In this fairy tale, there is no knight in shining armor. The hero of this story smells like a swamp, the princess is anything but a damsel, and the only real magic is learning to love yourself.
Directed and choreographed by Carol Romo, “Shrek the Musical JR.” runs five performances from March 19-22.
Based on the classic DreamWorks animated film and its subsequent Broadway adaptation, the musical follows the ogre Shrek as he ventures forth from his swamp on a quest to reclaim his home. He is accompanied by an irrepressibly sassy donkey and a princess who turns out to be more than she appears.
Standing in their way is the pompous Lord Farquaad, ruler of the fairy tale kingdom of Duloc.
Featuring more than 50 young performers, Romo said the production is an opportunity for the cast to flex their creative muscles and delve outside of their comfort zone by experimenting with their portrayals of these classic characters.
“They do something a little different each scene,” Romo said. “There’s just so many of them, and it depends on who you look at. It’s a beautiful show.”
Rather than employing a strict directing style, Romo gives her cast the flexibility to find their characters their own way, and said some of the production’s funniest moments have emerged organically.
“They’re in a box, but they can bounce around inside that box all they want,” she said. “There is room for improvisation, and if they do something I like, I’ll say, ‘keep it.’”
Leading the cast is Ben Mahmutovic as Shrek, who said the role has pushed him to be more physically expressive in his performances. He described the character as a deliberate departure from the typical fairy tale hero, more closely resembling a monster than the knight in shining armor.
“He’s green, he lives in a swamp,” Mahmutovic said. “He doesn’t have a big nice house that he lives in, and he doesn’t fly around with magical powers or anything. People always think he’s a bad guy, but in reality, he’s not.”
Tiffany Torres plays Princess Fiona, a role she said stands also apart from the traditional, portraying a princess that is an active participant in her own story rather than the usual “damsel in distress.”
“She has secrets she doesn’t tell anyone, and she has different personalities throughout the show,” Torres said. “She’s not quiet and delicate, she’s loud and feisty.”
Jacqueline Harris plays Donkey, a comic relief character she described as someone who has never had many friends and therefore has no idea when he’s overstayed his welcome.
“He doesn’t read the room, and he doesn’t respect boundaries,” Harris said. “But he’s really energetic, and there are so many ways to play him and be funny with him.”
Harris said she has spent rehearsals learning when to push the comedy and when to pull back, a skill she said has been one of her biggest takeaways from the production.
“I used to hold back because I was scared of going too far,” she said. “I’ve learned it’s okay to go big. If you go too far, they’ll tell you.”
Savanna Torres rounds out the principal cast as Lord Farquaad, a role she has embraced with enthusiasm.
“I love being dramatic,” she said. “He expresses everything very dramatically, and I love that.”
Romo acknowledged that mounting any youth production involves a certain amount of controlled chaos, but emphasised that she would have it no other way. She said she hopes audiences come ready to be surprised by what young performers can do.
“They have, deep inside of them, something wonderful,” she said. “Every time we do rehearsal, they’re becoming a little more supple and coming out and becoming the stars they really are.”
Performances are Thursday and Friday, March 19-20, at 7pm; Saturday, March 21, at 1pm and 6pm; and Sunday, March 22, at 2pm, at the Morgan Hill Community Playhouse. Runtime is approximately one hour, 20 minutes. Tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. For tickets, email th***********@***il.com.
