City Council gets a free show: Hear a song from Music Theatre Wichita’s Disney’s Frozen

Those who tuned in to Tuesday’s Wichita City Council meeting got an unexpected free preview of Music Theatre Wichita’s biggest show of the 2024 season: Disney’s Frozen.

Performer Stephanie Reuning-Scherer, a senior at the University of Michigan and member of Music Theatre Wichita’s resident ensemble, sang “Let It Go” from the City Council lectern, using a portable speaker to play background music.

The roughly four-minute solo was a major departure from typical Wichita City Council meetings and prompted multiple council members to propose adding more music in the future.

“I would propose that we just cancel the meeting and just let them sing,” J.V. Johnston said.

“Second,” Dalton Glasscock said.

“I’d like to move that we start every meeting with that song,” Brandon Johnson said.

Reuning-Scherer will not be playing Elsa in Music Theatre Wichita’s version of Frozen — which opens in July — but she will have a supporting role as June in “Gypsy,” which opens at Century II on Wednesday, Brian J. Marcum, artistic director for Music Theatre Wichita said.

Marcum said Music Theatre Wichita brings in talent from Broadway to play lead roles but the rest of the cast is filled with students from around the country who travel to Wichita to work as the resident ensemble.

“For all of the roles that we have coming this summer, we saw more than 930 people who want to come and be a part of our season,” Marcum said. “And these are some of the best of the best that you’re going to see.”

Music Theatre Wichita’s 2024 season schedule:

▪ “Gypsy” May 22-26

▪ “9 to 5” July 12-16

▪ “Frozen” July 5-7 and July 10-14

▪ “Matilda” July 31 - Aug. 4

▪ “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” Aug. 21-25.

“We will be doing five big shows, like we always do,” Marcum said. “This is the first time since the pandemic that we’re glad to say that all five shows will be back in Century II, which is very exciting for us. No more outdoor theater this year.”