Interview: Preston Perez Brings a New Perspective to Villainy in FROZEN at Murat Theatre

For the first time in forever, you’ll be able to watch Frozen not on your television screen but live on stage at the Murat Theatre as a full-fledged musical. In anticipation of this fantastical experience, we were lucky enough to speak with Preston Perez who is starring as Hans in the touring production. We got to hear about his journey to the stage and also about his unique take on what makes Hans such an intriguing character. 

Preston was swept up into the flurry of Frozen a lot faster than he expected. He just graduated in spring of 2022, and his Broadway career quickly took off. He’s thrilled, of course, but “things just happened a little faster than I anticipated them.” He had to adapt to performing on the road since this is his debut as part of a touring Broadway production, but, as he notes, “I had a lot of big goals set out for myself,” and being part of this show most definitely puts him on the path to fulfilling those goals. 

FROZEN is part of the world of Disney, so we were curious about the “Disney way.” What makes a Disney show extra special? Mr. Perez sums it up in one word: spectacle. When Preston first saw the show himself, he said, “I had my breath taken away by how beautiful it is.” Because we are not only curious but also nosy, we had to ask if he could give us any juicy tidbits about how they make the magic happen. But he held fast to preserving the Disney magic, which we had to respect. He also notes, “There are many moments in the show that I’m unsure how they happen.” 

After some production details, we obviously wanted to know what sets the musical apart from the animated film. The easy answer is a wonderful roster of new songs that feature extra vocals from some of the characters. Preston adds, “It takes everything you know and love…and sort of builds on top of that.” However, he also wants audience members to know that the musical is designed to be for anyone, including those who have never seen the film. 

There’s a specific reason we were excited to talk to Mr. Perez. He gets to play arguably one of the most interesting villains Disney has had in a while. Hans is initially the epitome of prince charming and seems to suddenly have a dastardly plan to take over the kingdom. We had to know what it was like developing a character like that. 

Preston let us know that the musical is a great way to get to know Hans better because “he has three new songs that aren’t in the animated feature” and therefore “gets a little more fleshed out.” He was also adamant that Hans doesn’t come in with his plan in place and is initially honest and genuine. He points out that Hans and Anna have many reasons to feel connected. “You get to investigate what both their motives are. You see that they really fulfill a need that they both are looking for. They’re both not first in line to take the crown. They’ve both felt like outsiders in their own home.” 

As for Hans’ dramatic turn, he calls it purely “coincidental,” which does make sense. After all, there was no way he could have known about Elsa having magical powers or that he would so easily make a connection with Anna. Preston notes, “a huge part of it is seizing an opportunity.” Everything just happened to fall into place, and Hans takes advantage of that. 

When we asked Mr. Perez how he felt about playing such an interesting character, he said, “It honestly is the best of both worlds. Two separate dreams of mine would have been to play a Disney prince and a Disney villain.” In Frozen, he gets to do both. 

Before we said goodbye, we wanted to know what Preston would like to share with the audience. He said, “If you’ve never seen a musical, there’s no way to anticipate what you’ll see,” and “if you think that you know Frozen, I’m going to challenge that you don’t know the musical.”

Don’t miss your chance to let it go with the characters of Frozen the musical! Shows are taking place November 16th through the 26th at Murat Theatre, so grab your tickets while there’s still time.