The Freshman Musical is a long-standing tradition at Peddie, bringing students, staff and family together to enjoy a hilarious and exciting experience presented by talented freshmen. It’s a big event that is always fun to attend with friends. This year was no different, with members of the Class of 2027 performing an excellent rendition of “Shrek the Musical Jr!”
Shrek is a classic, well-known movie, and this short but sweet musical brought out the best aspects of it. Although this version is abridged, the main story points still stand out and provide a dynamic performance. The plot of “Shrek” follows an outsider ogre named Shrek who journeys with a talking donkey, aptly named Donkey, to rescue Princess Fiona from the evil and selfish Lord Farquaad, who wants to marry Fiona. Farquaad wants to become King of Duloc and doesn’t care at all about his soon-to-be bride. In the end, Fiona reveals her true ogre form, which disgusts Lord Farquaad; however, Shrek and the other fairytale creatures accept her for who she is and oust Farquaad, ending with a happily ever after. Some notable themes of Shrek include celebrating our differences and believing in who we are. Despite the humor and overall lightheartedness, Shrek also brings forth many deep meanings that move the audience.
Through its fast-paced and engaging nature, the audience was always kept on their toes. The performance was full of memorable one-liners and puns that made everyone laugh, like Donkey and Shrek discussing the ogres to onions analogy or Fiona and Shrek having a fart-off. Not only were there hilarious moments like those but there were also some raw and passionate scenes, such as when Fiona accepts her true beauty as an ogre in the finale. The musical numbers also reflected this, with cheerful songs like “What’s Up, Duloc?” and “Freak Flag” contrasting with heartfelt ones such as “Finale” and “I Know It’s Today.”
Some outstanding performances were Samantha Forte as Shrek, River An as Fiona, Rohan Desai as Donkey, Myles Onion as Lord Farquaad, Lexie Hoffman as Dragon, and Fiona Maher as Gingy, to name a few. From the powerful singing to the acting to the in-sync ensemble choreography, all of their performances were captivating and unique, and they brought out the quirks of each character while giving them their own flair. It really displayed the amazing talent of this year’s freshman class!
Not only were the freshman performers great, but so were the crew of musicians, lighting technicians, choreographers and directors who helped put the whole thing together. Ms. Green and Mr. Cirniaglo, along with a group of talented juniors and seniors, did background work to make the show run as smoothly as it did. Even though the set wasn’t very complicated, the costumes, props and lighting elevated the performance to the next level.
Everybody in the crew put in hard work that definitely shined through this entertaining performance that was truly a night to remember. It was delightful and multilayered (like onions … or ogres … or parfaits!).
