Big, Green,
and Hilarious; Shrek the Musical
A Review by Jane Haworth
Staff
Writer
Where else can you see Pinocchio, three blind mice, a flying
dragon, tap-dancing rats, a talking donkey and an enchanting Ogre
all come together on stage? Currently opening the 2011/2012
Broadway Series at The Community Center Theatre in Sacramento is
Shrek the Musical.
I couldn’t have imagined that such a
popular animated movie could make the transition to a Broadway
musical hit and still really work, but Shrek the Musical has
all the right elements. A lovable main character striving to make
things right, a princess in torment, an evil villain, a talking
donkey and a supporting chorus of colorful fairytale creatures.
This musical packs a lot of laughs, an original score of 19 new
songs by David Linsay-Abaire (lyrics) and Jeanine Tesori, and
colorful costumes by Tim Hatley and Austin Sanderson.
Photo: Lukas Poost as Shrek
The story of Shrek was taken
from the original children’s story written by William Steig in
1990. Steig, the New Yorker’s longest running contributor with more
than 1,600 drawings, wrote his first children’s book at the age of
60. He wrote Shrek when he was 83 and died in 2003 at the age of
96. He won the Caldecott Medal for his work, Sylvester and the
Magic Pebble. For those who have somehow managed to avoid seeing
the 2001 DreamWorks animated film Shrek, a synopsis of the story
goes like this: To reclaim his homeland swamp from an assorted mob
of fairytale creatures, Shrek, the ugly, green, but lovable ogre
must rescue the dragon-guarded Princess Fiona. He is to deliver
Fiona to an inadequate Lord Farquaad who wishes to marry her in
order to become King. Fiona (naturally) falls in love with Shrek
and Shrek falls for Fiona… but Fiona is cursed! She too is an Ogre,
but only by night, and will change to her true self when she
receives “true loves first kiss”. Photo: Luke
Yellin as Pinocchio and the fairy tale creatures in ‘Freak Flag’
What makes this musical different to
the well-known animated movie is that the audience is told the
back-stories behind many of the characters. Who knew Shrek’s
parents happily sent him away at the age of seven to fend for
himself. Young Alexa Kerner makes her national tour debut
performing the role of the young Shrek. Like young Shrek, Princess
Fiona is also banished by her parents to a lonely tower at the age
of seven. It is also revealed that Lord Farquaad’s real father was
Grumpy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves! Other comic remarks
and references throughout the show add a new dimension to the
story.
Photo: Andre Jordon as Donkey,
with Dragon voiced by Kelly Teal Goyette
My favorite performance and that of
the audience, judging by the standing ovation, was the vertically
challenged, slightly camp Lord Farquaad played excellently by
Merritt David Jones. He sang, moved around the stage and did a
high-kick dance routine all whilst on his knees. To portray his
limited stature his costume cleverly allowed him to cover his feet
and legs with a cape, whilst with the aid of a pair of false,
yellow stocking legs, he skillfully and comically pulled it off!
Photo: Merritt David Janes as Lord Farquaad, with the Duloc Dancers
Shrek, played by Lukas Poost, did not disappoint with the big
costume, mask, green make-up, and added facial features including
the all too familiar ears. Shrek’s character traits were all there
including bodily noises, scratching of the backside and slight
Scottish accent. One memorable scene was seeing the Princess Fiona
growing up in her lonely tower. During her song ‘I know it’s Today’
the audience was introduced to three different Fiona’s. They grew
from the young Fiona, Rachel Khutorsky, to teen Fiona played by
Schuyler Midgett, both making their national tour debuts, until
finally we meet the feisty, older Fiona played by Liz Shivener.
You would think it would be hard to
live up to Eddie Murphy’s portrayal of Donkey but Andre Jordan does
an excellent job of making this delightfully endearing character
his own. The duet by Shrek and Donkey ‘Travel Song’ is excellent,
with moving scenery and comic references to Disney’s Lion King.
The Dragon is quite a surprise with the amazing vocal
performance by Kelly Teal Goyette in ‘Forever’. The Chinese dragon
style puppet sings, dances and flies around the stage with the aid
of four puppeteers. Excellently lit and well performed.
Photo: left to right: Lukas Poost as Shrek, Andre Jordan as Donkey
and Liz Shivener as Princess Fiona
This musical is great family
entertainment, a story of love and friendships, and continues here
in Sacramento until October 2nd. Shrek the Musical then
continues on its national tour to Costa Mesa, CA and then Tucson,
AZ. The Broadway series continues in Sacramento with Rain, West
Side story and Mamma Mia. For more info
www.californiamusicaltheatre.com Photo: Liz Shivener as
Princess Fiona and ensemble in ‘Morning Person’
COMMUNITY CENTER THEATER BOX OFFICE, 1301 L Street, Sacramento, CA
for single-show tickets:
(916) 808-5181;
WELLS FARGO PAVILION BOX OFFICE
for single-show and season tickets:
1419 H Street, Sacramento, CA
(916) 557-1999 (916) 557-1198.
Single show tickets for Broadway Sacramento presentations are
available online through services provided by going online to:
www.Tickets.com All
Photos by
Charr Crail.
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