BWW Reviews: Let Your Freak Flag Fly with SHREK THE MUSICAL at Corbett IDS

Once upon a time...there was a 2001 movie called SHREK, and it and its sequels grossed millions and millions of dollars at the box office. It was such a sensation that some clever people (composer Jeanine Tesori and lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire) created a musical based on the popular story of the malodorous ogre. The show hit Broadway, was an instant success, and now has dethroned Beauty & the Beast as the most produced high school play in the country. (For the record, Godspell is at #3.)

Corbett Preparatory School of IDS is not a high school; it's a private K-8 school for the arts in the Tampa area, and I had the pleasure of seeing their full version of SHREK on Thursday night. There is nothing more delightful than seeing young people discover the love of theatre by doing a show and doing it well. And what better show to start their journey than SHREK?

Immediately we notice the set, which at first looked like something you'd find in the old Disney ride, "Snow White's Scary Adventures." I like that the set has a "school play" vibe to it at times; SHREK is the perfect work to celebrate the homemade "no-frills thrills" where we sometimes have to use our imagination. The various set pieces are well-made and simple, but also very cleverly utilized.

Although there were microphone issues and some timing issues with the music the night I saw it, you easily forgive this and remember that these are children running the lights and sound. That's why Corbett is so good; they let the children explore, make their own mistakes, and ultimately find their way into the spotlight.

Tyler Hostler-Mathis is Shrek and it's astonishing that this is a middle school performance. He carries the show on his large shoulders and I'm sure he would rival any high school portrayal of the ogre. That said, at times I wanted him to let go, to really show the ugly ogre in all of his adorable, stinky glory...to raise the performance to the next level. Hostler-Mathis is a major talent with major potential, and I look forward to his next theatrical endeavors in high school. (The part, like all others, is double cast and played on other nights by Charles Lee-Rossing.)

Alex Kinsley, as the Adult Fiona in the Thursday night show, gives the finest performance of the show. I saw Kinsley last month in her State-winning Thespian performance of "Freedom" from The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown. She's even stronger here. She has a belt that can kill. Still, in the song "I Know It's Today," the three Fiona's (Kinsley along with Sophie Dunnivant and Alexa Jaskiel) need to get in synch for the otherwise strong song.

Kinsley's Fiona is just splendid, and no doubt the girl has definite star quality. In the Act 2 winner, "I Think I Got You Beat," Shrek does quite well, but I think Fiona's got him beat. (At times I thought maybe they really should rename the musical "Fiona!")

The diminutive evil Lord Farquaad--a sort of flamboyant Mini-Me--matches the Dentist from Little Shop of Horrors as one of the great villain roles in musical theatre. In the hands of the often very funny Derek Sokol, he looks like a wonderfully annoying cross between Exene Cervenka, Marilyn Manson and Herve Villechiase. He has such a sinister love of being a baddie that we enjoy him every time he's onstage (especially riding the giant white wooden horse). I especially love his attempt at an annoying fake Bee Gees note at the end of "What's Up Duloc."

Pinocchio (Adam Sardouk), brilliantly costumed and interpreted, is another standout performance. Kenny Beckford is a star as Donkey. Although he could be even more motor-mouth talkative, he's a pleasure to watch every moment he ventures onstage. His "Don't Let Me Go" stopped the show for me.

And then there's "Travel Song" (mentioned in the wrong order in the program). I wondered how the creative team was going to deal with this number, since there's not really a backdrop. They came up with an ingenious idea with kids in tree costumes and cut-out wooden bushes moving as Shrek and Donkey walk in place. It's such a clever way to do this song, so easy and yet so perfect. (Though some of the walk-by jokes, especially the Lion King reference, went by too fast for people unfamiliar with the show.)

The ensemble is a hoot, with some of them even doing the worm at one point. "Freak Flag" is the show's big anthem, and they do it proud, with the exception of some minor microphone issues. On a side note, I love the girl spraying Fiona with mist at various times (what a marvelous idea!)

The intimidating dragon is an incredible creation, held by several puppeteers, but I always have a problem with the way it's done in this musical. A girl in pink, standing outside of the huge beast, sings the dragon's lines as the puppeteers move the mouth. I wish Zoe Adkins would be a puppeteer under the dragon, and sing the song from there, because it just makes more sense. I know it's always done the way Corbett performed it (I've only seen it performed this way), but it has never worked for me in the various productions of SHREK I have seen.

The transformation scenes featuring Fiona turning into her ogre self (Alexa Jaskiel) lacks the magic that it deserves. There are various ways to do it, but this just seems thrown in there, and not some major moment for the audience (the way it should be).

The colorful, creative costumes are cute as they can be. There's a bizarre Caterpillar, a wonderful Gingy (Peyten Henandez) and even a Humpty Dumpty with swaying legs (Lilly Dorton). There are also puppets as well as various imaginative uses of make-up (some of the actors look like the cast of Cats meets Alice in Wonderland on mushrooms). I also love how even the puppets quiver at the sight of Shrek--everyone's in character, even the puppeteers.

SHREK is a fast show, full of fun and bad puns, but it's far from my favorite. In some ways, it tries too hard to be clever and hip. It also seems aimed more for the adults in the audience than the kids. Hence the line "like Pop Rocks and Mikey," an allusion to the urban legend that Mikey from the Life cereal commercials died from eating too many Pop Rocks. Do the kids of today understand this reference? I wonder because later, when Shrek has a line about her liking "pina coladas" a line about "selfies" was added instead of the usual line, "getting caught in the rain," not just a reference but a direct quote from Rupert Holmes' #1 hit, "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)." Even though the kids maybe don't get the lyric, this change to "selfies" ruined the original joke for me.

But Corbett has done it again with a show that needs to be seen by people who want to see young performers at their best. These kids owned the stage, owned the backstage, and now have the bug to carry on the grand theatrical tradition. In this SHREK, they are led by their very own Pied Piper, the multi-talented Seth Travaglino. He directs the shows, helps Jeanne Rivera and Erin Marsh with the choreography, and his work is always top of the line. Great as he does (along with musical director Barbara McBride), it's all about the kids. And they shine. These may just be middle schoolers, but they are all on their way to great, great things in this big bright beautiful world of musical theatre.

SHREK THE MUSICAL at Corbett Preparatory School of IDS continues its run Saturday at 3:00 and 7:00. There is also a special Sunday show with the faculty. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

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