SEQUIM — Ghostlight Productions is dropping the temperature a bit for its first live stage event since the pandemic with “Disney’s Frozen Jr.,” set to run for seven performances beginning Friday.
The 60-minute musical designed for student performers is based on the 2013 Disney film and the 2018 Broadway adaptation.
It will be performed on weekends through Aug. 21 at the Sequim High School auditorium, 533 N. Sequim Ave.
Showtimes are 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays this weekend and Aug. 19-20, as well as 2 p.m. matinees on Sunday, Aug. 14, and Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 20-21.
Tickets are $15 adults, $12 for youths (12 and younger). They are available at ghostlightproductions.ludus.com/index.php.
The cast includes 24 Sequim and Port Angeles students of ages 5-18 directed and choreographed by Anna Pederson. The music directed by John Lorentzen.
It has been nearly three years since Ghostlight produced the sold-out “Elf the Musical Jr.” — the company’s last live event in December 2019.
Early 2020 was looking extremely promising and busy for the local musical theatre company, Ghostlight representatives said, as it had recently announced its partnership with the Lincoln Theatre renovation and were about a month away from opening a new production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
The COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down.
“It’s interesting to reflect on the past couple years, which were obviously incredibly difficult for everyone,” said Mark Lorentzen, Ghostlight artistic director.
“We feel incredibly lucky that we survived the shutdowns and credit the support of our amazing community for that, as well as being able to present this incredible show this summer.”
“Frozen,” which is part of Ghostlight’s Young Thespian series, was originally going to be featured as part of the company’s 2020 season, and when the subject of picking a show to return to the stage came up, “Frozen” was at the top of the list.
“We wanted our first show back to be something light, entertaining and something the entire family can enjoy,” Pederson said.
The “Frozen Jr.” stage production is based on the 2013 animated film which is itself an adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Snow Queen.” The film was then adapted for Broadway and tells the story of royal sisters, Anna and Elsa, the latter possessing magical powers that allow her to create and control ice and snow.
The characters embark on an ice-filled journey of self-discovery, camaraderie and true love. Along the way are familiar songs such as “Love Is an Open Door,” “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” and “Let It Go,” to name a few.
Said Pederson: “Overall, it’s a satisfyingly beautiful story and really has a little bit of everything: comedic moments, show-stopping production numbers, unforgettable anthems and magic.”
To tell this story, she and the Ghostlight team assembled a cast of two-dozen performers, all of them students from Sequim and Port Angeles.
“We are constantly in awe of the talent and professionalism of these performers. We hold them to high standards, and they deliver incredible performances,” Pederson said.
Production of “Frozen Jr.” — presented through special arrangement with and all materials are provided by Music Theatre International — included seven weeks of rehearsals.
“There is nothing like live theatre,” Lorentzen said. “There is nothing like that feeling when the lights dim, the overture thunders, and we get to experience that incomparable connection between performer and audience. It’s so great to be back!”
For more information, visit ghostlightwa.org or call 360-207-0130.
Oliva Wray portrays Elsa in Ghostlight Productions’ upcoming offering of “Frozen Jr.,” set for seven performances at the Sequim High School auditorium. (Bob Spink/Ghostlight Productions)
