'Disney on Ice presents Frozen' skates into Greenville

The dreams of thousands of Upstate children will come true this week when Anna, Elsa, Olaf and their friends skate into the Bon Secours Wellness Arena for "Disney On Ice presents Frozen" presented by YoKids.

"'Disney On Ice presents Frozen' is everything everyone knows and loves about the film 'Frozen' brought to life right in front of them along with everyone's favorite music from the film," said Jackson Stevens, one of the ensemble skaters in the production. "In every venue, we transform it into different locations from the film. You'll get to see Arendelle and maybe you'll get to see some snow up in the North Mountains."

Don't have tickets? There are shows daily June 10-14, and tickets are still available at the Wellness Arena box office and at ticketmaster. Tickets are $20 – $135 each.

Stevens said the cast is excited to have a fun show with Upstate children. His favorite part of the show has been the "spectacular" interaction of the children in attendance at each show, he said.

"I love all aspects of this show, but for me, it's got to be the opportunity to look out into the audience and see all the looks on the faces of the children, and even the parents," he said. "We get the occasional 20-year-olds on a date, and it's such a diverse crowd. I don't think anyone attends this show and doesn't have a phenomenal time."

This is Stevens' fourth year with Disney on Ice and his third production. Nothing he's been a part of has matched the fandom of "Frozen," he said.

"There are varying degrees of fandom that you experience, and this one has just been above and beyond anything I've experienced in the past," he said. "The audience interaction and the audience experience has been substantially more impressive with this show. You see a lot of kids dressed up in costume. With other shows, you see that more around Halloween — you'll get princes and princesses dressed up at the shows. With our show, you see Elsa at every single show. There are hundreds of them dressed up in the audience."

The production features impressive special effects, Stevens said, and the show will, of course, feature popular songs, such as "Let It Go" and "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" as costumed performers figure skate to the popular movie's storyline.

"There's so much singing to the songs we have, and they've just been so popular, all of these songs," he said. "For example, Elsa comes out to sing her solo to 'Let It Go' and the audience sings so loud we have to turn up our own music or we won't be able to hear it over the audience. That fandom has been incredibly overwhelming as a performer. It's been very, very special to be a part of it."

Stevens said the production does a good job of paying tribute to the Academy Award-winning animated film, which follows the story of two sisters — one of whom is an ice queen while the other is a normal teenage princess. In addition, the show will feature other favorite Disney characters.

"Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy go on this exploration of love, and 'Frozen' is unique in the sense that they have this love between two sisters that you don't typically see, but on that exploration, you get to see the romantic side as well," he said. "You'll see Disney princes and princesses. You get the love of friendship as well. We have Buzz and Woody and Timon and Pumba."

Stevens hopes the Upstate will help make the tour's Greenville shows memorable for all.

"As a performer and as a skater, there's no better appreciation than a wild audience who's willing to participate at every appearance," he said. "It's been pretty spectacular."