Community theater going green

Group presents ‘Shrek: The Musical’


Alex Davis, left, portrays Shrek during rehearsals Sunday at the rec center. The musical also stars Bailey Stearns as Princess Fiona, Lucy Brine as the bishop and Liam Malloy as Lord Farquaad. PHOTO BY ANDREA VON HOHENLEITEN

Alex Davis, left, portrays Shrek during rehearsals Sunday at the rec center. The musical also stars Bailey Stearns as Princess Fiona, Lucy Brine as the bishop and Liam Malloy as Lord Farquaad. PHOTO BY ANDREA VON HOHENLEITEN

Although orange leaves are falling off trees from Beavertail Lighthouse to Conanicut Point, the town will remain green throughout the weekend.

Beginning tonight, the Jamestown Community Theatre will present a five-show production of “Shrek: The Musical.” The show, inspired by the 2001 Oscar-winning animated film starring Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy, had been selected by the theater to fit the season’s “Fractured Fairy Tale” theme.

“It’s a wonderful show,” director Iris Bohensky said. “The movie and the musical are similar. The only real difference is the singing and dancing.”

The musical, like the film, was based on the 1990 children’s book by William Steig. It follows the titular green ogre who discovers fairy tale characters have been banished to his swamp by the evil ruler Lord Farquaad. Shrek and his friend Donkey confront Farquaad, and are told to rescue Princess Fiona from a tower, guarded by a dragon, before Shrek can have his swamp back. Fiona is returned to Farquaad, but Shrek, now in love with the princess, vows to rescue Fiona from marrying Farquaad.

 

 

Different than the movie

Alex Davis, a student at North Kingstown High School, was cast in the title role of Shrek. He said his character’s demeanor changes during the course of the musical.

“In the beginning, he’s this mean guy because no one likes him,” he said. “But then, he meets this princess when he is trying to get his swamp back, and he goes through this whole character arc. It’s kind of like ‘The Grinch,” where his heart opens up.”

Although the cast was familiar with the source material, Bohensky said there were no shortcuts during preparation. Because the “Shrek” film was not a musical, new songs were written for the Broadway production, resulting in differences between the two versions.

“It’s not word-for-word,” Bohensky said. “When it comes to adding music into anything, you have to change some things.”

The musical, which was written by composer Jeanine Tesori and lyricist David Lindsay- Abaire, premiered on Broadway in 2008. It was nominated for eight Tonys at the 2009 awards, winning the prize for best costume design.

Although “Shrek” closed on Broadway in early 2010, the musical subsequently has become a popular production for touring troupes and local theaters. For this week’s run, Bohensky is staging the entire two-act musical, not an abridged version.

Forty-five actors were cast following auditions in early September, resulting in a combination of returning actors and new faces.

While Davis is making his Jamestown debut, it will not mark the first time he portrays the repugnant ogre. The 15-year-old North Kingstown resident also appeared as Shrek in a production by the Rhode Island Youth Theatre in August. His favorite song to rehearse for the local version has been “Who I’ll Be,” the finale of the musical’s first act.

“It’s got a nice harmony between Shrek, Donkey and Fiona,” he said. “I love the way it sounds. It always wows the audience.”

Returning to the stage

East Shore Road’s Liam Malloy is a face the audience will recognize. He previously starred as Toad in the community theater’s production of “A Year with Frog and Toad” in March. For “Shrek,” he has been cast as Lord Farquaad, the play’s antagonist.

“It’s kind of fun playing the bad guy, although he may be met with an untimely demise,” Malloy said. “He’s a pretty silly bad guy, so I have fun hamming it up a little bit.”

Contrasting the two shows, Malloy said “Shrek” is a more ambitious project for Jamestown.

“The songs are longer, they’re a bit more complicated musically, there’s a lot more dancing,” he said.

Another returning actor is Bailey Stearns, who appeared in the community theater’s 2017 production of “Pippin.” For “Shrek,” she has been cast as Princess Fiona. The 19-year-old Newport resident has been acting for eight years. Stearns is excited for “Shrek” because it has a goofier tone than most plays.

“This is a lot sillier than ‘Pippin’ was,” she said. “I’m not usually in silly shows. It’s really fun to cut loose.”

While the show does have a lighter feel, Davis said the audience will recognize important themes to the story, including friendship and individuality.

“Just be who you are, and always interact with new people, because you’ll always find out new experiences and new ways to love,” he said.

Along with “Shrek,” the community theater’s season will include a production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” in the spring. Also, the theater’s summer camp explored the “Fractured Fairy Tale” theme with a performance of the offbeat anthology “Not-So-Grimm Tales.”