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malibusurfsidenews.com Life & Arts
Malibu surfside news | February 15, 2017 | 23
Malibu Middle School’s show delights, inspires
Barbara Burke
Freelance Reporter
Malibu Middle School
performed Shrek this past
weekend, thrilling and delighting
audiences and offering
important life lessons
about individuality, empathy,
tolerance and acceptance.
From the opening of the
curtain to the final rendition
of “I’m a Believer,” the
student actors did not miss a
beat.
“‘Shrek the Musical’
has inspired me to not care
about what people think and
be myself,” said seventhgrader
Johnny Sheridan,
who played Shrek. “Many
people are afraid to be themselves
because they think
they are too weird. The fairy
tale creatures are sent to the
swamp because Lord Farquaad
wants a perfect kingdom.
There is no such thing
as perfect and everyone has
something freakish about
them. Let your freak flag
fly!”
Director Brigette Leonard,
aided by Amanda Kofsky,
assistant director, and
Krysta Sorenson, musical
director, guided the group of
talented students who, with
accompaniment from Cha
Cha McNaughton, took the
audience on an impressive,
fun-filled ride for the entire
evening.
The play opened with
7-year-old Shrek being told
that it was time for him to
go out into the world on his
own, and that he better be
cautious because everyone
will dislike and ostracize
him since he is an ogre.
Sheridan, joined by
Mama Ogre (Scarlett Steinberg)
and Baby Ogre (Ethan
Marshall) sang “Big Bright
Beautiful World” superbly.
Banished to the swamp,
Shrek grows up isolated and
bitter until he is interrupted
by a gaggle of creatures who
have been banished to his
swap: Big Bad Wolf (Bailey
Mathews), Wicked Witch
(Steinberg), Mama Bear
(Emma Carroll), Papa Bear
(Jersie Byford), Baby Bear
(Madison Ford), Peter Pan
(Gabi Kofsky), Ugly Duckling
(Marshall), the three
little pigs (Elle Baker, Anita
Lopez Vita and Waverly
Wildman), a fairy (Charlotte
White), the Pied Piper (Sofia
Banducci) and Pinocchio
(Lauren Reed).
Reed is no stranger to
the stage, having held parts
in “Cats,” “Peter Pan,” and
played Darcy in “Darcy’s
Cinematic Life” for Young
Actors Project.
“Playing Pinocchio was
so much fun,” Reed said.
“It was challenging being a
puppet, but I loved it in the
end. Miss Leonard brings
out the best acting in us and
is such an awesome acting
coach and show director.
I especially love working
with the cast and crew. We
all share the same passion.
Shrek rocks!”
Shrek, wanting none of
having new neighbors, vows
to confront Farquaad so he
can regain his solitude.
Sheridan, a talented young
actor who knows how to
command a stage — he has
played Peter in “Peter Pan,”
Link Larkin in “Hairspray,”
Prince Charming in “Cinderella,”
and Eddie Flagrante in
“Zombie Prom” — belted
out a flawless rendition of
“The Goodbye Song.”
As Shrek sets out on his
trek to confront Farquaad,
he encounters a loquacious
and slightly irritating donkey,
played flawlessly by
Lola Weber.
After much cajoling by
Donkey, and Weber’s excellent
performance of “Don’t
Let Me Go,” the reluctant
Shrek lets Donkey join him
on his journey.
At the castle, Farquaad
tortures Gingy (Byford), a
gingerbread man with attitude,
so he will reveal the
whereabouts of Princess
Fiona whom he wants to
marry so he can become a
King. Gingy finally reveals
that Princess Fiona is imprisoned
in a tower surrounded
by lava and protected by a
dragon (Camille Anneet).
Farquaad decrees there
will be a festival to choose
who will go save Princess
Fiona so she can be his bride.
The kingdom’s citizens
gather for the festival as
Shrek and Donkey come
upon the scene, and Farquaad
orders Shrek to retrieve
Fiona from the tower
in exchange for a deed to the
swamp. The scene segues to
7-year-old Fiona (Ford), isolated
in the tower, dreaming
of being rescued by a prince.
Fiona grows in front of
the audience, developing
into a beautiful teen (Ornella
Wolf), and then into an adult
(Ava Ray). All three Fionas
sang “I Know It’s Today”
eloquently.
Shrek leaves Donkey
alone and goes to fetch Fiona,
whereupon Donkey encounters
a ferocious Dragon
and some knights who were
captured in previous unsuccessful
attempts to reach the
Princess.
Dare to Dream Theater
provided costumes for the
production, and its Dragon
costume — bright purple in
color, massive in size, and
superbly created — was one
of the highlights of the show.
Shrek finally reaches Fiona
who, with schoolgirl-like
romantic notions, attempts
Director Brigette Leonard (back, middle) is surrounded by the cast for “Shrek the
Musical Jr.” Suzy Demeter/22nd Century Media
to get him to play out the
romantic encounter she has
long envisioned. However,
the recalcitrant Shrek wants
to get on with the business
of getting her to the castle so
he perfunctorily makes her
leave.
As the trio begins their
excursion back to the castle,
Fiona is appalled to find
that Shrek is not a knight
in shining armor suitor, but
is instead an ogre. Shrek
explains she is to wed Farquaad.
As nightfall approaches,
Fiona insists on retiring and
it is here that the audience
first sees that at night, due
to a witch’s spell, she transforms
into a hideous ogress.
Shrek reveals to Donkey
that he is sweet on Fiona,
but he is pessimistic about
giving overtures because he
is an ogre.
Intermission made for impressed
audience members
of all ages.
“I liked Princess Fiona!”
little Mabel Rose Brostowicz
said. “The costumes
were fancy!”
Mabel’s friends Jonah and
Augie Frank agreed.
“I liked all of it. All of it
was my favorite,” Jonah
said.
“I liked the music and the
costumes,” Augie chimed in.
Andrew Nickerson, of
Malibu, agreed.
“I think this production is
amazingly good. The kids
are all very talented and
have great voices,” he said.
“But most of all, what is impressive
is the energy here
tonight. The kids are having
a great time.”
Act II did not disappoint.
Fiona meets the new day
engrossed with idyllic images
of her wedding day.
However, she is soon deflated
by Donkey and Shrek’s
jokes about Farquaad’s verticality
challenges.
Shrek mocks Fiona’s complaints
about having a challenging
childhood, resulting
in the pair vying for the dubious
award for worst childhood
(“I Think I Got You
Beat”), and a sequence of
exchanging disgusting, but
hysterical, bodily emissions.
This is when the pair begins
to hit it off.
Donkey and three adorably
clad birds, bedecked in
sequins and feather plumages
dangling from their
derrieres, try to convince the
shy Shrek to express his love
to Fiona.
However, sunset looms
and before Shrek musters
the courage to do so, Fiona
abruptly announces she is
retiring for the night.
When Donkey persists
with Fiona, following her
to where she has retreated,
wishing to address the subject
of Shrek and her being
attracted, he witnesses
Fiona’s transformation into
an ogress. She tells him that
a kiss is the only thing that
will purge the curse a witch
has cast upon her.
A smitten Shrek tries to
get the courage up to tell
Please see sHrek, 27