Between Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs, there’s a lot to unpack from childhood fairytales, however, Capital City Productions will look to pack all the magic of those childhood stories into one with their upcoming production of “Shrek, the Musical.”
“I just like seeing it come to life,” director Laura Vedenhaupt said of her time putting the musical together. “It’s so neat to see these things on a piece of paper and I have it in my head and then the actors start singing and the picture in my head changes to them, so from now on, anytime I see any production of ‘Shrek the Musical,’ these guys will always be in my head.”
“Shrek the Musical” is loosely based on the 2001 Dreamworks animated movie, which starred Mike Myers in the title role and Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz in the supporting roles of “Donkey” and “Princess Fiona,” respectively.
Amy Pringer, who will be CCP’s Fiona, said the movie is a big reason she auditioned for the show.
“I have loved the Dreamworks cartoon,” Pringer said. “It is funny. It is clever. It also has a wonderful message about unity and inclusion. So there was no way I wasn’t going to audition for this.”
According to Vedenhaupt, Pringer and Adam Shields, CCP’s Shrek, the show emphasizes those themes of unity and inclusion, but in multiple facets.
“From my character’s perspective, it’s more of accepting yourself,” Shields said. “… I feel like this whole show capitalizes on the fact that it doesn’t matter what circumstances you’re born into, what you look like – tall, short, man, woman – just love yourself, and if you do, who cares what the rest of the world thinks?”
While the show has a deep, underlying message, it also packs a lot of fun for people of all ages.
“Little kids are going to be in love with the magic of this princess and she finds her somewhat handsome prince at the end,” Vedenhaupt said. “Others are just going to like the adventure. The music. The comedy, it’s very funny.”
Most productions get approximately nine weeks to put on a show, but with the scheduling of CCP’s production of “Newsies,” Shrek was cast and the cast has been working on the show since then.
“It has been really nice to get all the materials and know you have that much time,” Pringer said. “On the other hand, it still doesn’t make these last couple of weeks any less stressful, so don’t think that’s not a part of it as well. But that helps get the adrenaline up and get excited for the show. And we are sold out, so we’re all pumped.”
“Shrek, the Musical” opens Aug. 9 and runs through Aug. 25. Shows are currently sold out, but according to Vedenhaupt, CCP is looking to add another show.
For more details on tickets and show times, visit www.capitalcityproductions.org.