If you haven’t heard, Frozen, the hit Broadway musical is currently playing at the KeyBank State Theater at Playhouse Square in Cleveland. We caught up with actor Jeremy Morse, who plays the Duke of Weselton, to talk about the show and what it’s like to film with his family.
Morse and his wife Alex are the proud parents of 11-month-old Clementine and raised her on the Frozen tour since she was about 2 months old.
Parent NEO: Tell us a bit about yourself and your family.
Jeremy: “I grew up just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in Havertown. I grew up always learning to sing. It was kind of my gateway to musical theater. I did this program from been to Upper Darby Summer Stage at Darby in Upper Darby, PA which made me fall in love with acting I have incredibly supportive parents and they pushed me to do what I love, that is say theater I ended up getting into NYU early decision and got a degree in vocal performance musical theater which was a bachelor of music degree which you know coincided with my love of the music, and from there, and I kind of stayed in New York. I love developing new shows, so that was kind of my thing that I did. Years later, my Broadway debut was Waitress and I did the national tour of that and my wife got to be on that show with me. We met before through friends in New York, but I proposed to my wife before leaving for the Waitress tour, and then she got hired and we toured together for a year, which was amazing. We finished the waitress rounds and I booked the Frozen round. We got married two days before Frozen the tours have started so the timing was impeccable. We started the Frozen tour, then the pandemic hit, so we hid in New York for a hot second, and then ended up staying with our family in Massachusetts. His family is in Plymouth so we were there for about 18 months. When Frozen started coming back, Disney was incredibly supportive and gave me parental leave. Our baby, Clementine, is 11 months old and we joined the tour when she was two months old in Chicago.
Parent NEO: Tell us a bit about life on the road with your baby. Do you make souvenirs in each city?
Jeremy: “She moved back to East Lansing and she started babbling in Orlando. So we have all these markers, which is so, so cool. I remember the house or the Airbnb, I remember going to this zoo, so it was a really, really cool experience to have that. Our daughter is going to be, and already is, so adaptable, the way she can just step into a new space and just like explorers. She can see so many different places and experience so many different things, which is, you know, really cool.
Northeastern Ohio relative: You’re in Cleveland for about a month so maybe she’ll do something cool here.
Jeremy: “I feel like she could start walking here. Which is exciting. Also, scary. She crawls and she can balance herself and stand for a few seconds. Also, probably more teeth. She has teeth that are on the way, so sleepless nights but a very cute smile.
Northeastern Ohio relative: Have you learned any pro tips for traveling with a baby?
Jeremy: “Not a catch for Marriott but as always if you are staying at a hotel stay at a Residence Inn and stay in a room so you can have a separate area as your baby is going to sleep at 7 or 8pm , stay where you can have a separate space so you don’t feel trapped. Have a really sturdy stroller that you can put things on underneath. We have the UppaBaby, which is fantastic. When booking an Airbnb or hotels, have somewhere nearby like a trail or park, somewhere within walking distance. We go out and go for a walk. We get up every day between 6:45 a.m. and 7 a.m., then we go for a walk. So it’s an amazing thing that we love to do. We have suction cup blackout curtains which are clutch. My wife did a ton of research. Everything is collapsible and compressible. So he can be packed into the car and driven with us. We have a foldable bathtub and its backpack and the game is its bed and we can carry it as a backpack. Thus, everything is made to fly, pack and decompose. This is the only way we could do this.
Relative from northeast Ohio: Tell us about your participation in the live theatrical performance of Frozen. How does it feel to be part of a story so dear and loved by families?
Jeremy: “Frozen, the movie, the brand is for kids, but also, I think this specific production is absolutely entertaining, and I think a story so vital to adults that teaches empathy that teaches the power of brotherhood and the power of family, power of community, of coming together to overcome your own fears in your own eyes. With the pandemic, I feel like so many people have gone through isolation and fear in such a difficult way for such a long time. And that, you know, coming to the theater is kind of the opposite of that, and getting over that kind of thing is seeing that story unfold on stage in person is so emotional. When I got to see the show when I came back in November 2021, I cried. It is such a moving and beautiful experience. I think the show is absolutely beautiful and the story is so beautiful and it’s played at such a high level.
Northeastern Ohio relative: Tell us about the show. What can we expect?
Jeremy: “I mean, the show itself, like top to bottom, I can say no expense was spared. The projections, the lighting, the sound, the orchestra, the talent on stage are truly Broadway-level. I feel honored to play alongside every single person in this company. The technical elements in particular are impressive. Along with that, with the performances, Caroline Bowman, like Elsa is just crazy, her rendition of ‘Let It Go’ is so powerful and so moving. Then Lauren Chapman who plays Anna is also, just as spectacular, bringing her own quirkiness and charm to the role of Anna. The set is so amazing, Rob Ashworth’s choreography is ridiculous and beautiful. The orchestrations that Steven Oremus has put together are just insane. And the Lopez music, you know, is all the music from the movie, and a whole lot more, including a new song that was written and debuted for the tour. “I Can’t Lose You,” which is in act two, is so beautiful. So, I feel like from top to bottom, the whole creative team put so much love and care into this production that it translates to the stage and so on. It honors the movie, but bringing it to life on stage, you know, kicks it up a notch. It’s so incredibly spectacular.
Relative from northeast Ohio: Is your daughter already a fan of Frozen? Did she see part of the show?
Jeremy: “She’s not quite there but we’re definitely singing ‘Let It Go’ to her. She loves that. We will definitely bring her in Frozen as she gets older and can understand a little. Maybe in a few years, who knows what my path will be with the series. And you know, maybe it will come back and I will in a few years. Maybe she’ll be playing young Anna in about seven years. We will see. We’ll see what happens.”
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