Letting it go: ‘Frozen’ fulfills magical ice princess dreams at the Children’s Theatre Company

Talk about a full circle moment.

When actor Julia Ennen saw the Broadway production of “Frozen” in March 2020 a week before the coronavirus shutdown, she got to go onstage because of friends working at the theater. Looking out into those stage lights launched her into a reverie of joy and wonder.

Ennen has been obsessed with the story since the film came out in 2013, dressing up in “Frozen” costumes and wearing out the soundtrack. But in 2020 she also was at a crossroads about where to pursue her goals.

“I had this feeling in my gut like, wow, this is amazing, but I don’t want to stay in New York much longer,” said Ennen, a Minnesota native who went east to study performance and teaching at New York University. “I wanted to go home to create theater.”

She did. And now Ennen has been tapped as one of the leads in the big production of “Frozen” that opens Saturday at the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. She plays princess Anna in a show that knots a bow for her but also for other members of the cast and crew.

“It’s just an absolute dream to be able to do this five years later in my hometown,” Ennen said. “It has all the breathtaking spectacle, the amazing costumes and the Disney magic. But underneath, it’s a very human story.”

Ennen acts opposite Gillian Jackson Han, who plays ice queen Elsa. A New Yorker, Han spent a year in the Broadway tour of “Dear Evan Hansen,” playing anxious high schooler Alana as well the title character’s love interest Zoe.

For four years, Greene was the resident director of one of the “Hamilton” tour companies that crisscrossed America. She has worked once before in the Twin Cities, directing the hoops-themed play “Flex” at Penumbra Theatre.

“Frozen” gives her an opportunity to stretch creatively in a different way, Greene said.

“The anchors of this production are the magic and epic scale of the story in a time that’s so compressed and with stakes that are very high,” she said. “We’ve got the high highs and the low lows as these two girls who lost their parents at a young age try to navigate their relationship and their lives.”

“Frozen” is set in an ice-bound world ruled by Elsa, who has a special gift that she unleashes when she gets excited and thus can’t always control. She can turn things to ice. Anna launches on an epic journey to reunite with her sister, with companions that include a mountaineer and reindeer.

“You can understand why this is such a fan favorite and it’s not just because it’s pretty well written,” Ennen said. “Elsa is walking in the world as an ordinary person and she has this empathy and care for others, but that empathy can lead to others not being around.”

“We’re not dumbing it down by any measure but are leaning into the complexities of the story,” Greene said. “We don’t underestimate the sophistication of young minds, especially for a story like this. For when these two girls lost their parents, one was told that something about her was shameful, and she needed to keep it a secret. That’s something that’s pretty profound they have to deal with.”

Han, who is making her CTC debut, sings the show’s most famous number, “Let It Go.” While she has known the song inside-out since it was first released — she remembers going as Elsa at Halloween the year the film came out — she has gained new appreciation and insight into the composition with this deep dive.

“In every breath the lines change just slightly, building within the song as she learns how to own her power,” Han said. “You can just feel the journey, her whole journey, moving beautifully in how it’s written.”

Han, too, stressed what Greene has imparted to the company.

“These girls are not just magical creatures,” Han said. “They’re real people who, at the end of the day, were sequestered from the world.”

“The townspeople all get scared, but Anna announces that she’s going to see Elsa,” Ennen said. “And they’re like, ‘How do you know she’s not going to hurt you?’ And Anna responds: ‘Because she’s my sister.‘”

Ennen paused. “That moment could’ve been written so differently,” she said. “It could have been because it’s my job to go, because I’m loyal and that’s what I have to do, or anything. But she simply says, ‘She’s my sister.’ And that understanding supersedes everything.”

‘Frozen’

When: 7 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Sat., 2 & 6 p.m. Sun. Ends June 15.

Where: Children’s Theatre Company, 2400 3rd Av. S., Mpls.