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(Posted 10:30 p.m., Feb. 27)
'Shrek
the Musical' the latest in a long line of wonderfully
entertaining St. Peter productions
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
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 The
St. Peter Players' production of 'Shrek the
Musical', featuring Cole A. Harrison Priddle
as Shrek and Lindsay White as Princess Fiona,
will run until ths Saturday
in the auditorium of St. Peter High School
on Charlemagne Blvd. Fred Sherwin Photo
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Over
the years the St. Peter Players, otherwise known as St.
Peter Musical Theatre, has gained a reputation for staging
top flight musical productions. Past efforts include "Les
Miz", "The Little Shop of Horrors", and
"Grease".
This year the group has taken on the quirky
and tremendously entertaining "Shrek the Musical",
and judging by the opening performance on Wednesday night,
it will only enhance their already stellar reputation.
The
St. Peter production has it all -- top flight vocalists
accompanied by the extremely talented St. Peter student
orchestra; wonderful choreography; plenty of humour, and
above all else, a talented cast assembled by drama teacher
and St. Peter Musical Theatre director Bernard Leger.
Pretty
much every musical you will ever see lives and dies with
its lead vocalists. In the case of the St. Peter production
of "Shrek the Musical" you can't get much better
than Lindsay White, who plays Fiona, and Cole A. Harrison
Priddle, who plays Shrek.
Whether
they're singing solo, as a duet, or backed up by the rest
of the ensemble cast, White and Priddle are phenomenal.
Among the highlights during Wednesday night's performance
were Priddle's solo "When Words Fail" and his
reprise of "Big Bright Beautiful World" in Act
II.
Other
highlights include "I Know It's Today" performed
by young Fiona (Rebecca Brake), teen Fiona (Megan Barbeau)
and adult Fiona (Lindsay White) in Act 1; and White's
second act reprisal of "Morning Person".
But
the vocal talent among this year's St Peter Muscial Theatre
company runs much deeper than just the two leads. Blair
Plummer as Lord Farquaad, also impressed me, as did Rebecca
Atkinson who plays the Dragon.
Moreau
was equally impressive as Donkey, especially given the
fact he spent the entire play with a donkey mask covering
much of his face. Donkey is the main comedic conduit in
Shrek, brought to life in the movie and various sequels
by the legendary Eddie Murphy. It's a tough role to live
up to, but Moreau pulls it off wonderfully.
There
are so many good things to say about this latest St. Peter
production I'm worried that I might leave something out.
The
depth of the cast really shines through during the ensemble
numbers and then there's the absolutely amazing tap routine
which I believe is a first for a St. Peter musical production.
I
should also make mention of Lydia Brownrigg who plays
the wicked witch and whose ear-splitting cackle is a highlight
on to itself. If Brownrigg ever wants to reprise her role
in an upcoming production of "The Wizard of Oz"
she need only send in a recording of that laugh to land
the part.
The
storyline pretty much follows the original movie with
Shrek agreeing to rescue Princess Fiona from a tower that
is protected by a fire-breathing dragon, in exchange for
getting his swamp back from a cast of fairytale characters
who have been branded as freaks and exiled from the kingdom.
He
sets out his quest with Donkey who he reluctantly allows
to come with him. As Donkey distracts the dragon, Shrek
rescues Princess Fiona from the tower and tells her shes
to marry a prince.
On
the way back to Lord Farquaad's castle, the audience finds
out that Fiona turns into an ogress at sunset. Apparently,
a curse was been placed on her when she was young and
it can only be broken by true love.
Donkey
also discovers Fiona's secret, but promises not to let
Shrek in on it. As the three friends make their way back
to the castle, Fiona and Shrek fall in love during a burping
match of all things. But when Shrek overhears Fiona describing
herself as ugly, he mistakingly thinks she's talking about
him and gets angry with himself for ever falling in love
with a princess.
Once
at the castle, Fiona, still upset with Shrek, tells Lord
Farquaad that she wants to get married that very night.
Shrek interrupts the proceedings just as Fiona and Farquaad
are about to kiss and convinces her to her him out. After
he professes his undying love for her, the sun sets and
Fiona transforms into an ogress. The two then share a
kiss and the curse is broken. Together they live happily
ever after, along with the fairytale characters and, of
course, Donkey.
"Shrek
the Musical" is chalk full of great songs. Among
my favourites were "This Is How A Dream Comes True"
sung by White, Priddle, Moreau and Atkinson; Moreau's
solo performance of "Don't Let Me Go", and the
fairytale characters singing "Let Your Freak Flag
Fly", when they decide to stand up for themselves
against Farquaad.
"Shrek
the Musical" is a three hour long extravaganza with
an important message that it's alright to be different
(just as long as you don't mind short jokes). And at $10
a ticket, it is well worth the price of admission whether
you've seen the movie or not.
The
production continues in the auditorium at St. Peter High
School for the next three nights. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
and curtain time is 7 p.m. To view more pictures of the
play follow this link.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
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TAPROOM 260 presents Crooked Creek live from 8-11 p.m. at 260 Centrum Blvd. For more information visit 
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