Directed and choreographed by Mrs. Lonati, “Shrek: The Musical” was performed by the students of Franklin High School this past Friday and Saturday, March 13th and 14th.
Stealing the show in the lead role of Shrek, senior, Grant Spinella did an fantastic job in maintaining the exact “Shrek” voice, even while singing! Maya Deschenes, junior, shined in her solos and overall performance as Princess Fiona, and Calvin Castaneda, a junior, was hilarious in the role of the Donkey. Senior Maddy Fields as Ogress Fiona, freshman Dan Schratz as Lord Farquaad, and Casey Capobianco, senior, with her powerful vocals, in the role of the Dragon, were all entertaining. Other notable roles include Pinocchio by Nate Wild, Gingy by Nyna Pendkar, Young Fiona by Caroline Fabian, Teen Fiona by Trea Lavery, and Young Shrek by Danny Harrington. The ensemble was superbly cast and all did a phenomenal job in their roles. Shrek and Donkey’s efforts to establish their roles through dialect work paid off well!
The musical closely follows the story we are familiar with from the movie, where after being judged and feared his whole life, Shrek lives in isolation by an ugly swamp. Suddenly, homeless fairy-tale characters (Pinocchio, Gingy, Captain Hook, etc.) invade his hideout, exclaiming that they have been evicted by Lord Farquaad. Shrek makes a deal with the creatures and along his journey, he meets his soon to be travel companion, a talking donkey! Their journey moves on with many funny encounters and mishaps, and of course, Shrek encounters the vertically challenged Lord Farquaad and eventually falls in love with Fiona… but she has a secret! More drama, dance and song ensues, ending with the grande finale in which the love struck ogres live happily ever after.
The actors had the audience laughing hysterically from beginning to end with their funny comments, absurd facial expressions and actions! Even during the supposedly “serious” scenes, the actors succeeded in making them funny. The story line, though similar to that of the movie, incorporated a few modern-day references which was refreshing.
Costume designers Sheila Wever, Sarah Fabian, and Calvin Castaneda did a great job with costumes which complimented the characters and helped the musical come to life. Make-up artist Lynnaea Barry created Shrek’s trademark green skin. The set, designed by Matt Spinella, was very simple, yet allowed good spacing for the many musical numbers. The set artist, Megan Newton, with the help of stage painters, Karlin Cottuli, Caroline Moll, and Brenna White, gave the set a beautiful, fantastic finish!
Mr. Sansoni, the musical director, did a fantastic job with the music. After a productive two months of learning new songs, harmonies, and piecing together the music and the scenes, opening night was a successful one. Not only did he play the piano and conduct the band and actors, but he made sure the music flowed nicely with the changing scenes.
The director, Mrs. Lonati, put together an amazing show with smooth transitions from scene to scene and song to song! Applause goes to the stage crew as well, who did a splendid job behind the scenes keeping the show running smoothly.
Congratulations to all on a highly entertaining and outstanding performance. Everyone performed their roles terrifically, which made for a great show! Here’s to more in the future!