It’s the show that lovingly lambasts fairy tales. A surly ogre named Shrek reluctantly comes to the aid of the fairy tale characters banished to his swamp by evil Lord Farquaad solely to regain his isolation. Farquaad’s price for removing the characters from Shrek’s swamp is for Shrek to rescue Princess Fiona from a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon so Farquaad can marry her and become king. But love may be blooming between the princess and the ogre when they find they have far more in common than they realize. It’s Shrek the Musical with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori and it currently plays at the Omaha Community Playhouse.
What I am about to say is a lie. Something that isn’t true. Shrek the Musical is the most insipid piece of juvenile garbage ever to disgrace a stage and should be shunned by every man, woman, and child.
Truthfully, this show is an out and out joy. I can’t remember the last time I felt so energized by a play. Lindsay-Abaire wrote a script that not only well translates the film to the stage, but one that I also believe surpassed the source material on nearly every level. He even adds a subtle theme of racism and judging books by their covers that adds a surprising amount of heft to the production. His lyrics and the rock operaesque score by Ms Tesori will have you laughing and bopping and pining for the next number.
Kimberly Faith Hickman’s direction is simply exquisite. Not only did she guide the cast to superb performances without a weak link in the lot, but she also brought a phantasmagorical staging to the show. Yes, that is indeed the right word as there was something otherworldly about the staging. The entire theatre was used to tell this story and I mean the ENTIRE theatre. Stage, orchestra pit, aisles, rows, you name it. It was all fair game to share this tale.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cast as on as this cast was tonight. Every single member brought their A game to the table and created a production that has instantly vaulted into my top ten list. Some standouts among the standouts were Kerri Forrester whose presence devoured the theatre and whose mighty voice thrilled the crowd with her take as Dragon in “Forever”; Maddie Smith who delights as Young Fiona as she pines for her Prince Charming in “I Know It’s Today”; and J. Isaiah Smith who gleefully chews the scenery as Lord Farquaad.
Jordan Smith triumphs as Donkey, the wise-cracking sidekick of Shrek. Smith strikes a perfect balance between being the loyal friend and the hyperactive annoying chatterbox that just might test the patience of saints. His tenor voice is stupendous and he excelled in numbers such as “Make A Move” and “Don’t Let Me Go”. He completed his triple threat with his fluid and nimble hoofing which was made all the more impressive as he was doing it with hooves.
Mackenzie Dehmer makes for an absolutely perfect Fiona. She ain’t your ordinary fairy tale princess. She’s temperamental. She’s high-strung. She’s got a singing voice that can literally make birds explode. She can be sweet, but also incredibly crude and crass as she happily engages Shrek in belching and farting contests. Ms Dehmer possesses a deadly alto which can inflect ultra competiveness in “I Think I Got You Beat”, be excessively cheerful and caffeinated in “Morning Person”, or just flat out rock out in “I’m A Believer”.
I’m going to steal a descriptor from a friend and say that Steve Krambeck “ogre”achieves as Shrek. Krambeck manages to capture the many layers of Shrek from his outer hide of irritability and crabbiness to his inner core of sensitivity and loneliness. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Krambeck’s tenor in finer form than tonight as he managed a combination of hopefulness and sadness in “Who I’d Be” as he confesses to wanting to be a hero, despite being destined to being an ogre and the beautiful “When Words Fail” as he sweetly tries to work out a way to tell Fiona he loves her. He handled the difficult Scottish accent well, though it did weaken at a few points, especially when he sang.
Lindsay Pape’s costumes set a new bar with spot-on reproductions from the film for Shrek, Fiona, and the other fairy tale denizens and beautifully creative outfits such as Donkey’s furry bodysuit. Paul Pape’s prosthetic for Shrek was brilliant as it was built around Krambeck’s face and allowed him to emote with both face and eyes. Tim Burkhart and John Gibilisco crafted some truly unique sounds, especially for the “emissions” battle between Fiona and Shrek. Melanie Walters supplied some stunning choreography especially with the company numbers of “What’s Up, Duloc?”, “Make A Move”, and “Freak Flag”. Jim Othuse’s sets will take you from a quiet forest to a lonely tower to a dragon’s lair to the castle of a would-be king. His lights will give you beautiful sunrises and romantic forest evenings. Jim Boggess and his orchestra truly score with this score as they not only played it perfectly, but you could hear the fun they were having as well.
If you miss this show, you truly don’t know what you’re missing. It’s fun. It’s memorable. It has something for the whole family with jokes aplenty for the adults and cartoony enough for the kids. And it even teaches a little something about accepting yourself and the uniqueness of others.
Shrek the Musical performs at the Omaha Community Playhouse through Oct 14. Showtimes are Wed-Sat at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets start at $42 and can be purchased at www.ticketomaha.com or at the Omaha Community Playhouse box office. Contact the box office at 402-553-0800. The Omaha Community Playhouse is located at 6915 Cass St in Omaha, NE.
Chris' Corner 