Shrek, played by Joshua Tangermann, takes a moment away from reading his map to look in disgust at Donkey. (Joe Moreno)
By Cameron Wisdom | Staff Writer
By Anne Marie Miranda | Staff Writer
The Citrus College Fine and Performing Arts rendition of “Shrek – The Musical” entertained people of all ages, including those who are not inclined to musicals.
It exceeded even its own lofty expectations in a series of three performances on the second weekend in April.
The musical is based on the Oscar®-winning film by Dreamworks Animation and the book authored by William Steig, and was presented at Citrus through a special arrangement with Music Theatre International.
The show followed the basic premise of the DreamWorks film, but also added some back-story and new characters as well.
The cast and crew were composed almost entirely of current Citrus College students with exception of two performers in the “Ogre-stra” and two children who played minor roles in the production.
The audience’s imagination was captured even before the show started with an extravagant display of stage design and scenery.
The costumes brought the iconic characters to life. Many of the film’s minor characters along with a few new additions based on classic fairy tales were easily identifiable.
Shrek, played by Josh Tangermann, appeared as though he was plucked right from the movie and had the witty charm of Mike Myers with the vocal bravado of a Broadway lead.
Kylie Molnar played Princess Fiona, Shrek’s romantic interest. She proved to bring the perfect balance to a fiery chemistry that strengthened over the course of the show.
Shrek’s sidekick Donkey, played by Anthony Nappier, kept the audience laughing throughout the performance.
Maelyn Cacho’s powerhouse voice and soulful vibrato as the dragon added a new dimension to a character with no lines in the original film.
Shrek’s foil Lord Farquaad was played by Garret Smith, who had the difficult task of dancing on his knees for the entire two-hour performance in order to capture the essence of the short-in-stature lord of Duloc.
Overall, the cast played well off each other and there were not any noticeable hiccups that jeopardized the flow of the musical.
The “Ogre-stra” played masterfully and special kudos goes out to the lighting and sound crews for keeping up with the rapidly changing pace of the performance.
The hard work and dedication over the seven-week rehearsal process proved to pay off with the audience’s standing ovation after the production’s finale.
