Delivering messages relevant to today’s culture and vital for the younger generation to believe in, “Shrek the Musical” opens this weekend at Crawfordsville High School.
Told as a turned-out fairytale, the hilarious story proves that sometimes the monster wins, a princess does not fit a mold, and love can conquer even a fire-breathing dragon. Messages of love, acceptance, and nonconformity light up the stage, giving us hope.
The story opens with Shrek (Thomas Bowling) living in isolation. The giant green ogre exiled himself to the swamp to escape public harassment and ridicule. However, he suddenly finds his piece of paradise invaded by the Three Pigs, Pinocchio, and Cinderella. These fairytale characters were evicted from their homes in Duloc by Lord Farqaad, a ruthless ruler. Bowling said he relates to Shrek’s character because he has a rough, rugged exterior that people see on the outside but is a soft-hearted, sacrificing person on the inside. He said finding the balance between the two sides is what drew him to the part.
Lord Farqaad (Hutton Haas) hopes to be King of Duloc, but he can only achieve this by marrying Princess Fiona. Princess Fiona (Kyra Thayer) is trapped in a tower guarded by the dragon and hides a secret. “Lord Farqaad is expressive, exaggerated, and flamboyant,” Haas said. “He is the opposite of me and playing him is very cool.”
Conversely, Thayer remarked Princess Fiona is much like her, “weird and witty at the same time.” Thayer added, “the cast has put in a lot of hard work, but the payoff is huge.”
Lord Farqaad makes a deal with Shrek. If Shrek rescues the princess, he will clear out Shrek’s swamp. Shrek sets out to get Fiona, making a friend with a wise-cracking Donkey (Brenden Warren) along the way. Warren laughed when asked about the best part of playing a donkey. “The best part,” he joked, “is annoying Shrek!” On a more serious note, his favorite part of the production has been getting to know new people in the cast and seeing their different sides.
Shrek and Donkey finally reach the castle and locate Princess Fiona. However, the castle is guarded by a 12-foot-high dragon. Dragon (Carrie Poole) first wants to eat Donkey but becomes infatuated with him. Poole, daughter of local theater legends Stephanie Poole and the late Barry Poole, said this part “fits well into my vocal range, so I get to go all out.” This is Poole’s 30th appearance in a production, and while it may seem “ … a little sad, I am excited to begin the next chapter of my life.”
Princess Fiona’s big secret is discovered at the beginning of Act II. At night, she turns into an ogress herself. Newcomer Jennifer Byrer plays Ogress Fiona. Byrer expressed her delight in joining the cast. “I was encouraged by my friends Hannah and Nivek to try out for a part. I am so happy I did. I have made many new friends during the rehearsals that I have never talked to in class. I don’t want it to end.”
She also added the most significant lesson from the show is “... to love yourself no matter what. Be who you are.”
Jennie Swick, the vocal director, emphasized those thoughts. Swick noted the overall message of the production is “... great for students. You are the way you are supposed to be. You don’t have to conform to what others think you should be.”
“This is probably the most ambitious and stressful production I have been a part of,” said director Lisa Warren. “The message is beautiful. It is magical. Conformity is something everyone has to learn to overcome.”
These themes could not be more evident than with the selection of cast members. The cast members include a wrestler/football player who becomes Pinocchio (Calvin Dittmar), the homecoming queen who plays Little Pig 1 (Thayli Cuevas), and the friendliest girl portraying the Wicked Witch (Sophia Tomlinson.) Even Crawfordsville’s superintendent, Scott Bowling, rounds out the cast as Papa Ogre. The entire cast has become more than people in a production. They have become a family to one another. Love and acceptance have grown here.
Tickets for the three shows are presale only at https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/71637 . Performances are 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Ticket prices are $8 for adults and $6 for students.
