Trinity College Gawler River staff and students staged a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining production of Disney’s Frozen Jr. It was delightful to see how the positive audience response encouraged and lifted the young performers. Director Kristy Triantafilakis provided a disciplined and focussed framework for the actors to hone their performance skills. The production was well supported by some precise and successful work of Choreographers Daniel Maxwell and Tia Girgolas.
Indeed, the whole performance was enhanced by the choreographers and the Snow Dancers Jamie Britton, Amber Doudle, Talia Owens and Natalie Tully. These dancers not only took the lead in the large ensemble numbers, but illustrated and interpreted the plot throughout the production, and kept the action relevant and alive during scene changes.
Gwen Parnaby and Hannah Mitchell were sweetly effective as the young Anna and Elsa, while Kaelin Marret-Guest and Dakota Schwab managed the age transition well as the middle Anna and Elsa. However, Eliana Girgolas and Erin Doudle established the characters of Anna and Elsa with confidence and grace. Eliana developed her character early on, and sustained it well. She had a good sense of the space on stage and had an appealing cheeky quirkiness, which the audience thoroughly enjoyed. Her strength was well matched by Erin in the role of Elsa. She showed appropriate inner turmoil at her predicament, yet still showed her independent spirit. Her song ‘Let It Go’ was a highlight.
The supporting cast were strong. Katie Tilbrook was articulate and credible as Kristoff. She was well supported by Aejen Gligora who mimed Sven the reindeer with energy. Josh Roberts was a convincingly conniving Prince Hans while the diminutive Marco Collins made a great deal of his comic one-liners and physicality as Olaf. Campbell Fowler was natural and convincing in his several roles, and showed confident stage presence in them all.
The whole production was well-coordinated. The cast’s timing of their movement and singing to fit the music was precise, and the scene changes were smooth and well devised, moving the three triangular mobile flats carefully around the stage. The construction of the ice palace was especially impressive, not to mention interesting, each time it took place.
Frozen was a successful choice for the young cast, and bodes well for the future.
