“Shrek The Musical” has a lot of moving parts.
Hardly surprising for a musical that originated as an animated movie featuring a swamp, a castle guarded
by a dragon, a regal city and miles and miles of wilderness.
That involves plenty of scenery and choreography to go along with the dance numbers.
But the most moving parts of the Perrysburg Musical Theatre’s production of “Shrek” are the emotional
ones.
This Shrek, portrayed by Connor Leupp, shows he has a great big heart.
“Shrek he Musical” opens tonight at Perrysburg High School’s auditorium at 7 p.m. The show will also be
on stage Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $13 at
www.perrysburgmusicaltheatre.org
The musical is based on the 2001 animated fantasy that was propelled by the comic talents of Mike Myers
and Eddie Murphy.
Leupp knew the movie and was a fan of Myers. That made the suggestion he take a role in the summer
musical instead of working behind the scenes all the more desirable. As an actor, he appreciates that
the musical’s script rounds out his rotund character’s inner life.
Not that he and Christian Siebenaler, as his sidekick, Donkey, stint on the hilarious repartee.
The laughs are there, but the musical is as much about warming the heart as busting a gut.
It starts with Shrek’s heart being broken as his parents (Jordan Benavente and Amanda Reisner) send the
7-year-old ogre (Tanner Strock) off to live on his own as is ogre custom. As he leaves his mother offers
this advice: Watch out for men with pitchforks.
This song promises there’s a “Big Bright Beautiful World” out there, with dreams that come true, and love
to be found, but not, they add, for ogres.
No wonder Shrek grows to be a misanthrope.
After four years of presenting the musical theater classics, director Clark Ausloss, in his third year,
said the troupe, with artistic director Michael Kadin Craig, wanted to do something more contemporary.
Still in keeping with PMT’s goal of providing opportunities for performers of all ages, it needed to have
plenty of parts to go around.
Including dancers from The Edge and the Shrektastic singers, about 120 people are involved in the show.
Walking backstage before the show is like strolling through a living toy chest with princesses,
Pinocchio, the Mad Hatter, and all manner of fantastical characters.
All this comes together in a dazzling spectacle.
When the ruler Lord Farquaad (Christopher Smith) banishes all fairy tale characters from the kingdom,
they end up in Shrek’s swamp.
That’s not to his liking, so he heads off with the clinging Donkey to protest. Donkey is needy and brash.
As Shrek warms to Donkey, he sings more, revealing he’s a ogre with a heart of gold.
When he rescues the princess in distress, Fiona (Kristin Kukic), he really finds his voice, and what a
big-toned voice it is.
The entire cast, backed by a good orchestra conducted by J. Patrick Barrett, belts out the numbers.
These are not the songs familiar from the movie. This score was composed by Jeanine Tesori with book and
lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire.
Don’t worry, the Shrektastic Singers do perform songs associated with the movie during intermission, and
the show closes with the cast belting out “I’m a Believer.”
The score offers plenty of solo spots for the members of the large cast. No matter how many actors get a
chance to shine, however brief, there’s never a letdown.
The music covers a range of pop styles and is tuneful with plenty of nice accents from the orchestra.
The story, as fantastic as it is, has certain contemporary resonances. Those uprooted fairy tale
characters are in their whimsical way reminders of all the world’s displaced people.
And in the end when they rise up, urged on by Gingy (Megan Beckett) and Pinocchio (Betsy Watson Hermann)
to declare their self-worth and their willingness to fly their “Freak Flag,” it’s a reminder of all
those who refuse to stay on society’s margins.
Too bad real life problems can’t be resolved with such animated and melodious dispatch.
“Shrek The Musical” offers a couple hours of light-hearted diversion from all those real world worries.
