NL_071119

18 | July 11, 2019 | the new lenox patriot life & Arts
newlenoxpatriot.com
‘Frozen Jr.’ cast ready to melt people’s hearts
T.J. Kremer III
Contributing Editor
If you’re going…
What: “Frozen Jr.”
When: 7 p.m. July 12; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. July 13;
and 2 p.m. July 14
Where: Lincoln-Way Central High School, 1801
Lincoln Highway in New Lenox
How much: Adults $15, students and seniors $10
For more information…
Phone: (708) 607-2281
Web: ccctheatre.com
When Disney’s animated
feature film “Frozen”
hit theatres in 2013 it was
another instant classic for
the studio that seemingly
only creates instant classics.
Now, Curtain Call Theatre’s
Emily McCabe
Musical Theatre Program
is giving audiences in
the southwest suburbs a
chance to see “Frozen Jr.,”
a musical adaptation of the
film that made its premiere
on Broadway in 2018
Playing the lead of Elsa
is Lexi Gilboe, 14, of New
Lenox.
She said she’s had plenty
of opportunities to watch
the hugely popular Disney
movie in advance of her
performance and connects
with her character on a personal
level.
“She displays a lot of
emotion,” Gilboe said.
“She shows love for her
sister, but, at the same time,
she’s scared of what she
could do.”
“I’m not going to lie,
it’s a lot sometimes. But I
always practice and read
through the script all the
time. I think the whole
thing is don’t practice until
you get it right; practice until
you can’t get it wrong.”
As an incoming freshman
at Lincoln-Way West,
this will be her final performance
with Curtain Call
Theatre’s Emily McCabe
Musical Theatre Program.
“But I’m excited because
I get to do my last show
with my friends,” she said.
Ava and Brian Cummins,
14-year-old twins
from New Lenox, play
Little Anna and Hans of the
Southern Isles, respectively.
The pair have had plenty
of experience acting, but
admitted this performance
is slightly more intense for
them.
“We’ve been [acting]
basically our whole lives,”
Ava said.
“I like the pressure,”
Brian said. “It’s a thrill.
It’s like going on a roller
coaster. … As this being
my first solo singing role,
I’m deathly worried that
I’m going to mess up one
or two lines.”
“I’m a little bit nervous
because this is also my first
singing and acting role,”
Ava said. “So, I don’t want
to mess up but, if I do, then
I’ll just have to keep going.”
The stage veterans had
some words of advice for
anyone thinking of taking
up acting.
“Before you audition
make sure to just take a
breath, and if you mess up
on something, it’s not the
end of the world,” Ava said.
“You always just get back
up and keep going.”
“If you’re thinking about
it, just do it,” Brian said.
“Try it out. See if you like it
or not. Finish the show, and
if you like it, come back. If
you don’t, you don’t have
to continue it.”
“And, just let your light
shine,” Ava added.
Cast members (left to right) Julianna Cogswell, 14, of Tinley Park; Addyson
Cuthbertson, 14, of New Lenox; Nolan Adam, 14, of Manhattan; Cooper Koteck, 13, of
Frankfort; and Lexi Gilboe, 14, of New Lenox, rehearse Thursday, June 27, for Curtain
Call Theatre’s Emily McCabe Musical Theatre Program presentation of “Frozen Jr.”
photos by T.J. Kremer III/22nd Century Media
The cast of Curtain Call Theatre’s Emily McCabe Musical Theatre Program rehearse a
scene for its upcoming presentation of “Frozen Jr.” on June 27.
danny fox
From Page 17
In 2009, when he was
18, he and his dad went
to Hibbing, Minnesota
where Bob Dylan grew up.
He entered a contest the
area holds around Dylan’s
birthday and he ended up
winning the contest.
“I got to play on Bob
Dylan’s high school stage
where he played his talent
shows,” Fox said. “That
was enlightening.
“I was terrified out of
my boots. It was brilliant
though and affirmed that
‘this is what you should be
doing.’ It was eerie, it was
poetic and it was charging.”
Fox also has his albums
for sale as well.
The 550-mile walk
In 2016, Fox backpacked
550 miles starting in
France and finishing
in Spain. It took him a
month and a half and had
just a backpack. The trail
he walked is called the
Camino De Santiago.
“It’s a 2,000-year-old
trail and it’s a pilgrimage,”
Fox said. “People do it for
spiritual reasons, people
do it for reasons as mundane
as losing weight. I
did it because I was trying
to better myself. Believer
or not, the last cathedral
there are the bones of St.
James. There are no words
for that.”
For Fox, it was for personal
reasons and he gained
a new-found respect for
himself because of it, he
said because he did not
think he would do it, let
alone finish the trail. People
can start at different spots
in the trail and it is available
to walk whenever.
“It was super gratifying
and super humbling,” Fox
said.
He learned about the
trail from the movie “The
Way.”
“I said it would be cool
to do someday,” he said.
“It felt like a calling. Fiveish
years later. I saved up
enough to do it and took a
leap of faith.”
He’s done music and
he’s done a 550-mile walk,
but his passion for his art
is undeniable. Right now it
is just a hobby for him, but
he hopes to take it somewhere
someday.
“I love doing it. If you
want a project, talk to me.
I’m open to anything,”
he said. “.And if you
just want one of a loved
one or a pet, that is fine too.
I love it. I’d like it to make
it my job-job, but it’s just a
side thing right now.”
Danny Fox can be found
on Facebook at https://
www.facebook.com/dannyfoxmusic
and via email
at groovy89@msn.com.