For the first couple weeks of rehearsal, actors in the Theatre Under the Stars production of Disney’s Frozen were referring to the musical as Humid the musical That’s because the area’s soaring temperatures were a far cry from the icy world depicted in the much-loved story of Elsa and her sister Anna, says Mark Ivy who plays Olaf.
We’d show you a photo of Ivy (Sweeney Todd, Newsies, Cinderella), who acts on stages across Houston, but Disney doesn’t want you to see him until you sit yourself down in a seat at the Hobby Center. That’s because Ivy partners with a puppet to portray Olaf the snowman. (The reindeer Sven is played by a puppet.)
Jenna Lea Rosen stars as Elsa, Cailen Fu as Anna, Ferie Philippe as Kristoff and Manuel Start Santos as Hans. TUTS Artistic Director Dan Knechtges directs and choreographs and Afsaneh Aayani designed the puppers.
Ivy says it’s an honor to play a character who provides much of the comic relief in the story of two sisters, one of whom is responsible for their kingdom of Arendelle being consigned to a perpetual winter. The other, Anna, sets out to find Elsa and break the spell.
Along the way, Sven and Olaf help move the story along. Asked what it is like to be in Frozen whose animated version had been seen by millions of people and its live on stage musical by millions more.
“It feels like the best kind of pressure possible. It is a wonderfully loved Disney film and musical. I feel like I’m living out a lot of people’s dreams,” Ivy says.
“I am a little bit the heart of the show. I am a creation of these two sisters. Olaf is such a positive energy. I got into this business I loved making people smile, making people laugh. And I instantly feel that when I step into Olaf. Everyone, their face lights up; they’re brightening up. And these are people in the room I’ve known for years. It’s almost like they’re looking at me in a different light.”
Not that any of this comes easily. Because of the way Ivy portrays Olaf, he says he’s used muscles in rehearsal he didn’t know he had. “I’m right behind Olaf the whole time. The emphasis should be on the puppet.”
While he’s worked with puppets before (The Little Shop of Horrors) he’s never done anything like this, Ivy says. “This is definitely the most strenuous puppeteering I’ve ever done and the first week was definitely the hardest as he learned to move with Olaf.
“My brain wants to be a perfectionist. It’s not a process that you can really rush. But you also want to push yourself. There are muscles you have never used. I never realized the intricacies of my forearm and thumb, your neck and shoulder muscles. Things are hurting that I never thought possible. I’m definitely sort. Lots of icing, Tylenol and Epsom salts bath for my arm.”
As Ivy puts it, his journey to plays and musicals was a pretty natural one. He did choir in elementary and middle school. In high school he went to a friend’s rehearsal and the theater teacher asked him if he’d like to be in the show. Then he started taking classes at the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre at TUTS.
Asked why someone should come see this musical, Ivy says: “I definitely think they’ll get a fresh new take on Frozen. There is mor of the story that is told on stage. Then there’s a few added songs that are just so incredible. It’s a fun new thing to do for the holidays.
“And who wouldn’t want to envision themselves in a frozen ice land for the holiday season? It’s a story that you love and know, just told in a very different way.”
Performances are scheduled for December 10-29 at varied times so check their ticketing website. At the Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. For more information, call 713-315-2525 or visit tuts.com. $34.50 to $138.50.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
