Disney Theatrical Productions announced last week that “Frozen” won't reopen on Broadway. Its conclusion means the end of what Milton High School graduate McKenzie Kurtz described as a “dream” lead role.
It was one she landed before her 25th birthday.
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"To have my first role on Broadway be a Disney princess was really a dream come true. Anna is such an incredible character," Kurtz told Channel 2 Action News.
Kurtz is no stranger to the stage. She’s performed at the Shuler Awards, which honors Georgia high school theater. After graduating from Milton High in 2015, she obtained her bachelor’s in fine arts in musical theater from the University of Michigan in 2019. By the time February 2020 rolled around, Kurtz had made her Broadway debut as Princess Anna in “Frozen,” the musical based on the hit Disney franchise.
“I moved to the city in September and got the job in November,” she told Channel 2.
In March, she reflected on auditioning for the role, in which she starred in opposite Ciara Renée.
"It was a no-brainer," Kurtz told Playbill. "I'm completely over the moon and feel so grateful and lucky."
But three weeks after her Broadway debut, all productions shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Kurtz told the news station she learned “Frozen” would not reopen two hours before the news went public. That meant she took her final bow as Anna on March 11.
“It was a total dream come true. Obviously, sad that it was so short,” she said.
Now, the actress has been home in Georgia and has been doing online coaching in preparation for her next job.
“I’ve been reading plays, watching new musicals, learning new songs,” Kurtz said. “You can still do what you love in the confines of your own home, which has been kind of a comfort to me.”
“Frozen” was not Kurtz’s first foray into Disney stage plays. She was an understudy for Ariel in “The Little Mermaid” at Kansas’ Music Theatre Witchita.
