of The Wedding Singer and is the theatre’s Artistic Director plays the role of Magaldi, Eva’s one-time flame. He performs extremely well in “On This Night of a Thousand Stars” and “Charity Concert” though he was unfortunately hampered by mic difficulties on the night this performance was reviewed.

Julie Mimms makes a brief appearance as Perón’s Mistress whom Eva dismisses and send her on her way.  Her lovely rendition of the emotional ballad “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” is rightly gentle.

On stage during most of the show is the wonderful Ensemble who symbolizes the people of Argentina.  They, too, perform in a wide variety of vocal numbers and dance routines and do so with meticulousness.

Other members of the talented Ensemble include Felicity Clark and Kenna Mayo as the Children of Argentina, Megan Barnes, Jason Britt, Libby Burgess, Judah-Isaac Canizares, Tori Farnsworth, J.R. Hontz, Jae Jones, Gillian Keirn, John Lynch, Glennyce Lynn, Erica Miller, Otega Okurume, Nathanael Quay, Katie Sheldon, Jose Reyes Teneza, Nick Thompson and Carolina Tomasi.

Scenic Designer Kateri Pelton and team erected a functional set including the iconic balcony. The stage is uncluttered allowing the performers to move freely throughout the show. Chris Uelinger as the Projection Designer, used the screen on the back of the balcony to display shots of rooms, buildings of Buenos Aires and some abstract images to convey the periods of time as the show evolves through the years. Lighting Designer Brad Ranno is also effective in amplifying the optics.

Ensemble

Costume Designers Tricia Anderson and Tara Herbert (who are also the Makeup Designers) and Tommy Malek’s Wig Design lend authenticity to the production. The period costumes including military garb is realistic, and Eva’s gowns are particularly stunning.

The U.S. is at the precipice of electing its first ever woman president. Eva Perón was poised to be Argentina’s vice-president over 70 years ago but her illness and eventual death at the age of 33 prevented that occurrence. The production of Evita is both timely in noting the significance of how women must overcome the odds to rise up and is also vastly entertaining in its presentation. It should not be missed.

Running time. Two hours and 15 minutes with an intermission.

Evita plays on weekends through November 3 at the Slayton House Theatre, 10400 Cross Fox Ln, Columbia, MD 21044. For tickets, call 410-730-3987 visit online.

Photos: Shealyn Jae Photography

At Olney Theatre, Ike Wins Again

John Rubinstein as Dwight Eisenhower Photo: Maria Baranova

There’s always a tightrope act when a theatre company brings in a production that centers on a former president during election season.  This is especially true in a country that is so massively divided politically. 

In offering The New Los Angeles Repertory Company production of Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground, the Olney Theatre Center can feel confident that partisanship can take a break and re-ignite, if necessary, following this two-hour, solo performer play. Through this biographical account, audiences can evaluate the successes or failures of the two-term president Dwight D. Eisenhower, also known as Ike, and can hope that his values of true patriotism, compromise, moderation and service can lead us to a future with less toxic politics and eschewing the extremes on both sides. As Eisenhower pronounced during the play, “The middle was the usable part of the road — if you go too far right or left, you wind up in a ditch.”

In a master class acting performance, John Rubinstein plays the role of the folksy but complex Dwight D. Eisenhower. Mr. Rubinstein is an acclaimed veteran of theatre and television. He was a Tony Award winner in Children of a Lesser God and famously originated the title role in Pippin over a half century ago. He also appeared in Kiss of the Spider Woman among many other plays and musicals. For his role in the off-Broadway production of Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground, Mr. Rubinstein was nominated for the Outer Critics’ Circle and the Off-Broadway award for Best Solo Performance.

The play, whose run has been extended for a second time at Olney, by Richard Hellesen is adapted from a vast array of Eisenhower's memoirs, speeches, and letters. Director Peter Ellenstein allows Mr. Rubinstein to freely move around the stage as he speaks to an old tape recorder in preparation for an upcoming book. Sometimes he paces. Sometimes he stands. Sometimes he sits. And sometimes he talks on the phone to unseen parties. Since there are no other actors to interact with, this movement is necessary so that the soliloquy doesn’t come off as static as some one-person shows do.

Photo: Maria Baranova

Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground is set in 1962 in the sun porch of the house at the Eisenhower farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with a picture window looking out at an open field with changeable skies.  That window serves as a screen for projections, designed by Joe Huppert, of the people and events in Eisenhower’s life—photos of a slew of family members, to an old photo of the West Point Academy, which he attended, to a concentration camp in Europe at the end of World War II. All are displayed while Mr. Rubinstein is speaking, providing a rich texture to the production. 

Michael Deegan’s set within the black box confines is pleasant and homey and for realism, precise in its details. The set pieces include period (mid-1950’s) furniture, such as desks, a telephone, a bookcase, lamps, easy chairs, assorted knick-knacks, family pictures, a painting Eisenhower was working on, and an area rug as part of the decoration scheme. Even Eisenhower’s old golf bag is seen in the vestibule (he was an avid golfer). 

The play opens with Eisenhower, 18 months removed from his presidency, attired in a plain sport jacket, tie and trousers, grousing angrily how he was ranked 22^nd out of 31 presidents assessed by 75 historians in an article appearing in the New York Times Magazine. This is the root of the play and a source of much of the humor. He would frequently question how in the world specific presidents were ranked above him, generating laughter from the audience.

During this oration, Mr. Rubinstein as the affable Eisenhower, proficiently and earnestly offers his perspective of the formation of his character. He tells of his Kansas upbringing and the role his parents played in his development. He recounts his decades-long decorated Army career including his heroic victories especially as the allied commander at D-Day during World War II.

Photo: Maria Baranova

He speaks of his two terms as president – and contemplates the qualities and adversities that make an American president great. What struck me was his admission that he was reluctant to be a president in the first place but wound up with two lopsided victories over Adlai Stevenson. He admitted he enjoyed being in the Army most and had to be persuaded to run for the highest office in the land.

Presenting his own accomplishments from his perspective, President Eisenhower certainly had victories to point to. He signed landmark civil rights bills. He condemned mob rule and sent in Federal troops to Little Rock to enforce the 1954 Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision. Though fiscally conservative, Eisenhower spent large amounts of funds to create our Interstate Highway system, founding NASA and expanding Social Security. All the while he reiterates his questioning of his place in the presidential rankings in the article.

With all these triumphs, Mr. Rubinstein also adroitly conveys the sadness Eisenhower and wife Mamie had to endure in the death of his first-born child, the shock and anger while visiting a Nazi concentration camp and the challenges he experienced in dealing with Senator Joe McCarthy and McCarthyism.

"In a master class acting performance, John Rubinstein plays the role of the folksy but complex Dwight D. Eisenhower."

What was not mentioned in Hellesen’s play but a shadow over his presidency was his signing Executive Order 10450 in April 1953 that banned lesbians and gays from working in the federal government or any of its contractors. The order contributed to the ongoing “Lavender Scare” of the mid-1950s where thousands lost Federal jobs.  Moreover, Eisenhower was known to have been zealous in his pursuit of rooting out gay people in the armed forces.

Nonetheless, Eisenhower points out it is better “to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.” He extols the virtue of moderation and presciently warns of the dangers of the Military-Industrial Complex, a term he created. In this play, Hellesen’s Eisenhower lays down a blueprint for future generations to take that usable middle of the road and avoid those ditches.

Mr. Rubinstein is brilliant in the role showcasing a full range of emotions and not missing a line. He speaks in a realistic cadence that befits Eisenhower’s long military career. His movement around the stage skillfully augments his spoken words.

In Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground you will receive a lesson in history, a taste of politics, a little philosophy,  and perhaps more importantly, humanity. You will experience some laughter and some melancholy, but you will undoubtedly be riveted to the performance by an extraordinary actor in John Rubinstein who works his craft with aplomb.  

Though the show has been extended due to its popularity, tickets are going fast, so you need to hurry.

Running time. Approximately two hours with an intermission.

EXTENDED FOR SECOND TIME: Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground runs through November 3, 2024, at Olney Theatre Center, Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD. Tickets ($45–$60) are available online here or through the box office at 301-924-3400, open from 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. 

This reviewer with John Rubinstein, the original Pippin in 2015
returning as Charlamagne in the touring production of PIPPIN 
at the Hippodrome Theatre Photo: Bob Ford