The Magic of Frozen Jr.

Review by Chelsea Armstrong

Frozen, Jr. stunned audiences this past weekend with two casts and four incredible performances in the chilly KAS auditorium. From the gorgeous costumes inspired by Taiwanese Indigenous symbols, to the interactive audience participation, every detail was thoughtfully planned, with the vision, care, and love of our genius director and theater teacher, Amber Lanning.

KAS students, ranging from Kindergarten to Grade 11, brought this love story between sisters to life in a show that will be frozen in my memory eternally.

Young Anna (Averie Cheng and Clara Hsieh) and Young Elsa (Anya Sun and Ava Hsiao) were natural stars. Their clear enunciation and stage presence made it easy to imagine them on the KAS stage for many years to come. Middle Anna (Ashley Tan and Katie Chu) brought humor and charm to their performances.

I’m sure Ashley and Katie will step into lead roles in the near future. Middle Elsa (Zoe Chen) brought a tear to my eye evoking the loss and sadness her character was experiencing. 

Morgan Chen, who starred as King Triton in last year’s The Little Mermaid, returned as King Agnarr, bringing a natural, fatherly presence to the role. Theory Lee made her musical debut as Queen Iduna with a performance that felt loving and maternal.

Anna (Alisha Cheng and Audrey Tsai) lit up the stage with humor and energy. It was wonderful to see Alisha step into a larger role this year, while Audrey once again impressed with her Broadway vocals. It was especially exciting to see Audrey continue to grow as an actor! I told her parents after opening night, “She’s so funny!” Elsa, played by Apple Lee, was perhaps most consistently in character. She embodied both the confidence and isolation of the role with professional acting chops.

Ameerah Browne and Zoe Cowie were standout performers as Pabbie and Bulda, bringing wisdom, warmth, and a touch of magic to the stage. Kaden Quinn and Zara Cowie fully committed to their roles as Sven, in perhaps the best costume of the show. Alongside them, Holland Lanning was a natural fit as rugged and sensitive Kristoff.

Justin Wang was easy to hate as Hans. Austin Chen and Zoe Esperanza Chou charmed as Olaf. The snow chorus, a gorgeous dance team dressed in beautiful white costumes moving with grace and emotion, was a highlight of the production.

One of the most impressive aspects of this year’s show was the nearly all student run backstage crew. From lighting to props to costume management, students took ownership of every detail. Applause! Sophie Tsai, the production’s Dramaturg, conducted research to ensure authentic cultural representation.  These are real world skills that will serve students far beyond the stage. As Ms. Amber said on closing night, “Theatre is learning in action.”

The addition of Evan Wichman as the musical director this year was immediately evident in the strength and confidence of performers. His collaboration with Ms. Amber was seamless and elevated the entire production.

I could go on for pages about this incredible show, but the heart and soul of this production is, hands down, Amber Lanning. She built the theater program from the ground up and has an extraordinary gift.

An EASY five stars