SHREK THE MUSICAL at Saguaro City Music Theatre is their best Theatre For Young Audiences (TYA) production to date. For the uninitiated, SHREK is the story of a grumpy ogre who goes on a quest with his friend Donkey to rescue princess Fiona from a fire-breathing dragon. With over 60 kids participating in this three-week summer camp, this was the most ambitious project that Saguaro City has ever undertaken. Direction by Drew Humphrey with associate direction by Chris Will kept the show moving at a brisk pace. Shadow play and silhouettes added depth and creativity to the proceedings. Music direction by Jamie Reed was excellent as always, with crystal-clear vocals that blended perfectly with the live band. Choreography by Dena DiGiacinto matched the energy of the show and made a strong impression.
The young cast of adult and child actors had perfect chemistry onstage. It was an inspired choice to cast AJ Barrios as the evil Farquaad. He chewed the scenery every time he was onstage, and I cannot wait to see what AJ does as he explores more theatre. It is seriously impressive how Saguaro City pulled off an endeavor quite as big as this. To have so many kids onstage and to give each one something to do and create a quality product is nothing short of miraculous. This show had a lot of moving parts to it but everything fit together quite well. I enjoyed it even more than last year’s WILLY WONKA.
Costumes by Nina Christensen were out of this world. It must have taken a lot of time and manpower to breathe life into those designs, so kudos to the costume department. Likewise, SHREK featured more props and sophisticated staging than I have previously seen in Saguaro City TYA productions. As someone who has a phobia of moving set pieces, I was blown away by how each kid knew which props to carry and move around the stage when, because it was quite complex.
Brennan Wood is very likable as Shrek. He has a beautiful voice and seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself onstage, which the audience fed off of. Dariya Smith was tremendously entertaining to watch as Donkey. She made some wonderful character choices and was the perfect foil for Wood. Meghan Gray absolutely brought the house down as Fiona. She has real star power and outstanding vocals. This was a breakout role for her. Another standout was Haiden Pederson as the Wicked Witch. I would like to see more of her onstage.
As always, Saguaro City highlighted phenomenal young performers. Ayla Reese Olivas has professional-level stage presence, and she was powerful in the role of Dragon. Julia Wetzel was a joy to watch as Peter Pan and her vocals were strong. Lucy Cable and Abigail Barrett (as Young and Teen Fiona respectively) were excellent and harmonized brilliantly with Meghan Gray. Daisy Williamson and Max Morgan were fantastic choices for Gingy and The Wolf. Dylan Pan was hilarious as Pinocchio. This is some of the finest work I have seen from the kids at Saguaro City Music Theatre.
Lighting design by Christopher Mason looked stunning, particularly during “Freak Flag”, one of the best numbers in the show. Sound by Matt Marcus was well-balanced and scenic design by Kyle Dixon perfectly captured the whimsical tone. In terms of tone, Saguaro City nailed the message of self-acceptance and inclusivity, which is also present in their programming. This is absolutely a great production and one that can be enjoyed by the whole family. SHREK has a limited run and closes this weekend. Tickets are available for purchase at saguarocity.org. Photo: Taylor Noel Photography
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