Calgary’s StoryBook Theatre is capping off its 49th season with the musical rendition of Shrek, now on an extended run till July after an early sellout.
The first Shrek movie came out in 2001 — placing this title squarely in line for millennial nostalgia. Remember the onion?
“What’s so wonderful is that it’s such a well-known piece,” says Shrek the Musical choreographer Greg Pember. “All of these tropes within the show are so recognizable and easy to identify right away.”
Pember says the film’s iconic moments will remain; however, the crew isn’t trying to make a carbon copy. Rather, it’s taking their shared memory of the story and shifting it into a theatrical space, all while allowing the actors to build their own versions of the well-known characters.
“We’re not interested in carbon copies from the movie or trying to impersonate Mike Myers or Eddie Murphy,” he explained.
The musical version premiered in 2008 and ran on Broadway before touring internationally. Pember says the musical version is a mish-mash of genres and styles.
“We get to play with some sword fighting. We get to play with tap dancing. We get to play with tango. There’s literally everything in this show,” he says.
For StoryBook Theatre, a volunteer-driven company, the scale of taking on a full Broadway production is ambitious, but that’s par for the course as it heads into a 50th season next year with titles like Frozen, Oliver, and The Little Mermaid.
“They are not afraid to swing big when it comes to these big shows,” Pember says. “It’s always, no, dream big. Dream big and let’s see what we can do.”
And if you’re worried about missing the show, StoryBook Theatre says demand already pushed the company to extend the run after an early sellout.
Meanwhile, Pember is scheduled to return to Storybook next year to direct and choreograph The Little Mermaid.
Shrek The Musical runs until July 12 at the Beddington Theatre Arts Centre.
You can find tickets online here.