‘Shrek the Musical,’ an ogre-sized musical treat at Newport

Kids and kids at heart, get ready for a “shrek-tacular” treat. Shrek The Musical splashes into Newport Performing Arts Theater starting 31 October.

The country’s theater scene is thriving, and this is by far the biggest family musical of the year.

Full House Theater Company (FHTC) — the production arm of Newport World Resorts and the team behind The King and I, Annie, Ang Huling El Bimbo, and Buruguduy Stun Stugudunstuy—now brings the animated hit to the stage, based on the DreamWorks Animation motion picture and the book by William Steig. With book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori, the stage adaptation first premiered on Broadway in 2008.

An all-Filipino cast and creative team will fill Newport’s 1,500-seat theater with a megastage, the widest in the country.

At the August 13 presscon, the media got a taste of the show with a few musical numbers. Rehearsals haven’t even begun, but the excitement is there.

FHTC artistic director Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo said the choice of material was deliberate.

“So basically, we want to be versatile and bring different experiences to audiences. We haven’t done a children’s musical in a while—our last one was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang—and after that, we focused more on adult material. With the holidays coming, we decided to bring back a musical that’s good for families. Shrek was the obvious choice to reconnect with that audience,” she explained.

Director Dexter Santos waded in with the same thought: “It’s always wonderful to see children in the mall. It would be great for families to come, be introduced to theater, and watch performances here in Newport.”

The cast of 47 features Jamie Wilson as Shrek, Krystal Kane as Fiona, Topper Fabregas as Donkey, Alfredo Reyes as Lord Farquaad, and Julia Serad as Dragon. All landed their parts through auditions.

Santos mucked deeper into his vision: “My dream for this production is for it to feel like entering a theme park, where we can hear the kids’ reactions—the ‘aahs,’ the ‘oohs,’ everything. Hopefully, that happens. It could create a truly beautiful atmosphere inside the theater.”

Expect spectacle, big musical numbers, and dazzling visuals, but Santos promised it won’t just be for children: “It’s a show [the entire family] can enjoy together, talk about, and discuss afterward.”

DAILY TRIBUNE asked Jamie Wilson how he would tackle such a famous character.

“You know, that’s the tricky part. I think because when you portray such an iconic character, and everybody is very familiar with him—the accent, his movements, the way he’s a funny guy, an ogre, played by Mike Myers in the movie—I think the one thing I can put to him is I can supply him with my truth, with my heart,” Wilson said.

“I think I should not deviate so much to try to find my own way of portraying him because he’s so iconic. He’s Shrek. But what I can contribute is my own personal experience, my heart, my soul, my hard work, my powers, you know, in what I think is honoring and playing the truth of the character.”

Meanwhile, Krystal Kane told this paper she hopes audiences will feel Fiona’s resilience.

“What I love about Fiona is that she’s been through so much—trapped in a tower for 8,423 days—yet she never stopped dreaming. She never gave up; she knew what she wanted and believed she would eventually get it,” she said.

“So even when you feel close to giving up or doubt your goals, you have to keep going. It may take time, but you’ll get there. I want Fiona to inspire not just kids, but adults as well. Just keep going.”

DAILY TRIBUNE also caught up with Alfredo Reyes, who plays the villain, to ask about his approach to Farquaad.

“We don’t need to look far to see real examples of the Farquaads, the powerful men in the world. But you all saw in the song today, The Ballad of Farquaad, that the entire song is just about his pain. So deep down, he’s just a being who’s very, very hurt.

“And he just goes about it the wrong way and tries to assert himself in Duloc, in the swamp. So I think we can all relate to pain, we can all relate to problems. I hope to shine a light on that when we do the show,” he said.

For those who need a refresher: the 2001 film followed Shrek, an ogre whose swamp gets overrun by fairy-tale creatures banished by Lord Farquaad. With Donkey’s help, Shrek strikes a deal with the tyrant: rescue Princess Fiona in exchange for peace in his swamp. The movie became a pop-culture giant, spawning sequels and spin-offs.

Now, the story stomps onto the stage with full musical force.