Review: MSMT's Joyous SHREK, JR. Celebrates Difference and Diversity

The David Lindsay-Abaire-Jeanine Tesori musical, SHREK, JR. with its joyous celebration of difference and diversity is a perfect theatrical experience for young audiences, and MSMT's latest production is filled with exuberance, fantasy and fun. Directed by Betsy Puelle and performed by a cast of young artists, this twisted fairytale filled with zany characters and storybook favorites takes the audience on a journey to find that "big, bright, beautiful world out there."

The children's musical, based on the award-winning Disney film which took its cue from a book by William Steig, reinforces for youngsters the positive messages that beauty is an inner gift, differences are the source of richness, and an inclusive world is a happy and thriving one. The book follows the adventures of a lonely ogre, Shrek, cast out to find his own way as a child, who is befriended by a Donkey and, who, in turn, befriends an array of motley creatures along the way to finding true love. The Lindsay-Abaire-Tesori songs and lyrics are catchy and varied, ranging from Fiona's wistful "I Know It's Today" to the merry "Big, Bright, Beautiful World," to the show's stirring anthem "Freak Flag."

Betsy Puelle directs with a fine sense of pace and comedic timing, keeping the transitions smooth and the energy high. Mikayla Jane Clifford's animated choreography succeeds with its appealing stage pictures, infusing the dances with energy, emotion, and at times humor. As Music Director, Ben McNaboe creates the upbeat soundtrack and draws animated, vocally strong and polished performances from the cast. MSMT's creative and technical team pull out all the stops with a visual production that is especially colorful and artful. The whimsical fairytale costumes for a large cast of fictional characters from Pinocchio to the Big Bad Wolf to Peter Pan are imaginative and replete with clever, eye-catching details. Puelle also designs the colorful scenery, which consists of a series of two-dimensional rolling hills against a skrim with an oversized moon/sun that keeps time in the tale, together with handsome faux stone units for the tower and Farquad's castle. These are enlivened by ingenious, larger-than-life props that have the feel of storybook cutouts. The impressive dragon puppet, which flies in and dominates the rescue scene is effectively amplified by three Dragonettes - dancers with pink wings who make "Forever" a showstopper. Both the colorful lighting, alternating between the dark hues of the night world and the bright, earth tones of day, and the effectively balanced sound design conjure up the worlds of Shrek's swamp and the kingdom of Dulac. Stage Managers Katy Sullivan, assisted by Kat Brown, anchor the production expertly.

Cameron Wright brings a commanding stage personality and powerful voice to the big, green, loveable ogre. He is menacing and vulnerable by turns, his presence always imbued with a palpable humanity that makes his dilemma all the more poignant. He delivers a stirring rendition of "Big, Bright Beautiful World" and is gentle and touching in its reprise, while "his duet with Fiona "I Think I Got You Beat" is a special moment. Caroline Quinn plays Princess Fiona with a combination of disarming sweetness and resignation to fate, offset by a steely, subliminally angry feistiness of someone who has survived a long ordeal, and she uses her lovely soprano to effect in "This Is How a Dream Comes True" and "Morning Song" and in the ardently sung duet with Lizzie Hall (as Child Fiona) In "I Know It's Today." Kevin Lacey is a witty and wise Donkey who shines in "Travel Song." Matthew Hakel is a hilariously vain and entitled Prince Farquaad, who executes the physicality of the role - playing everything on his knees - with astonishing fleetness and fluidity.

The ensemble energetically plays multiple roles with quick-change costumes and even quicker character shifts. Among the large cast of fairytale creatures, citizens of Dulac,and Swamp inhabitants, John Rouleau is a silly, spoiled, and impressively acrobatic Pinocchio, Mikayla Jane Clifford and Caleb Streadwick are the unrelenting ogre parents; Maggie McCowan is spirited Gingy; Natalie Nicole Bellamy a seductive Wicked Witch, John Pletka a pompous Big Bad Wolf, Rebecca Carroll an endearing Ugly Duckling, Lizzie Hall a jaunty Peter Pan, Maria Boissoneault a long-suffering Grumpy the Dwarf, while Lathan Roberts is a resonant-voiced Papa Bear; Ricky Brewster is a campy Duloc Dancer, and Andrew Lyndaker helps bring the show to its joyful close as the Bishop presiding over Fiona and Shrek's wedding.

In an age when acceptance, understanding, and compassion have never seemed more necessary, SHREK, JR. trumpets the message of embracing the commonality of our humanity while celebrating our individual uniqueness. "What makes us special makes us strong," the Fairytale characters sing. And sitting in the audience, one feels that sense of identification, sharing, and, yes, that very special something - that universally accessible magic of live theatre which creates a sacred shared space for emotion, empathy, and experience.

Photos courtesy MSMT, Madeline Bonahue, photographer

SHREK, JR. runs for four performances at MSMT's Pickard Theater, 1 Bath Rd., Brunswick www.msmt.org 207-725-8769

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