By John Gonzalez
WKTV Contributing Writer
If you call him “Kristoff,” Michigan native Dominic Dorset won’t mind.
“Yes, this is,” he said when we called him “Kristoff” answering the phone in a recent WKTV interview.
Is he tired of people calling him his character name?
“No, that’s alright,” he said. “I’m used to it by now, if anything.”
Dorset, a native of Saline, and 2022 graduate of the University of Michigan theater program, is excited to be on his first major tour in Disney’s “Frozen,” which plays this week (July 11-16) at DeVos Performance Hall, presented by Broadway Grand Rapids.
Bringing to life a familiar story to life
He’s learned a lot about the show, and being on the road, since the tour kicked off last September.
“I’ve gotten more comfortable with the part, having done the show eight times a week,” he said with a laugh.
“We have new cast members who come and go, so it changes, and the show has to adjust if the theater is bigger or the crowds livelier.”
The goal, he said, is to have consistent performances.
“But the reality is, we, as actors, have good days, and we have bad days,” he said. “We have days where we’re more energetic, and we have days where we’re a little slow. You’re never going to see the same show twice. But, overall, it’s always going to be ‘Frozen.’”
From the producers of “The Lion King” and “Aladdin,” The Tony-nominated “Frozen” brings back the familiar story – and songs – that fans of all ages know and love.
Something familiar
Wth music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and book by Jennifer Lee, “Frozen” the musical is based on the 2013 film of the same name and centers on the relationship between two sisters – Elsa and Anna – who are princesses.
As fans know, Elsa has magical powers to freeze objects, and people, which she has difficulty controlling. She inadvertently causes the kingdom to become frozen in an eternal winter, and nearly kills her sister.
Kristoff and his trusty reindeer companion, Sven, play a key role in the storyline.
Dorset said fans of the “Frozen” movies will love the musical because of the familiar songs, “but it’s going to be more than that, too.”
“It’s a Broadway production, which means it’s going to have the highest quality of dancing, singing, acting, set design, costume design, puppetry – EVERYTHING!” he said. “It’s top-notch quality. It’s amazing.”
Something new
Fans will also get to hear a lot of new songs not in the films.
“The writers wrote about a dozen new songs…so if you come see the show, you’re going to see the movie you know, but you’re going to see a lot more than that…You won’t hear these songs anywhere else except for on this stage.”
Dorset said he’s been a fan of the film from the time it came out, “along with the rest of the world.”
“I guess I consider myself to be a pretty big Disney fan,” he said, growing up on the Disney Channel.
He said his parents recount how, as a kid, he was “obsessed with Cinderella and Snow White.”
“Which is kind of funny,” he said. “I was really into Disney from the time I could walk.”
A love for theater
He started in local theater in fourth grade, then at Saline High School. A summer camp between his junior and senior year in high school on the campus of UM introduced him to theater students all across the country.
“I got to see kids who were really, really good. Some who had already been on Broadway. That was eye-opening to me and showed me what was possible.”
He applied to several colleges, but was excited to land at the University of Michigan because it was so close to home.
He said the thrill of creating shared experiences on stage is the magic that has him hooked every night.
“I just love stepping into somebody else’s shoes,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s telling somebody else’s story, finding the similarities and differences between you and the character that you’re playing, and bringing the words to life for a live audience.
Whole different experience
“There is something about everybody going through the experience of that story in the same room together is really addicting to me.”
That’s why fans should come see “Frozen,” he said. It’s the familiar story of Elsa and Anna, but in a live setting.
“It’s their journey of finding love and acceptance with one another, and other people, but it definitely has some updates, some new interpretations and just things you won’t get from seeing the original movie.” Dorset said. “So you have to come see the stage production.”
John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.
