A nostalgic and humorous classic for many, LZHS Theatre brings the story of an unlikely, yet beloved green hero to the stage.
Shrek, according to Caiden Schuring, senior who plays the Big Bad Wolf, is “about an ogre who goes on a journey to rescue Princess Fiona for Lord Farquaad in order to get his swamp back from the fairytale creatures who inhabited it [after they were] kicked out for being different.” But beyond the plot, Schuring says that it is really a journey of acceptance.
For those who are long-time fans of the movie, the musical follows all of the same major plot points and characters with just a few differences to fit the story for the stage.
“It just goes a little bit deeper into certain characters’ backstories and interests. So we get to know Shrek’s story a little bit more and why he is the way he is. Because in the movie, it just starts with him as a grown ogre, whereas in the musical, it starts with him as a seven year old ogre,” Schuring said.
The work in perfecting the show and honoring the movie has not been easy. Keira Holmes, senior who plays Princess Fiona, says that LZHS Theatre has been preparing for this show since the beginning of the school year, amounting to afterschool and seven-hour weekend rehearsals that are “no joke.”
“I think this cast is really prepared. I’m really proud of them and the crew too. Normally, I feel like we’re scrambling at the end, but we’re mostly together [and] so I’m excited to put it on stage,” Holmes said.
Despite the huge time commitment, Schuring says that it has all been worth it, as “the cast is full of such funny people that it just makes it so funny to watch,” even when he is not on stage. The songs also make the show especially entertaining.
“The songs are so good. You’ll catch me leaving rehearsal listening to the Broadway recording of the songs [and] listening to them coming to school,” Schuring said. “It’s got a really good rhythm and melodic moments, and it’s just a lot of fun.”
Not only do the musical elements make the show a blast, but the characters in Shrek add a lot of light and complexity to the experience. Holmes says that Fiona is “very fun to play” because of her story.
“She’s been locked away in a tower for 20 some years and [has] been making these stories up in her head about what’s going to happen when she’s finally rescued. She has it all planned out, but when Shrek is the one who rescues her, it’s like ‘this wasn’t supposed to happen,’” Holmes said. “She’s a little crazy from all that time she spent in the tower, so I think it’s fun playing the dichotomy of like, she’s a princess and this is how things are supposed to go for her when she gets rescued, versus she’s been waiting for so long and has a little sass.”
In addition to the cast, behind the scenes, the crew has also put in a lot of effort to recreate familiar scenes from the show.
“We’ve made Lord Farquaad’s castle [and] three different trees. We’ve painted a horse, we’ve built lava bridges, signs, and [other] different key items that help your imagination and bring the scene to life,” Sofia Cook, freshman crew member, said.
In order for all this to happen, many crew members had to put in over 60 hours of work by tech week, according to Cook.
“It’s always challenging, and you have to keep reminding yourself throughout the process, because it is a lot of work,” Cook said. “But it is most definitely worth it once opening night hits and you get to see all that work and progress.”
As the musical approaches, taking place in the PAC on November 7 and 8 at 7p.m., November 9 at 7:30p.m., and November 10 at 2p.m., Schuring hopes that the audience will have a good time watching.
“All of the actors, and I’m sure the [crew], are having fun, and we want them to have fun. We want them to laugh. We want them to groove in their seats while we’re singing. We want them to enjoy themselves,” Schuring said. “I think why people go to see musicals is to be transported into a story that you can connect to. And as long as we get the audience invested in the story and [understand] the message of accepting everyone in their freaky flaws [and] differences, then we did our job.”
