By Joe Contreras, Latin Life Denver Media

“I proved to myself and this community that it wasn’t about what I looked like. It wasn’t about my last name, it was about that I was the best person for the job at that time. I have continued to break down barriers for the people coming behind me.” stated actress Mandy Gonzalez in a Playbill Magazine article while talking about the challenges of diversity in Broadway theatrical productions.

When Latin Life Denver Media began covering live theatre productions nearly 15 years ago many people of color believed and told us that Broadway theatre was a genre for the elite, rich people’s entertainment, something not for them as the productions featured themes and casts they found difficult to relate to. Tickets were often too expensive for lower income residents.

So much has changed since then. Touring Broadway productions now feature a diversity of talent, not just on stage, but with the creative teams that produce them. Actors and actresses are no longer confined to stereotypical roles. Ticket prices have become much more reasonable.

The current production of Frozen is one such example. (see our review HERE) Although the play is set in 19th century Norway or Scandinavia the cast features many people of color. Preston Perez plays Hans, Princess Anna’s ex-fiancé and archenemy who plots to usurp the throne of Arendelle in order to obtain power for himself. Nicholas Edwards is Kristoff, the mountain ice-selling man who has been raised, along with his loyal reindeer Sven, by trolls who disguise themselves as rocks. He is tough and grouchy on the outside, but he is caring and sensitive inside, proving himself one of the foils to the villain Prince Hans. There are several other actors of color as well (see below).

The music and lyrics are written by the award winning duo of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. Together they have won Oscar, Emmy and Grammy awards for Frozen’s “Let It Go”. They have also received Oscar Grammy and Emmy nominations and awards for their song writing of Coco’s “Remember Me”, and “Finding Nemo”. They have produced award winning work for “The Simpsons”, “South Park”, “Scrubs”, “The Wonder Pets” and many others.

Disney Theatrical Productions President Thomas Schumacher told Playbill Magazine “If we don’t represent on the stage or with directors and [creative teams], how do kids of color know they can pursue it as a career?” “We want to represent and reflect the world around us,” stated Schumacher, who has been around for nearly the whole history of Disney Theatrical Productions.

While Broadway has become more diverse in its productions, Disney Theatrical Productions has been a leader in promoting diversity for the past 30 years.

Frozen, in particular, features a much more colorful Broadway cast than its source material. Ann Sanders, who plays Queen Iduna in Frozen is also the first Asian-American woman to play Anna Lenowens in the 2015 revival of The King and I. She says she is encouraged by the casting process. “Disney is more interested in what you bring into the room for the character than the way you look,” she told Playbill Magazine.

For Mandy Gonzalez, authenticity and individuality have been her guiding lights, even before she made her Broadway debut as Amneris in Disney’s Aida. As she was taking her first steps in the business, she was approached about changing her last name from Gonzalez to something that could allegedly afford her more opportunities. She declined.

Gonzalez’s commitment to authenticity (and her last name) would pay off, giving her more opportunities for connection with Latinx audience members. “People would open the Playbill and [see my last name], and at the stage door they would speak Spanish to me and all of a sudden we had this connection.”

Not only was Gonzalez’s Broadway debut in Aida significant for audience members, but for future artists of color as well.

Sanders also feels the impact on the larger community. “Frozen transcends race, class, all of that. We come out and tell a story of a family. During the bows at one show, I looked out and there was this Asian woman married to a black man with their mixed-race children right in the front row. I got choked up because I thought, this is a family, and it’s important that they’re represented.”

The significance of joining the Disney legacy is not lost on these performers. “When you stop and let yourself think about it, it’s overwhelming. It’s so big. You grow up watching and loving Disney and then there you are. It’s an honor really to be a part of that family,” Jenkins says.

“For me, Disney was the place of dreams and [now with my own daughter], it continues to be that place where we’re all equal through love,” says Gonzalez. “And so for a kid that comes from a family of migrant workers to Broadway, it’s the ultimate American dream.”

“Frozen, The Musical” plays the Buell Theatre through July 3rd, 2024. TICKETS start at just $35.