Life in a swamp requires dedication, but it’s worth it.
“It’s really cool when you say ‘Shrek’, and everybody knows what you’re talking about,” senior Alex Knapp, who stars as Shrek, said.
Since early December, the cast of Southern Lehigh High School’s “Shrek the Musical” has been hard at work in preparation for the shows in late February. However, cast members admit that it was difficult to learn their parts with the interruptions of the winter season.
“I had to practice a little on my own, because we lost so many rehearsals to snow days,” junior cast member Maddie Hallman said. “It was the only way I could feel prepared.”
Auditions were met with different mindsets by different members of the cast. Some felt that auditions were a nice way to acclimate to the environment of the production, while others felt some pressure. Experience on the stage was key for certain cast members.
“Auditions were like a mixing pot. It is where you meet everybody, and you have to sing and dance in front of people you don’t know,” junior cast member Ryan Harding said. “It is a little intimidating at first, but you get used to it over the years.”
“It’s a lot easier to do once you begin to sing or dance,” Hallman said. “The anticipation is just scary.”
“At this point, we’re all pretty used to doing that kind of stuff,” freshman lead Lexi Brown, who plays Fiona, said regarding auditions and line memorization.
In the weeks leading up to the shows, the cast has had long hours in rehearsals, sometimes lasting until ten at night. Many cast members even prepared beyond the stage to really understand how to play their parts.
“Luckily, we found that ‘Shrek the Musical’ version was on Netflix so we watched that a bunch of times,” senior Phil Shaheen, who plays Donkey, said. “We kinda got a feel for what was in store for us in the beginning.”
For people who have viewed recent performances such as “42nd Street” and “Cats,” “Shrek” might remind them of both. In many ways it is a new and different acting experience for those involved. Cast members believe it will be a unique viewing experience for those familiar with the movie.
“Shrek is so different than any other show I’ve been in,” junior cast member Anneliesse Braden said. “One of the main differences is that everyone was supposed to look and dance the same way in ‘42nd Street.’ In ‘Shrek,’ everyone is a separate character and is expected to bring their distinct character to life.”
“The difference between the movie and the musical is that the movie leaves out a lot of character development that in the musical you can really see,” sophomore lead Chris Smith, who plays Farquaad, said. “The music adds a whole other layer of emotion to it.”
Members of the cast feel that there will be somewhat mixed reactions depending on the age groups that will make up the majority of the audience. Both the plot and the differences between the musical and the movie may have different effects on different audience members.
“We were trying to keep it more towards the movie, but still have its musical aspects,” Shaheen said. “Most of the lines are actually from the movie, where none of the songs except for ‘I’m a Believer’ are from the movie.”
“There are some new lines, some new scenes, some new ways they represented stuff,” Knapp said.
Regardless of the changes to the plot, the inclusion of additional musical scores, and the difficulty of the production, the cast is confident that “Shrek the Musical” is a creative rendition of the 2001 film that is sure to please the audience.
“The cool thing about this is that we have like a bluesy-rock type of thing, not a traditional Broadway going on,” Smith said, “so I think people are going to respect that and like that.”
“I think [the audience] will love the idea of having [‘Shrek’] as a musical,” Brown said. “When the theater’s fully packed its going to absolutely be incredible, absolutely insane, and I’m so excited for it.”
“Shrek the Musical” will be run at Southern Lehigh High School from February 26 to March 2.
NOTE: The Friday, Saturday, and Sunday shows are sold out.
