‘Shrek:
The Musical’, directed by Jasmine Joy Kearse and produced by J-ART, recently
played at the Jewish Community Center of Springfield. This well-known story
first hit Broadway stages in 2008 after the success of the films; the first
premiering in 2001. Since then the story about self-acceptance, friendship and finding
true love has been a favorite for kids and kids at heart. While the director’s
note promised a creative spin on the show, whatever it was, landed among the
multiple things that missed the mark, but that didn’t stop the audience from
laughing and thoroughly enjoying the production.
The
set was kept simple which allowed for the colorful and detailed costumes to
shine and bring the story book characters to life. The creation and movement of
the large dragon puppet was very well done. The voice of the Dragon was
performed as a duet (offstage) by Taylor Rose Minkens and Stephanie Simon
Norman who delivered a strong rendition of “Forever”. Having two vocalists
perform as the Dragon allowed for more power and dynamics to come through and
both Taylor and Stephanie did a wonderful job. Casey Crowther, as Pinocchio, had good vocal
characterization throughout the show.
The
lighting could have used more attention, as numerous times throughout the
production the performers were standing in darkness in certain areas of the
stage. Based on my observation there were two possibilities for this: the
lights were not hung at the correct angles therefore leaving parts of the stage
with no light or the lights were not cued correctly in which case the board
operator should have manually adjusted the light upon seeing full sections
downstage with no light and performers singing in the dark.
Lord
Farquaad, portrayed by Peter Vaiknoras was amusing and delivered solid vocals. Vaiknoras,
successfully met the physical demands of his character throughout the lengthy
production. Shrek, played by Courtney
Stewart, was enjoyable to watch and played off the quirkiness of Donkey very
well. Katie Fitzpatrick, who played Donkey, delivered a solid comedic
performance and though her diction could have been clearer, she performed with
wonderful energy that made her an audience favorite.
Disappointingly, a technical problem with Fitzpatrick’s
microphone caused many of her vocals during the musical numbers to go unheard
and her spoken lines to often be muddled. Considering how much of the show
Donkey is in, that microphone should have been correctly leveled before each
performance and new batteries installed. All that being said, there were a
number of other sound issues throughout the performance including feedback
through the speakers, microphones being left on when actors were backstage and
incorrect microphone levels which leads me to the conclusion that sound is an
area in need of attention and improvement for future productions.
The
highlight of the first act came from the Fiona trio singing “I Know It’s Today”
with Madison Goodman as Young Fiona, Sydney Goodman as Teen Fiona and Savannah
Fitzgibbons as Fiona. These ladies delivered wonderful vocals on their solos
and blended beautifully when singing together. They all looked alike, which
helped sell the Fiona ageing process, their similar characterizations and vocal
tones guided the audience into believing they were really watching Fiona grow
up.
The
choreography, at times well done, was more often than not, poorly executed by
the dancers. My suggestion is that the choreographer should create the dances
based on the skills of the dancers they have, in order to deliver a polished
number for the audience. A higher degree of difficulty is nice to have (i.e. an
illusion or tour jeté), but if the dancer is unable to execute the moves
correctly and cleanly; then it is best to use simpler moves that the dancer can
perform well.
There
were multiple times when many in the ensemble lacked the appropriate facial
expressions and looked rather bored and tired during the group numbers. However,
Nicole Hines, the dance captain who portrayed multiple characters throughout
the production, was consistently engaged and energized. Interestingly, the
number with the most energy from the cast was “I’m A Believer” which was performed
at the end of the show after the curtain call.
Overall,
this amusing production was one the audience highly enjoyed. For more information
about upcoming productions at the Springfield Jewish Cultural Center visit https://www.springfieldjcc.org
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