The will dedicate The Snow Queen: A Frozen Adventure to longtime music director Geoff King.
Opening an eight-show run at Surrey Arts Centre鈥檚 Main Stage Friday, Dec. 16, the production is set to music written by after 16 years of helping wife Ellie King build the theatre company into a Surrey entertainment staple.
The panto actors, crew and audiences will all miss Geoff, who always stood out stage-side in a white suit.
鈥淚t鈥檚 his swansong, a huge gift to us,鈥� said Crystal Weltzin, who wrote the script and also acts. 鈥淗e was always my musical inspiration, and I actually started to learn piano because of him, although I鈥檓 not nearly at his level of talent.鈥�
Geoff鈥檚 recorded music will be played during the show, including Here鈥檚 to You, a final song sure to produce some tears.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have anyone playing music live this year, and it鈥檚 the first time for us in 16-plus years,鈥� Weltzin explained. 鈥淗e always did, but this year we won鈥檛, because it wouldn鈥檛 be right if it鈥檚 not Geoff playing his own music. We鈥檙e looking at options for next year to see if we can collaborate with anyone locally who鈥檇 want to come write music for us.鈥�
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VIDEO: Rehearsal of "The Snow Queen: A Frozen Adventure," a panto by at starting Friday.
鈥� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)
The show is dedicated to music director Geoff King, who helped wife Ellie build company over the past 16 years.
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Last July, Ellie King retired from the job of leading the theatre company, for which she was the managing artistic director, and handed the reins to production manager Weltzin and artistic director Kerri Norris.
Residents of 91原创, the Kings created pantos in the British tradition, and that continues with 鈥淭he Snow Queen: A Frozen Adventure鈥� for the run at Surrey Arts Centre over 10 days, with performances to follow at Anvil Centre in New Westminster.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all very in tune with those British traditions that Ellie brought, one of them being Evil has to stay on stage left, and Good is on the right, and they don鈥檛 ever cross 鈥� that鈥檚 a huge tradition,鈥� Weltzin said.
鈥淚f we see other (panto) shows do that, we all scream,鈥� she added with a laugh. 鈥淭o us, that鈥檚 wrong, but everybody has their own rules for pantos. We have Ellie鈥檚 rules that we stick to. We have slapstick, we have our traditional dame and an Idle Jack character who has an Idol Jane. Those are stock characters that we play with and put in the show every year.鈥�
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MORE VIDEO: Music from 's panto "The Snow Queen: A Frozen Adventure," which on Friday opens an eight-show run at Surrey Arts Centre.
鈥� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)
It's the swansong of music director Geoff King 鈥� "a huge gift to us,鈥� says .
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On Sunday (Dec. 11), during a final rehearsal at the theatre company鈥檚 studio in Whalley, even the other actors booed the evil, silver-clad Jack Frost (played by Nikola Trotzuk), opposite Fairy Sunbeam (Rebecca Trotzuk, who is Nikola鈥檚 sister). Stephen Elcheshen returns as the panto鈥檚 dame (Granny Lettago), among two dozen actors in the strong, high-energy cast.
Weltzin plays Lesa, which may or may not be an anagram for the name of a character in Disney鈥檚 Frozen movie.
鈥淗er story is very much about trying to keep everything the same, kinda like in 2020 when everything was stagnating and she was happy and content,鈥� Weltzin said. 鈥淓verything changes, and she鈥檚 kind of dealing with consequences and her choices, figuring out what she wants.鈥�
Weltzin began writing the script early this year, after creating the company鈥檚 鈥淎lice in Wonderland鈥� panto story in 2021.
鈥� READ MORE: .
鈥淭his is a bit of Hans Christian Andersen鈥檚 mixed with some Frozen bits, because that鈥檚 what Frozen is based on,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e got to a sixth draft, I think, and we鈥檙e still adding jokes here, right at the end.鈥� We are really proud with how we have mixed the classic fairy tale with some new, modern takes.鈥�
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In this story, Lesa and sister Anna (Isabel Miller) clash as they navigate the difficulties of sisterhood.
Anna gets engaged to her boyfriend, Gustaf (Juliet Logan), and Lesa, unwilling to be left behind, fights to keep her sister on her side as their lives begin to change.
Cast members come from across Metro Vancouver, including Connor Hogg (as Leif), Jodie Aguinaldo (Stacey), Jack Derrenbacker (Alexa), MJ Arden (Siri) and Michael Widman (Mayor Maynott), among others involved.
For the first time in three years, the panto can be staged in 鈥渘ormal鈥� ways.
鈥淲e can do autographs again, hand out candy and go into the audience,鈥� Weltzin said. 鈥淟ast year was really nice to come back again because it鈥檚 such a tradition, and without (the panto) it doesn鈥檛 feel like Christmas to me. Last year we were very careful, and we still are, but we all wore masks and had understudies, and now it鈥檚 nice to kind of have the choice to wear masks, as opposed to having to wear them all the time. Just seeing facial expressions again is great. It鈥檚 going to be fun to interact with our audience again. We really missed having that connection.鈥�
At Surrey Arts Centre, The Snow Queen: A Frozen Adventure runs from Dec. 16 to 26, with shows at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. on select dates, with a 鈥渞elaxed鈥� performance (for those with intellectual, behavioural or other challenges) on Dec. 22 at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets can be bought online at tickets.surrey.ca, or call 604-501-5566. A 鈥渞egular鈥� seat is $34.99, or $29.99 for those aged 60 and over and 12 and under. Group and family rates are also available. Details are also found on rctheatreco.com.
鈥� White Rock Players Club鈥� Christmas pantomime The Magic Flute: The Panto runs until Dec. 23 at the Oceana PARC Playhouse. Directed and written by Dianna Harvey, the show substitutes pop songs old and new 鈥� and some familiar musical theatre tunes 鈥� for Mozart鈥檚 operatic score, but also includes some of the composer鈥檚 original music, with a few new twists.
For tickets and info, visit whiterockplayers.ca/buytickets, or call 604-536-7535.
-with a file from Alex Browne
