ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Disney On Ice, the perennial animated movies-meet-ice-performer show that opens at PPL Center today, Dec. 11, is a dream come true for audiences.
But it also can be the fulfillment of a dream for its performers, the woman who portrays the character Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" in the show said.
“It’s pretty amazing," skater Jaysa Bozzuto, said in a phone call from the road to promote Disney On Ice presents Road Trip Adventures, which starts its PPL Center residency at 7 p.m.
"I always went to Disney on Ice shows and really wanted to do this when I was younger. So getting to see kids’ faces light up and get so excited ‘cause they see these characters makes all of it so worth it.”
Additional performances will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec.12; 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13; and 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Dec. 14.
Tickets, at $24.10-$60 each, remain available for all the shows at the PPL Center websiteor the box office at 701 Hamilton St., Allentown. Ages 2 and older are required to have a ticket.
The show has classic Disney characters Mickey, Minnie and Goofy, as well as others, and takes audiences on "an interactive and memory-rich adventure to iconic Disney destinations," according to promotional materials.
“I just feel like the show is just so special and it is the most interactive show that Disney has to offer," Bozzuto said.
“And I still remember my first time coming to a Disney on Ice show — and I feel those memories are just gold.”
Birth of a mermaid
This is Bozzuto's first year performing in Disney On Ice, but she said she's been connected to the show since she was a child.
A native of Bellevue, Idaho, Bozzuto said she began skating at age 6, taught by her sister’s ballet teacher, who also was a figure skater who performed in Disney On Ice.
"It just was something I dreamed of doing — to be like her, and to get to follow my dreams like that."Disney On Ice Skater Jaysa Bozzuto
"And I watched her when I was real young, and I just got to see all of her videos, all of that stuff, and I got to see how close-knit she was to all these people she got to meet all over the world," Buzzoto said.
"And it just was something I dreamed of doing — to be like her, and to get to follow my dreams like that."
She eventually performed in Sun Valley Ice in Idaho and Holiday On Ice and auditioned for Disney On Ice in 2023, before finally joining the troupe this year.
With Disney on Ice, Buzzoto said, she's already traveled to destinations such as Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong, and is fulfilling more dreams by sightseeing.
Story full of adventures
And that's the story told in Disney On Ice presents Road Trip Adventures, told through characters from Disney’s "Moana," "Frozen," "Lion King," "Aladdin," "Toy Story," "Little Mermaid" and more.
Audiences "travel to the sun-soaked Motunui and help Moana restore the heart of Te Fiti" and "set off on a safari and snap unforgettable photos of wild cheetahs and monkeys when guests traverse through the Pride Lands with Simba, Timon and Pumbaa," according to publicity material.
"Mary Poppins will take the audience to "see the world from the rooftops of London ... and Jack and his band of dancing lamplighters."
And patrons can "discover a whole new world and be swept up in Aladdin’s princely parade filled with spectacular stunts, magical moments with Genie," and a brand-new song from Jasmine that will render the audience “Speechless.”
There also will be moments with Woody, Bo Peep and Forky, and singing along to beloved Disney tunes with Merida, Belle, Ariel, Mulan and Tiana on the ice.
Still dreaming
And while portraying a character while skating perhaps doesn't offer the depth that film acting does, Buzzoto said she feels that, "especially on shows like Disney on Ice Road Trip Adventures, you have so much opportunity to interact and add so much to a number."
"The first time I saw Disney On Ice, I saw my coach before I even knew her, and she was Belle. And so that just has a close spot in my heart."Disney On Ice Skater Jaysa Bozzuto
"Because when you think about it, you’re sitting so close to some people, but then you also get to perform out, up into the audience," she said.
“I feel like facial expressions, just being present, wanting to … I always try to put 110 percent into every show.”
She said she also performs in ensemble numbers, "so I try to elevate them … make all the stories come to life in group numbers. So I’m just so happy I get to be here.”
Buzzoto said she isn't done dreaming.
In her times off the tour, she's a substitute teacher, and still has aspirations to go to college for architecture, she said.
"I think I probably will start doing classes online while I’m on tour so I get ahead of it," she said.
“I’m just kind of soaking in all of the tour right now.”
Buzzoto said she even still has a dream related to Disney On Ice — she'd like to portray Belle from "Beauty and the Beast."
She said it's been her favorite character since she was a child.
"The first time I saw Disney On Ice, I saw my coach before I even knew her, and she was Belle," Buzzoto said. "And so that just has a close spot in my heart."
