By Daniel Amador
SPOILER ALERT!
Shrek the Musical was probably the most comedic play CYT (Christian Youth Theater) has done that I can remember (which is a good while)! It is full of comedy, romance, crude humor, and drama. I would recommend it as a great family play!
For those who are not familiar, Shrek the Musical is a 2-hour play about an ogre whose land has been invaded by fairytale animals because the evil Lord Farquaad has banished them to from Duloc. In his quest to get the land back he is tasked by Farquad with rescuing a princess in exchange for his swamp. Along the way, with an annoying but funny talking donkey. They arrive at the tower, Donkey has a confrontation with the dragon,and they rescue the princess. But the journey’s only half over.
On their journey back Princess Fiona and Shrek start falling in love. Shrek is unaware that Fiona turns into an ogre at night because of a spell that was cast on her. This spell will be broken when she’s found true love’s kiss. Their relationship is broken because of a misunderstanding and Princess Fiona moves on her way to marry Lord Farquaad, who wanted to marry her to become King of Duloc. As a reward Lord Farquaad grants Shrek ownership of his land and the fairytale creatures are kicked out again. Donkey convices Shrek of Fiona’s love for him, so he goes back to the castle and stops the wedding. Before the guards could kick Shrek out, the other fairytale creatures invade the palace and we discover that Lord Farquaad is actually a fairytale creature himself, son of Princess Pea and Grumpy the dwarf. Shrek confesses to Fiona his love for her, they marry and Fiona officially turns into a full-time ogre.
I would like to give a shout out to all the many ODE students in CYT who took up a very large part of the cast! Here is a list of all of them (I apologize if I missed anyone):
ODE Student(s)
Lavonia Black-Dulocian
Willow Black-Mama Bear
Nathan Canada-Backstage
Jayden Cervantes-Papa Ogre, Captain of the Guards
Zaelyn Marshall-Farquaad’s Guard
Sarah Muhammad-Backstage
Yvonne Muhammad-Pied Piper, Peter Pan
Eva Ropinski-Young Fiona, Little Red Riding Hood
Kaelyn Tello-Duloc Dancer, Announcer, Fire Dancer, Mice Dancer
Kaylie Tello-Three Little Pigs, Knight
Reaghan Watkins-Duloc Dancer, Rat Dancer, Fire Dancer, Who I’d Be Dancer, Mice Dancer
Will Watkins-Young Shrek, Farquaad’s Guard
Former ODE Student(s)
Abi Amador-Dragon, Fairy Godmother
Jonny Amador-Grumpy
Shelby Black-Donkey
ODE Teacher(s)
Sylvia Amador-Souvenirs/Silent Auction
Christina Tello-Hair/Make-Up
And a shout out to all the CYT/ODE students’ parents who were involved in this too!
Throughout the play we hear many funny, sad, and romantic songs. If you want to know more about Shrek, you can watch the movie Shrek (which is basically the same thing), watch the movie Shrek 2, or watch the Puss In Boots movie, which is about a character in Shrek 2. Also, be sure to watch the next play coming up, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Auditions will be held on March 13th at Judson Baptist Church, and the show itself will be held May 15th-17th at West Leyden High School. If you are looking for a good family show, more comedy, and some old classics Peanuts antics, I am sure this next coming show will be great for you!