Review: Chris Cordero, Brianna Filippelli & Evan Lomba Lead a Great Cast in New Tampa Players' SHREK: THE MUSICAL

There are certain performers who elevate whatever musical he or she happen to be showcased in.  They jolt bad shows to life and make promising or good shows supremely better.  They are an unpredictable lot, and like Forrest Gump’s proverbial box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.  These are performers where, when we see them, we feel so lucky (and honored) that they have made our area their home.  I get in a sort of Christmas morning smiley mood when I review them because I know that, whatever they will choose to do onstage, it will be anything but boring.  They can spin a mere throwaway role into gold, or in foodie terms, they can turn the chintziest of appetizers into a twelve-course meal.  This is a rare breed of performer, as rare as kyawthuite (look it up).  And Evon Lomba certainly fits that bill.

I first witnessed Mr. Lomba’s talent in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Carrollwood Players several years ago when he was still in high school.  I compared his memorable Barfee physically to David Copperfield with “piercing Gloria Swanson eyes” and knew that I was in the presence of some sort of greatness.  It was an odd interpretation that worked wonders, especially his balletic moves and that voice (which sounded to me like “Kiki DuRane on bitch pills”).  Through the years he has thrilled audiences in a variety of shows (The Prom, Falsettos).  And now he’s graced us with his presence again as a particularly kinetic Donkey in the New Tampa Players’ production of SHREK: THE MUSICAL. 

There are so many wondrous things about the NTP show, but Mr. Lomba’s Donkey stands out as the top of them all.   A little Robin Williams here, a bit of Jerry Lewis there, but he’s also a complete original.  Flirty with fluttering eyelids and boasting crack comic timing, he becomes a paradox: All over the place and yet very specific.  He showcases a cartoony ADHD energy in something like “Travel Song,” and then he can have real sit-down moments with Shrek and Princess Fiona where he drops his guard.  His singing voice goes from a chipmunk-high to Mercedes McCambridge low.  In “Don’t Let Me Go,” he does a vocal scat with the word “go” that was so out of this world that it made me want to stand and cheer. 

Forget Eddie Murphy’s original interpretation of Donkey; this is something from another planet in Mr. Lomba’s hands. It seems sometimes like he’s seizing with electricity, as if he just popped a handful of amphetamines and chugged them down with a vat of Red Bull.  When he sings “You need meeee!” to Shrek in “Don’t Let Me Go,” it’s as if Mr. Lomba is singing to every theatre company and every theatre patron in our area.  We need him onstage…and often.

With book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori and based  on both the 1990 picture book by William Steig and the 2001 Michael Myers hit film, the anti-conformist ode that is SHREK: THE MUSICAL has been around for well over a decade now and has firmly planted its freak flag on stages across the country.

It is no exaggeration when I state that I have seen SHREK: THE MUSICAL twenty or more times in the past decade: Middle schools, summer camps, high schools, colleges, community theatres, and professional productions.  I have spent a lot of time in the swamps of Duloc, which is ironic because SHREK: THE MUSICAL is far from being a favorite show of mine.  It’s too long for its own good and tries way too hard to make its point.  Most of its songs are glories, but there are a few that stop the action dead in its tracks. 

But the musical has so much heart and a message that we, as a country and a world, need to hear: Be true to yourself.  SHREK is a plea for inclusion; it champions individuality and freedom.  It works for all audience members, from the far reaches of the political Right Wing to the outer banks of the Left Wing. And yet, underneath it all, it is also subtly subversive.  It’s anthem--“Freak Flag”--is about standing out proudly, whether you are a pointy-nosed Pinocchio or a cross-dressing Big Bad Wolf.  (It's far more raucously enjoyable than that other beloved anthem to the freaks of the world, "This Is Me" from The Greatest Showman.)  It embraces the misfits of the world, the outsiders. I wonder if any middle schoolers doing SHREK understand that Pinocchio’s chant of “We’re wood! We’re good! Get used to it!” is an allusion to the LGBTQ slogan: “We’re here! We’re queer! Get used to it!” 

The plot of SHREK is easy-peasy: Once upon a time…Swampy Ogre meets princess; Ogre falls for princess; (SPOILER ALERT) princess is actually an Ogre at night; things happen like the slaying of a dragon, a Fairy Tale revolt, and a wedding between a princely baddie and the princess Ogre; and in the end, Ogre and his soul mate get together and live happily ever after. That's about it.  But the New Tampa Players have upped the game and have created one fabulous production.  I may have seen SHREK nearly two dozen times before, but this is easily one of the stronger productions of it I have experienced. And that’s for a variety of reasons, mainly the casting of the lead roles.

As the grousing green-faced title character, Chris Cordero brings so much soul to the Ogre Shrek, grounding him with both pathos and ferocity. He and Mr. Lomba’s Donkey make a terrific comedy team, like Abbot and Costello or Laurel and Hardy (imagine Laurel in a donkey costume and Hardy with his face painted green).  Mr. Cordero has a gorgeous singing voice that is powerful without overdoing it.  And he gets to tackle two of the greatest showtunes of this century: A remarkable “Build a Wall” and the Act 1 closer, “Who I’d Be.”  When Mr. Cordero is front and center singing of his dreams of being someone other than a terrifying Ogre, we understand his plea.  Who doesn’t dream of a better life?  Mr. Cordero’s chill-inducing “Who I’d Be” is first-rate, one of the best renditions of the song I’ve ever heard.

Equally grand and thrilling is Brianna Filippelli as Princess Fiona. This part was made for her, as she poses princess-like as if she was a silent film comedienne. Her singing voice is in top-form, hitting glorious notes, and nothing beats her fart-tastic crooning duel with Shrek, “I Think I Got You Beat.” She matches up well with a Young Fiona (sensational Jordan Boyett, who also stands out as Baby bear and who can really belt) and Teen Fiona (Bella Albano, what a voice in this role and as Peter Pan!) in “I Know It’s Today,” and Ms. Filippelli more than holds her own with the fuddy-duddy Shrek and the Tasmanian Devil Donkey.

As the ultimate bad guy whose big castle obviously compensates for his many shortcomings, Kyle Fisher is outstanding as the diminutive Lord Farquaad. His costume is a sight to behold, with his Lautrec-legs doing marvelous kicks and running up the stairs.  He adds a sexual potency to the part, often jutting his groin out and walking pelvis first. I have seen Mr. Fisher as a wedding singer and as a T-Bird, and he was quite good in those roles, but nothing prepared me for the excellence of his performance here.    

Gabrielle Wood comes close to rivaling Lizzo as the soulful Dragon.  (Imagine Sid and Marty Krofft creating Jurassic World, and you’ll get an idea of the dragon puppet used in this SHREK.) Patty Smithey, so good as Ariel in NTP’s The Little Mermaid, shines onstage again as Gingy, a rather browbeaten Gingerbread Man.  Jonathan Garcia, who was terrific as Gomez Addams in LOLHS’ production of The Addams Family last year, brings life to the wooden Pinocchio and sounds like the Bee Gees on helium; unlike other Pinocchio’s I have encountered, I could actually understand what Mr. Garcia was saying. 

Chelsea Orvis as Mama Bear could play Mama Rose in Gypsy. Neil Bleiweiss sports a nice deep voice in a variety of roles.  Joshua Eberhart squeezes humor in his various parts.  Makayla Raines. Juli Turell and Jillian Koehn also sing with gusto and strong vocals.  And Rhys Ricardo is adorable as both Young Shrek and as Grumpy; this is the second time I’ve happily seen yon Mr. Ricardo on the stage.

Other cast members include Samantha Thompson, Jake Veit, Liam Lencsak, Michael Neary, Becki Mallett, Jordyn Green, Victoria Zisi, Andy Terrazas and Sebastian Paine.

Almost all parts of this production work, led by the assured direction of Karissa Barber, whose staging works well and who keeps the pace up as well as she can in a show like this.  Victoria Zisi’s choreography is fun if not next level, although I can never tire of watching tap-dancing rats all night long (which sometimes it seems that that was the case). Shelley Giles’ costumes are marvelously inventive, and Sebastian Paine’s lighting design is appropriate as is Corey Wade's set design.  Projections were used in this production, and when they worked with cute animation, they were wild; but they also seemed to lag behind the action and weren’t used enough (you felt that they were an afterthought, and either the creators really use them all the way or don’t attempt them at all). 

Music Director Megan Zeitler gets incredible vocals and harmonies from her cast, and guides the wonderful live orchestra: Xander McColley on keyboards (along with Ms. Zeitler), Julia Ford on reeds, Israel Rivera on guitar, Hannah Phillips on bass, and Rick Barclay on percussion.

The show ends its run on October 29th at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center, and you owe it to yourself to bring the family to enjoy these crazy characters played by a top-tiered cast, especially Evan Lomba as a Donkey like no other.  When the performance that I saw had finished, the audience burst into an instant prolonged standing ovation and never sat back down, not even during the buoyant final number, “I’m a Believer.”  SHREK is that kind of show…it can make a believer out of anyone.  And with a stellar cast like this one--with three leads that act as a Holy Trinity of Talent--then you should not miss the highly entertaining shenanigans down in Duloc. 

Photo courtesy of Palma Ceia.

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