Preston Perez plays Hans in the Frozen North American Tour, coming to San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts beginning Wednesday, August 21 and running through Sunday, September 1, 2024. Photo Credit: Broadway San Jose
Arturo Hilario
El Observador
There’s no other way to put it: Does San Jose want to build a snowman?
The Disney mega hit movie Frozen will arrive in musical form for two weeks from August 21-September 1, 2024 for its last US tour stop. San Jose gets the final curtain call for the Tony-nominated and extremely popular production which features new music, expanded story and stunning production.
The twelve new songs by the film’s songwriters, Oscar winner Kristen Anderson-Lopez and EGOT winner Robert Lopez, and a production level that captivates audiences is sure to be a popular cool off during the last Summer weeks.
Preston Perez is a Mexican-American cast member originally from San Antonio, Texas, and plays prince Hans, the suitor for Princess Anna of Arendelle in the original film. Perez recently opened up about his path to the stage, from moving cross country from Texas to NYC, to challenges and opportunities that arise when you’re on a traveling tour. He also remarks on how the opportunity for a Latino man to play a character like Hans on a production like Frozen takes a bit of luck, a lot of hard work and hope.
For more information and tickets please visit broadwaysanjose.com.
Hi Preston. How’s the tour been so far?
It’s just wonderful. I’ve been on it for a whole year. About a year, almost. But it’s been, honestly, a fantastic experience. It’s exciting to bring it to life across the country.
I wanted to ask a little bit about your background and what your path to the stage was and what your inspirations were to get into the performing arts.
So I started doing theater in middle school. I took a theater class as an elective, and I really clung on to it immediately. I just had such a fun time, and I It was a really nice outlet for my creativity. And so then I went to a performing arts high school in San Antonio, Texas, that specialized in theater training called the North East School of the Arts. And then after high school, I went to college at Texas State for musical theater, got my BFA. And once I decided I was going to go to college for it, I was pretty certain this is what I wanted to do. Yes, so I spent four years studying for it, graduating in 2022, and then moved to New York City. And yeah, this started my career, pretty much.
What has the experience been of Being part of a Broadway show that’s constantly on the move and in a different city every couple of weeks?
Well, it brings its own set of challenges that you don’t have on Broadway because every two weeks, your housing situation is changing, the climate is changing, which can affect your voice. You’re learning the traffic patterns of a brand new theater. So there’s definitely certain challenges that come with it.
But it also keeps it, I think, really exciting because you do a show on Broadway, you’re in New York City, it’s wonderful, it’s amazing. But you’re in the same theater every single day. And it’s like, naturally, as you do something for so long, it’s like, how do I keep re-inspiring it?
And that’s its own beast, Broadway. But on tour, because you’re changing cities every two weeks, it keeps it really exciting and fresh because you’re figuring out in the theater every couple of weeks. And then by the time you feel like you’ve figured it out, we’re packing up and moving. So there’s some challenges for touring, but there’s also some really exciting things that come with it as well.
Now, on to the character of Hans. For people that know Hans from the Frozen film, what would you say is this interpretation of Hans like? Is it very comparable to the film version and what was the approach to bring him to life for the show?
I think he is definitely way more fleshed out in the musical as are all of the characters. So, I think in this production, we get to learn a little bit more about his background, about his motivating actions, which in a way is a little deceptive to the audience because it makes you a little bit more understanding of why he’s doing the things he’s doing, which is exciting as an actor.
And I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I’m sure we all already know what happens. It’s exciting as an actor to play this role because there’s such a huge contrast between the first half of the film and the second half. For me, it’s really fun to get to play all those different colors in one show.
Do you have a favorite part of the show, whether it be one that you’re in or that you like to see from the wings?
I think that my favorite part of the show is probably the finale. It’s the “Let It Go” reprise, and it’s a beautiful final button of the show in the way that everything wraps up is so inspiring. For the finale everyone is on stage except for me. And so I get to watch it in the wings every night. And when we have people leaving doing their final show, we have people debuting or whether something has happened either socially within our company or politically in the global climate, it’s such a powerful moment, and the message is so powerful.
And so getting to observe what it means for my company members each night is a really special moment. And I get to cheer and clap for them off stage before the final button of the whole show. It’s selfish to make a really special moment because I get to watch all these people that I really care about on stage at the same time.
As a Latino in theater how does it feels to come up in these conditions where there’s more diversity on stage? You play Hans in Frozen but if Frozen existed 30 years ago, it might not look the way it does on stage now in terms of the eclectic representation.
I think it’s just really special to be a part of theater at a time where everybody’s in the mix until they’re not, as opposed to at a different time where it was like certain actors were only looked at for certain roles. And I remember when I initially had to shoot for this, I counted myself out for it because I had never seen an actor that looked like me play him.
But I also I didn’t really count myself out. At the same time, I was like, “no, I actually really believe I can do this well.” So, yeah, it’s exciting to be a part of something where I can redefine what this character looks like for the audience. I obviously don’t look like the Hans in the film, and It’s just special to think that someone, some child watching it is going to feel inspired that they can play a character that they may not necessarily look like either. So yeah, it’s really special to be a Latino actor in this role, that was initially only played by white men.
Finally, why do you recommend that people see this stage musical version of Frozen?
Well, on top of it being a spectacular show-stopping musical, it is so beautiful. The Disney magic is amazing in this production. It is also our final city. So the tour is closing after San Jose, and this will be the last time that everyone in the US gets to see this Broadway production of Frozen. So it really is the final chance for it to be seen in this way.
San Jose is lucky. You get the final chance to check it out. The story is beautiful. There are twelve new songs that are not in the movie that are exciting, and they help you learn more about the characters that you know from the original animated feature. So overall, it’s just a really fantastic experience and San Jose is lucky enough to be the last one to get it.
