'Shrek' delights with age-old story of friendship, love

Shrek the Musical tells an age-old story of friendship and adventure under a whole new guise. Smelly ogres, talking animals and lively fairy tale characters take the stage with upbeat, catchy tunes and a whole lot of enthusiasm in mid-April this year at Sandpoint High School. Cast entirely of Sandpoint area young people from ages 8 to 18, this performance features superb acting, soaring voices, engaging puppetry, spectacular set and costume design, and energetic choreography.

Shrek, played by Burton Anderson, is happily living his solitary life in the swamp until it is invaded a host of banished Fairy Tale characters led by Pinocchio, played by Tyler McNamee, and Gingy, played by Emma Riach. Hounded into being the hero, Shrek sets off for Duloc and inadvertently saves the fast-talking Donkey, played by Devin Fredericks. Upon arrival at the perfect city of Duloc, Shrek is awarded the “honor” of accepting a quest from Lord Farquaad, played by Zane Rasor, in order to recliam the swamp he loves so much. The quest involves rescuing the demure Princess Fiona, played by Jasmine Mearns, from a tower protected by a ferocious fire-breathing Dragon, played by Hope Ambridge.

Shrek sings a variety of songs which bring out many emotions, says junior Burton Anderson, “The songs are full of heart, taking the audience through love, hurt, dreams, laughter and smiles, sometimes all at one time.” Burton’s favorite song is “Who I’d Be” at the end of Act One. As a big green smelly ogre in this play, Burton will have quite the costuming, including prosthetics and lots of green make-up – it is quite the transformation. Last year Burton played Prince Dauntless in Once Upon A Mattress. He’s really looking forward to having friends and family in the audience and is hoping for Mike Myers to surprise him one night by being in the audience.

An invading army of exiled Fairy Tale Characters play an important role in Shrek the Musical. They are expelled from Duloc by Lord Farquaad and dumped in Shrek’s swamp rather unceremoniously one afternoon. As the leaders of the host, Pinocchio and Gingy create a stir wherever they go. Tyler McNamee is really enjoying his role as the wooden boy. With a lie detecting nose and a high-pitched voice, he fills the role with comedic drama. His favorite part in the play is during the song “Freak Flag”, where Gingy helps him to discover that being different really is OK. Gingy is another challenging role, comments Emma Riach. She essentially plays two roles at one time as Gingy is a puppet of The Gingerbread Man who is held on his baking tray by the Sugar Plum Fairy. Emma loves getting to switch between the two voices, especially in all the fun songs they get to sing. Both Tyler and Emma are really excited to have their families in the audience for the upcoming shows.

As Shrek’s wise-cracking, loquacious wannabe friend, Donkey is a super high energy role for senior Devin Fredericks. Although Devin himself is enthusiastic naturally, he says Donkey takes that energy to a whole new level. Devin, like most actors, finds auditioning to be the most intense part of being in a play. “The stress is worth it,” he says, “especially when you get an awesome role like Donkey.” Devin began acting in musicals at age eight and loves to be on stage. His mom says he was born singing. Because it is the perfect conclusion to the play, Devin’s favorite song in the play is the finale, “I’m A Believer”.

As the story progresses, we run into the colossal character of small of stature, Lord Farquaad of Duloc. At about six feet four inches tall, sophomore Zane Rasor spends the play on his knees in special padded braces to play the diminutive Farquaad, who just about hits the four-foot mark on a good day. Zane loves the fact that his character is outrageously egotistic. His favorite song in the show is “What’s Up Duloc?” which all about his glorious castle and kingdom. Last year Zane played King Sextimus in Once Upon A Mattress. Zane is especially happy to have his mom in the audience as he says she is his biggest fan.

The quest to rescue Princess Fiona ensues. Shrek and Donkey travel to the tower in which Fiona has lived since she was 7. First, they must face the great red Dragon to rescue the princess. As a 12-foot-long puppet requiring four puppeteers in addition to the voice of junior Hope Ambridge, Dragon is quite a character. Hope gives the Dragon fire vocally in her favorite song “Forever”. As the Dragon and Donkey realize a surprise romance growing between them, Hope says it is fun to work closely with Devin. Her family attests to the fact that Hope hardly ever stops singing around the house, so Hope’s love of musical theatre came as no surprise to any of them.

As the perpetually hopeful Princess Fiona, junior Jasmine Mearns is a dynamic comedic actress. Her favorite song is the hilarious competitive “I Think I Got You Beat”, which is a duet with Shrek and Fiona. This role gives Jasmine the chance to pick up tap dancing again after many years. No stranger to the stage during her sixteen years, Jasmine played the role of Princess Winnifred in “Once Upon A Mattress” last year. The biggest thing she loves about Shrek The Musical is that each role in the play is integral to the show. She encourages everyone to come see the show as it really does appeal to all ages.

Filled with energy and great songs, Shrek the Musical is sure to be a favorite with the audiences. All the actors and actresses will tell you that they love the family-like atmosphere fostered by Growing Dreams Productions, Inc., and SHS Mime & Masque. They really become a big family of over seventy kids and some adults thrown in for spice. Everyone agrees that the stage crew is the best and really makes the whole experience flow. With such talented cast and crew under skilled theatrical, musical and choreography direction, Shrek the Musical is a must-see show.

Shrek the Musical will be performed on April 13-14, 19-21, at the Sandpoint High School auditorium. Shows are at 7 p.m. each night with a family show matinee on Saturday, April 14, at 2 p.m. There are discounts for children under 10 at the matinee. Thursday, April 19, is Student Discount night. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children under ten and are available at Eve’s Leaves, brownpapertickets.com and at the door.

The cast and crew of Shrek the Musical would like to send a big shout out to their parents and families in supporting them through all the hours of rehearsal and preparation. They would also like to give a big “Thank You” to the sponsors who help make these dreams a reality – Panhandle Alliance For Education, MVMT:GYM & King Ventures, Arby’s of Sandpoint, Kochava, Litehouse, Mountain West Bank, 4 Seasons Storage, Ballard Orthodontics, The Pottery Bug, Winter Ridge Natural Foods, and Rokstad Motors. And a huge “thanks” to the Bonner County Daily Bee and Caroline Lobsinger.