Earlham Echo

The Earlham Drama Dept has a hit with Shrek the Musical

October 7, 2023

‘True love conquers all’ has been a can’t-miss theme in theater forever. Last weekend, the Earlham Drama Department presented this timeless premise with three performances of Shrek the Musical, leaving their audiences entertained and uplifted. With strong individual performances from a deep cast, stunning visuals, a fun plot, and great music, the production was a wonderful success.

Charlie Mineart (Fiona), Blake Petersen (Shrek), Warren Sigwalt (Donkey), Jamin Hardenbrook (Lord Farquaad), and Kate Doud (Dragon) did a terrific job in lead roles, while several others stood out among an ensemble cast of nearly 70 kids.

Some of the most entertaining musical numbers in the play involved large numbers of the ensemble cast. Two of these efforts stood out early in the show, with the Fairytale Creatures performing Story of My Life, followed by Goodbye Song. The kids nailed the funny dialog and singing and were spot-on with the choreography. Their fantastic costumes popped under the bright lights. The Fairytale Creatures included Landon Sheffield, Haley Coil, Teagan Hatfield, Kim Doud, Cannon Dobbins, Ella Henke, Maggie Dobbins, Campbell Nicholson, Neveah Dale, Valerie Meyer, Audrey Dobbins, Kendra Meyer, Kayless Sand, Kenady Ridout, Kelcie Klinger, Lila Gebhart, Pypre Madsen, Lillian Strandberg, Lillian Black, Milo Schwantes, Kate Doud, Emma Hinton, Ilsa Maiers, and Aydria Merical. Sheffield as Pinocchio delivered several funny one-liners in a high-pitched voice and had a particularly clever costume—his nose actually grew when he told a lie.

Petersen and Sigwalt were great in developing the sometimes-rocky relationship between Shrek and Donkey, with Petersen as a funny straight man to Sigwalt’s well-timed comedy antics. Sigwalt did a fine job with the song, Don’t Let Me Go, to set the tone for the pair’s adventures.

Fiona was introduced in the next scene. Actually, three Fionas. Kitty Hertel as Young Fiona, Valerie Meyer as Teen Fiona, and Mineart as Adult Fiona were terrific singing the beautiful, I Know It’s Today, one of the most poignant moments of the show.

Hardenbrook was hilarious as Lord Farquaad, the diminutive overseer of the Land of Duloc. Hardenbrook played the part on his knees all night, with a costume that included ridiculously skinny legs that draped from his hips. He displayed his strong singing voice with, What’s Up Duloc?, which included the ensemble cast in another banger of a scene.

Singing the spooky, jazzy love song, Forever, Kate Doud wowed the audience with her sultry voice in one of the best scenes of the night, set in a dark dungeon. Just enough red light hit Doud and the Dragon Singers behind her, illuminating the Dragon’s brilliant costume that included two large, intricate wings held up by two of the singers. Sigwalt was comical in the scene as the unwilling love interest of Doud’s Dragon.

After Shrek and Fiona—and Donkey—finally meet, they closed out Act I with two numbers, including the moving, Who I’d Be, that included a fine solo by Petersen. In these scenes, Mineart firmly established herself as a strong lead, commanding the stage with her acting and singing.

In Act II, Farquaad bares his soul with the song, The Ballad of Farquaad, another strong performance by Hardenbrook.

Next, Sigwalt is great in a soulful, funky number, Make a Move. Donkey is joined by The Three Blind Mice, Valerie Meyer, Kate Doud, and Haley Coil, who give a knockout performance as his backup singers and dancers.

The star-crossed love between Shrek and Fiona is in doubt in the next three slower numbers by Petersen and Mineart. Then, the Fairytale Creatures return in another terrific scene, singing the fun and upbeat, Freak Flag. Several of the characters take great, short solos, with Kim Doud as Gingy standing out.

Shrek interrupts Fiona and Farquaad’s wedding just in time, then expresses his love for her with the song Big, Bright Beautiful World. Farquaad vigorously boos the effort—but it’s too late. Shrek and Fiona are in love. Everyone celebrates with the terrific, powerful number, This is Our Story, led by Mineart and featuring the ensemble cast in a great finale.

After the cast took their bows, they delivered a fun, spontaneous version of I’m A Believer to end a terrific show. The cast included many elementary students—too many to list here. But the incredible work of the costume designers—Kay Ridgely, Anne Doud, Peg Lorimor, Wanda Hagen, and Samantha Dempster—deserves special recognition!