Shrek, The Musical
at Aliso Niguel High School

Reviewed on April 27, 2017

Blake Weise
Corona del Mar HS
Submitted for publication to OC Varsity Arts

Aliso Niguel High School's Shrek, The Musical, Flips Fairy Tales on their Heads

Blake Weise is a Senior at Corona del Mar High School in Newport

With energetic musical numbers, heartfelt romance, and clever humor, Aliso Niguel High School delivers a non-stop joy ride in their rendition of Shrek, The Musical.

When the sinister Lord Farquaad (Alexandros Ruppert) finds that he is in need of a wife to cement himself as the true King of Duloc, he enlists the help of Shrek (Michael Ouimet), an ogre living a solitary life, to deliver Princess Fiona (Shayla Stensby) to his kingdom. Along the way, Shrek and Fiona find that they have more in common than they initially think, and their budding romance forces them both to reconsider what they want in their happy endings.

Starring as the titular ogre, Michael Ouimet commands the stage with his larger than life physicality and powerful, brassy voice. Ouimet fully commits to every bit of the gross-out humor, delivering crass remarks with skillful comic timing. Later, he begins to show more tenderness through his believable romance with Princess Fiona.

Shayla Stensby also shines as the feisty Princess Fiona. Stensby exudes a sweetness in her graceful demeanor and facial expressions, making it all the more hilarious when she sprinkles bits of sarcastic wit and stubbornness into her performance, giving the character more of an attitude. When Fiona reveals that she has been cursed, turning into an ogre after sunset, Stensby's genuine emotion and vulnerability can be heard in her voice.

Also fantastic are Alexandros Ruppert and Robin Valdez as Lord Farquaad and Donkey, respectively. Ruppert commits to walking on his knees throughout the show to capture Farquaad's short stature and Napoleon complex. Valdez impressively maintains extreme levels of energy throughout, delivering all of his lines with hilarious and rhythmic speed.

The costumes by Alexandria Hughes and makeup by Jayme Anderson complement each other beautifully to distinguish each individual character. During the song Freak Flag, fairy tale characters such as the Queen of Hearts and the Big Bad Wolf can be easily spotted due to the intricate work by Hughes and Anderson.

Props by Amanda DeGraw are seamlessly integrated to add dimension to the fantasy world. From the disgusting snacks eaten by Shrek, to the kitchen utensils used to torture the Gingerbread Man, every prop is wonderfully inspired.

A terrifically fun production with an important message about inner beauty, Aliso Niguel High School delights with Shrek, The Musical.

Andrew Senkowski
Santa Margarita Catholic High School
Submitted for publication to OC Varsity Arts

Aliso Niguel makes "Shrek the Musical" happily ever after

Andrew Senkowski is a junior at Santa Margarita Catholic in Rancho Santa Margarita

From a story filled with fairytale creatures, princesses, and belches, Aliso Niguel manages to bring out humor, love, and charm in its production of "Shrek the Musical," which follows an ogre named Shrek as he tries to win back his swamp but instead falls in love.

Shrek, played by Michael Ouimet, proudly saunters on stage, delivering lines in a deep, Scottish accent accompanied by strong, extended arm movements. His monstrous physicality slowly melts when he meets Fiona (Shayla Stensby), who elicits Shrek's softer and more relaxed side through her clear and sweet voice and flowing, flowery movements. Stensby's quick mood changes and occasional biting quips demonstrate her comedic ability that matches Ouimet's sarcastic but affectionate jests.

Robin Valdez explodes on stage as Donkey with fluid and ecstatic motion, often shuffling around stage to then make a quick point or turn. His obnoxious but hilarious accent frequently changes pitch and inflection, accentuating every time he cracks a cheesy grin or sassily deliver a quick jibe.

Carly Rude as Dragon astonishes with a fierce voice brimming with attitude and as robust as a dragon's fiery breath. Her monstrous, long body is held by slithering ensemble members, giving the illusion of a wriggling dragon that matches the sultry tones of her voice when she hits powerful high notes.

The ensemble heightens every scene with boundless energy in its movements and facial expressions, whether it be beaming with large grins from ear to ear while scampering to give comically stiff waves or trembling with widened eyes, quivering knees, and faces frozen in shock at Shrek's deafening roar.

The props used are inventive and wildly entertaining, including a growing blue balloon that pops to represent a blue bird exploding, hand-held puppets as small animals, and large, cardboard kitchen utensils as torture devices, all designed by Amanda DeGraw.

The background consists of painted projections made by Jeremiah Jaw that change with every scene, ranging from a dense, moving forest to molten lava. Their subdued colors highlighted the bright and colorful lighting designed by Alex Kamper and Tyler Owings, ranging from deep crimson and black when Shrek and Donkey cross lava to an emerald green and baby blue when Fiona is wandering through the forest.

With talent in both its cast and crew, Aliso Niguel delivers a heartwarming story about the unimportance of appearance when finding true love.

Josiah Haugen
Fullerton Union High School
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook Page

Fairy Tales Do Come True with Aliso Niguel's Shrek The Musical

Josiah Haugen is a Senior at Fullerton Union High School in Fullerton.

After a hoard of fairytale characters are heaped onto his swamp, Shrek, a misanthropic ogre, leaves his home to rally with Lord Farquaad to rid the characters from his land. Along the way, Shrek unwillingly befriends a talking donkey, saves a beautiful princess from her tower, and learns a lesson that will change his life forever.

Michael Ouimet and Shayla Stensby lead as the show's dynamic duo, Shrek and Fiona. In their song "I Think I've Got You Beat" Ouimet and Stensby exhibit their natural chemistry and comedic timing as their characters attempt to "one up" each other as to who's life is worse. Individually, Stensby's exuberant physicality and high emotional contrast coupled with her well-trained vocals prove to be a joy to watch whereas Ouimet's strong demeanor and stoic voice contrast well serving a comedic purpose.

A source of endless laughter is Robin Valdez as Donkey. Valdez continuously pours energy onto the stage whether it be through his exaggerated facial expressions, his constant jumping around stage, or committed vocals. In each scene Valdez gives his all thus adding to the hilarity of the show and forging a memorable performance.

Carly Rude's voice soars above most in her astounding performance as The Dragon. In her song "Forever" Rude's powerful voices matches that of the massive puppet dragon that overtakes the whole stage resulting in an explosion of energy.

Martin Perez as the Big Bad Wolf shines as a form of comedic relief. Though minimal stage time, Perez makes use of every moment in his complete dedication to his character, delivering lines with energy and amusing inflections.

Integrating projections throughout the performance is Projection Designer Jeremiah Jaw. Jaw makes use of digital images and moving images to help establish the setting of the scene taking place. In some cases the projection will include a stock image used for scenery whereas in other cases, such as in the number "Travel Song", the projection moves and integrates with the actions taking place on stage.

Set Design by Una Cusi wonderfully compliments the projections in the set's earthy tones and versatile design. Though a unit set, with small manipulations, Cusi aids in creating the numerous settings in which the show takes place while also creating a raised walkway with a trap door upon which characters can enter or exit easily.

In a story where even an Ogre can find love, Aliso Niguel teaches that fairytales really can come true.