Shrek the Musical
at Haverford High School

Reviewed on March 17, 2018

Allegra Greenawalt
Harriton High School
Submitted for publication to Philadelphia Inquirer - 1

Everybody loves a classic fairytale, with elegant princesses, enchanting godmothers, and perfectly happy endings. But what kind of beloved fairytale features a slimy green ogre, a belching princess, and a talking donkey? It's none other than Haverford High School's shrek-tacular production of Shrek: The Musical!

Based on the 2001 Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature, Shrek: The Musical tells the tale of an outcast ogre named Shrek who wants nothing more than a life of isolation in his swamp. When he discovers his land has been infiltrated by rejected fairytale creatures, he sets out on a quest to rescue his home, even if it means striking a deal with a vertically challenged overlord to save a princess from a dragon-guarded tower. With a book by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori, this critically acclaimed musical is thoroughly entertaining for people of all ages.

Haverford's production was filled with important messages, displaying themes that were extremely relevant to political and social issues of today. While the musical calls for a mostly male-lead cast, Haverford featured strong female actresses in nearly all of these roles. It was a unique and innovative approach to the casting, alluding to current movements of female empowerment throughout the modern world.

As the title character, Isabella Borgesi embodied Shrek with an intimidating stance and dominating stage presence. Her alto vocals soared through her solo songs, most notably the adorable "When Words Fail" and political allegory "Build a Wall". She shared great chemistry with the energetic Caroline Sessa (Donkey) and the elegant Krystyna Barr (Fiona), who showed off her tap dancing skills in the act two opener, "Morning Person".

Standouts among the supporting cast included Nikki Moscony (Lord Farquaad) and Jack O'Leary (Papa Ogre/Big Bad Wolf). Moscony's menacing laugh and booming voice made her the perfect villain, and O'Leary's comedic timing stole the show whenever he graced the stage. Also notable was the powerhouse Dragon ensemble of Ingrid Slater, Cecily Schultz, Maddie Snell, Pammie Cobaugh, Grazia LaRosa, and Annajean Gionta. Their powerful vocals in the song "Forever" made it one of the most memorable numbers of the show.

With an ensemble of over one hundred people, costuming everyone could have been problematic. However, the Haverford costume team rose to the challenge and designed a large array of beautiful costumes which not only characterized the lead actors, but gave each individual ensemble member their own identity.

In a day and age where discrimination and injustice are prominent issues worldwide, it is essential that we remember "what makes us special makes us strong." Haverford's production of Shrek: The Musical inspired everyone with the message: never be afraid to let your freak flag fly!

Evan Braasch
Bordentown Regional High School
Submitted for publication to Philadelphia Inquirer - 2

Once upon a stage at Haverford High School, there lived an awful, ugly ogre — or at least that's how it looked on the outside.

Shrek, a fresh new fairy tale based on the Dreamworks film of the same name, opened on Broadway in 2008, featuring Broadway "all-stars" Sutton Foster and Brian d'Arcy James. Its story, while cartoonish and crude, teaches the invaluable life lesson that people are more than what they seem to be on the outside. In other words, it teaches to not "judge a book by its cover."

Coincidentally, Haverford High School's production was a perfect example of this oft-repeated advice: first, most principal roles traditionally played by males were instead played by females. From the start, these performers were different from what was expected, and yet they brought beautiful new character elements to the stage. Second, almost every aspect of the show, from costume creation to music direction, was student-run, meaning that the show's level of difficulty was significantly higher. While on the surface the performance was not entirely spotless, it was all the more impressive when this was considered.

Isabella Borgesi and Krystyna Barr (Shrek and Fiona), each with less-than-fortunate character backgrounds, tugged at heartstrings in both their solo songs and duets. Meanwhile, their "trusty steed" Caroline Sessa (Donkey), offered comic relief as love doctor and wingman in "Make A Move". Last and least — in stature, that is — was Nikki Moscony (the vertically challenged Lord Farquad), whose perfectly timed jokes were in no… short supply.

Every member of Haverford's sizeable ensemble was a fairy tale character, which allowed for several side-splitting one-liners. Led by Tommy Barnes (Pinocchio), Mable Peach (Gingy), and Jack O'Leary (the Big Bad Wolf), the fun of these "freaks" shone particularly in their songs "Story of My Life" and "Freak Flag".

Students imagined convenient but considerably clever solutions for Shrek's technical elements. To create scaly dragon makeup, Candice Sammartino painted onto performers' faces using fishnet as a stencil. To simplify scene changes, students painted a double-sided set, one side with trees and the other a castle. To illustrate more challenging elements of the story, they suspended a large white sheet and projected shadows behind it with an overhead projector.

After learning the importance of inner beauty and skillfully surviving one "beast" of a show, the cast of Haverford High School can now truly live happily ever after.

Charlotte Kalilec
Conestoga
Submitted for publication to The Fordian

What could be more fun than spending a night watching a group of familiar colorful fairytale creatures shedding their skin and letting their freak flag wave? Haverford High School's performance of "Shrek The Musical" will bring a feeling of energy and life to anyone who may be feeling a bit down or at a loss of hope.

The animated DreamWorks picture first released in 2001 tells the tale of a grumpy green ogre who sheds his tough exterior to become the hero he always wished he could be. The story turns several classic fairy tales on their heads, allowing for shock, comedy and of course, a happy ending.

The students of Haverford High School bring a palpable energy to both the onstage and offstage elements.They tackle the demanding technical aspects of the production with ease to create a real-life storybook setting the audience can get lost in.

Isabella Borgesi (Shrek), embodies the grumpy ogre beautifully, and does a very impressive job tackling Shrek's deeper vocals throughout the performance. By her side are Caroline Sessa (Donkey) and Krystyna Barr (Fiona), two actresses who each add their own unique twist to their traditionally eccentric characters. Nikki Moscony (Lord Farquaad) gave a hilarious performance as the tiny ruler tottering around on his knees. Moscony stayed in character through some microphone issues and adjusted to the circumstances accordingly.

The vast majority of the supporting cast is found in the musical's various ensembles. The dragon, instead of being played by one actress, is instead portrayed by six young, fierce beltressess clothed in glittery gowns. The performance of "Forever" (musically directed by Jack O'Leary) really showcases these girls' powerful voices and true star quality. Another ensemble stand out was "Freak Flag," which was performed by the remarkably energetic ensemble of fairytale creatures. Watching the enthusiasm and commitment of these students is a great reminder to anyone of why they love high school theatre.

The students of Haverford High School's stage crew showed their remarkable creativity onstage and off in this production. The students made use of a projector to add a storybook element to the musical, painting scenes of castles and mountaintops across the stage as characters make their way through the mystical land of Far Far Away. The pit orchestra performed the entire musical without a fluke; It's also entirely student run and student conducted, which a very difficult feat for a group of high school students. The creativity in creating the colorful costumes for some of the fairytale creatures adds another aspect of entertainment to the show. If you look carefully, you may be able to spot Waldo from "Where's Waldo?" or the twins from "The Shining"!

Clocking in at two hours, "Shrek The Musical" is a technically demanding production for a high school to tackle. The students of Haverford High School proved that with their hard work and creativity, they can put together a truly impressive performance.

Naomi Friedman
Germantown Academy
Submitted for publication to GPC Website Review 4

Haverford High School's production of Shrek the Musical reminds us that when others are different or weird, the solution isn't as simple as building a wall. With all the crazy fairytale creatures of Duloc, we learn that letting our freak flag fly makes us stronger together than we can ever be apart.

The now-classic tale of one ogre's journey from curmudgeon to hero began as a Pixar animated film in 2001. Adapted for Broadway in 2008, the musical version brought music and dance to the journey of the antisocial Shrek on his quest to rescue the dysfunctional Princess Fiona from the fire-breathing Dragon for the miniscule Lord Farquad. His only companion is the uncomfortably clingy, but hilarious, Donkey. The path they take from the opening number to the finale changes all of their lives.

Shrek, the title character, was played by the boisterous Isabella Borgesi. Taking her own wonderful approach to the character, Borgesi wowed the audience with her beautiful alto voice. Who said Shrek had to be played by a male? Donkey (Caroline Sessa) matched Shrek's energy and timing well. Adding to the tremendous trio, Fiona, played by Krystyna Barr, brought powerful stage presence to the role of the princess and snatched the audiences' eyes with her energetic dancing.

The Dragon ensemble was an immediate standout, each displaying impressive vocal manipulation while adding an insane amount of sass to the stage. The only disappointing part of their act was when they left the stage because the audience was only itching for more. Nikki Moscony played Lord Farquad with an unparalleled charisma. Her hilarious portrayal of the tiny but mighty had the audience constantly laughing as she waddled off stage.

As an ensemble, every single one of the characters had their own personality. As a particular standout was Jock O'leary as the Big Bad Wolf and Papa Ogre. Every time O'leary was on stage, the audience was in tears. As the young actor clearly belonged in his perfectly casted comedic role, O'leary deserved his own spotlight. In addition, the small role of Gingy played by Mable Peach, also added to the strong ensemble along with the three spunky and funny skeletons.

Almost completely run but the students of Haverford High School, the costumes, makeup and set were thoroughly impressive. A few standout features were the Dragons makeup, Pinocchio's nose and the bopping choreography. It was occasionally difficult to hear the actors due to microphone problems, and the actors also often found themselves standing fully in the dark due to lighting issues. But the booming orchestra compensated for both of these minor issues.

It is worth noting that Haverford's production overcame quite a few hiccups, including losing 21 hours of rehearsal time due to snow. In all, this production of Shrek the Musical was "ogre"whelmingly wonderful with a talented cast and an intimate attention to detail.