Shrek Entertains Kids of All Ages at the Empress

By Larissa Villers Ferre

Have you ever wished that someone would get to know you before judging you? Have you ever wished you had a chance to show someone who you are inside?  Shrek the Musical at The Empress Theatre in Magna is one of those stories that everyone can relate to – the exterior is exuberant characters and jokes, while the interior shows us that the very best parts of us are those that make us different.

Shrek is an ogre, which, if you didn’t know, you’ve probably been living in his swamp for the past decade. The evil Lord Farquaad displaced all of the fairytale characters from the city of Duloc into Shrek’s swamp. In order to regain his swamp as his solitary sanctuary, Shrek agrees to rescue the Princess Fiona from a dragon-guarded tower on behalf of Farquaad, who needs to marry a princess to become king.

As Shrek, Michael Thrall has a booming speaking voice, quite the Scottish brogue, and a great ogre attitude.  His sidekick, Donkey, played by Travis Hall, is full of spunk and sass. Geoffrey Gregory as Lord Farquaad executed all of the “little” sight gimmicks with panache.  Karina Gillette as Princess Fiona is an absolute delight of a whirlwind of comic relief and sunshine.  Whenever she is on stage, your eyes can’t wander away from the gravitational pull of her presence.  Gillette’s voice floats through the composition as if written only for her to practice and sing in her years waiting for rescue in the tower.   Everything down to her facial expressions and hand placements personified Princess Fiona.

Speaking of Princess Fiona, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the absolute show-stealer, adorable Cassidy Dalton as Young Fiona.  How I wish we would have had more time with this young, up-and-coming talent.  Her stage presence and voice entail all the professionalism and ease of someone well beyond her years.  I can’t wait to see more of her.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the scene-stealing supporting characters, in particular Dallon Thorup as Pinocchio and Rossy Thrall as Gingy.  Both developed character voices to perfection and consistency throughout all of the singing and dancing, which was a much needed addition to the fairytale-feel of the show.  I also loved the bold decision of directors Rebecca Walk and Jake Andersen with Gingy, who is usually presented as a gingerbread man on a cookie sheet held by the actor, to dress the actress as the gingerbread man.

Many of the actors and actresses play multiple characters throughout the show.  One of the scenes that caught my eye is our introduction to Duloc when the Duloc dancers and Farquaad sing, “What’s up Duloc?”  Choreographer Corina Johnson added tap dance, which can be a treacherous feat for those who have never tapped; however, she picked just the right basic moves for the actors to execute them with precision while also looking like they were having a great time.

The shining moment for music director (and sound design/operators Curtis Bailey and Jake Andersen) Rachael Rasmussen was the intricate blending of the harmonies of the young, teen, and mature Fiona’s on the song, “I Know It’s Today.”
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Hats off to the actors and actresses in Shrek for always looking like they are having fun.  I often thought the giggles and grins were out of character, but I couldn’t help but smile because children young and old were on that stage falling in love with performing and theater.  That is exactly what community theater is all about.

As for the venue itself, The Empress is a historic building, which means the heating and air conditioning systems are not the best.  As an audience member, be prepared for a warm situation on warm days and bring a jacket for the cooler ones.  Ghosts reportedly take up residence in the theater and consistently mess with the sound system, so have patience with the cracks and pops.  The techs do a great job with turning off the microphones when this happens (which makes me wonder why they use touchy microphones if the actors and actresses can be heard without them.)   The lighting choices were too dark and stationary, as the actors would frequently wander in and out of the spotlights.

In the director’s notes of the program, we read, “Our hope tonight is that you will walk away from Shrek not only with a smile on  your face, but perhaps a softer understanding of your fellow ‘fairytale creatures’ among you.”  The children in the audience seemed to be having a great time, even calling out for certain characters now and again.  I cannot think of a much better message to take home with your family to create future conversations about how we can practice unconditional love in our own lives.

The Empress Theatre Presents:

Shrek The Musical

through May 17^th, with shows Monday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 PM

Matinees at 2 PM on May 10^th and 17^th.

Tickets are $10 and reservations can be made through calling the theater at 801.347.7373 or online at www.empresstheatre.com.

Please note there are two casts for Shrek, of which this review is regarding Cast B.