Henry James Memorial School presents “Shrek The Musical”, a musical stage version of the movie “Shrek,” from April 3-5 in the Simsbury High School auditorium. This musical will delight both adults and young children alike.
“Shrek the Musical” will be performed Thursday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, April 5, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are only $5 and are available at the door before each show (no pre-sales).
Directed by David Addis, more than 70 Henry James students, both onstage and behind the scenes, will bring to life all of the beloved characters from Duloc and the Swamp, including Shrek the ogre, his loyal companion Donkey, Princess Fiona, the scheming Lord Farquaad, Dragon,and many colorful fairytale creatures including Gingy, Pinocchio, the Three Little Pigs, and many others.
Find out what's happening in Simsburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Adapted from the 1990 book "Shrek!" by David Lindsay-Abaire and the Oscar® winning 2001 Dreamworks film "Shrek," the musical follows the ogre Shrek, whose peaceful swamp home has become a refugee camp for all the fairytale creatures banished from the nearby kingdom of Duloc by the evil Lord Farquaad. Farquaad agrees to allow the creatures back into Duloc, giving Shrek back his peace and quiet, provided Shrek brings Farquaad the beautiful Princess Fiona to marry, so that he can become king. On the journey back, Shrek and Fiona fall in love, and Shrek discovers that Fiona has a secret she has been keeping for many years.
Under the choreography of Melissa Feder and the musical direction of Jason Stammen, the seventh- and eighth-graders will sing and dance to many songs including “Freak Flag,” “What’s Up Duloc,” and the popular “I’m a Believer.”
Find out what's happening in Simsburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Many of the lead roles are double cast, with cast No. 1 performing the Thursday and Saturday afternoon shows, and cast No. 2 taking the stage for the Friday and Saturday night performances.
The lead roles for Cast 1 performing Thursday evening and Saturday matinee are Luke Gilmore (Shrek), Mallory Thompson (Donkey), Indira Khera (Princess Fiona), Colby Morkan (Lord Farquaad), Kate Gunderson (Dragon), Abby Interrante (Gingy), and William Bonnell (Pinocchio).
The lead roles for Cast 2 performing Friday and Saturday evenings are Tim Amarell (Shrek), Grace E. Sullivan (Donkey), Anna Cowley (Princess Fiona), Brendon McDermott (Lord Farquaad), Orla Patterson (Dragon), Haley Latorre (Gingy), and David Black (Pinocchio).
The Fairytale Creatures and other named roles appearing in all 4 performances include: Drew Zenick as the Big Bad Wolf, Emma Ouelette as the Wicked Witch, Anna Pitblado as the Sugar Plum Fairy; Ben Grossman, Molly Grossman, and Caroline Pane as the Three Little Pigs and the Three Blind Mice; Elena Marchetti as the Fairy Godmother, Henry Clarisey as Peter Pan, Mary Firestone at White Rabbit, Scott Wilson as Papa Bear, Kaitlin Broda as Mama Bear, Matt DeAngelo as King Harold, and Emily Steele as Queen Lillian.
Along with the cast, more than 20 students have been enlisted to work backstage in addition to parent volunteers and
students from Simsbury High School. Mary Boucher serves as the show’s production coordinator and Michael Hunter is the technical director.
