Review: DISNEY'S FREAKY FRIDAY at The Premiere Playhouse

DISNEY’S FREAKY FRIDAY at The Premiere Playhouse is an energetic and highly entertaining production showcasing some  promising new talent and bringing some seasoned actors some well deserved stage time in leading roles.  Kate Stahl as Ellie Blake is solid in her portrayal of a surly teen and then as her very organized and capable mom after a freaky accident happens with a magical hourglass leaving the two characters with the big switch. Her vocals are spot on, selling every song and most notably, her big solo No More Fear with confidence and absolutely natural talent.  I could have listened to her all night, every night and twice on Sunday for the beautiful vocals that she produces. Nothing seemed out of her range or too difficult for her to master. 

Jessica Johannsen as Katherine Blake is a powerful presence on stage and does some admirable vocal work, highlighted by some bluesy riffs in the second act. I especially enjoyed seeing Jackson Heiberger take on the role of cool and confident Adam in this production.  His acting and physical presence and movement on stage hits the mark for this character.  Paul Ridgeway as Mike has a natural and endearing quality in this production.  His sense of timing and humor were perfect for this role. The ensemble of actors that were the different pockets of the high school  population were well cast and some of the standouts were Aviannah Steen as Savannah and all of her minions as well for their commitment to their characters and bristly presence in the mix of the students.   The best friends of Ellie played by Ava Breems and Sophia Fette were also well suited to their roles and did some solid work in this production.

The stage movement and choreography in this production was not complicated but it was well executed and hopefully an inspiration to kids in the audience to get up on stage someday if that is what they aspire to.  The costumes of the two main groups of high school students were well thought out and the color palettes appropriate for the characters.  I appreciated how the elements of the set were so smoothly shifted to make scene changes flow from the various locations.   The lighting design had its biggest moment with innovation and color half way through the 2nd act, I would have liked to have seen more of those exciting colors in the lighting, earlier in the production.  

This cast is aptly directed by Oliver Mayes, bringing the focus on stage to all the right places. I especially appreciated being able to watch a production without having production folks standing behind me whooping it up at the cast on stage.  It’s important to let the audience determine where the excitement is in the production. The reaction from the audience at this production was genuinely delighted by the efforts of the players in this production. I heard so many comments of appreciation at intermission, and the reaction at curtain call was well deserved kudos.  The recorded music score brings a pace to this production that keeps the audience engaged at every interval.  

In a season with a steady stream of horror films at the local movie theaters,  DISNEY’S FREAKY FRIDAY  is a breath of fresh air in family entertainment.  DISNEY’S FREAKY FRIDAY plays this weekend at The Premiere Playhouse at 315 N. Phillips Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD. Tickets are available by phone at 605-367-6000 ( Washington Pavilion Box Office,) and at the theater before the performances, or online at https://thepremiereplayhouse.com/productions/the-premiere-premieres/.  

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