Musical production is based on the massively popular 2001 film featuring a lovable green ogre, a wise-cracking donkey and huge cast of memorable fairytale characters. Its six-show run kicks off Friday, August 7.
The cast of Shrek the Musical, the Throckmorton Theatre’s six-show production that kicks off Friday, doesn’t have to worry about getting the usual bevy of tickets for family members.
That’s because many of those family members are in the production themselves. Shrek the Musical, based on the global smash 2001 film that is “part romance, part twisted fairy tale, and irreverent fun for everyone,” is most certainly a family affair.
The familial cast starts with Shrek himself, played by Throckmorton Youth Program Director Steven Hess. Though he has an extensive acting background, including roles as Stanford White in the Shotgun Players’ production of Harry Thaw Hates Everybody in 2012 and as the narrator in the Ray of Light Theatre’s upcoming production of Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hess hasn’t acted in a Throckmorton production in his four years at the downtown Mill Valley landmark.
After Hess and the Throckmorton team decided to tackle Shrek as the perfect balance for both young and adult audiences, Hess gave in to peer pressure to play the lovable green ogre. In a perfect twist, his son Monterey Hess makes a cameo as Young Shrek, and his wife Bidalia Albanese, an instructor at the Throckmorton and an accomplished performer and director in her own right, is playing Gingy.
The cast also includes Marty Dunn as Farquaad and his daughter Meghan Dunn as the hilarious Donkey, and Lily Bogas as Pinocchio and her mother Desiree Goyette as the Dragon.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Hess says. “They all came to the auditions – it just ended up working out that way.”
The 411: Shrek The Musical is based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks film. Its six-show run kicks off Friday, August 7 at the Throckmorton Theatre, 142 Throckmorton Avenue, and runs through August 16. More info and tickets.
That’s because many of those family members are in the production themselves. Shrek the Musical, based on the global smash 2001 film that is “part romance, part twisted fairy tale, and irreverent fun for everyone,” is most certainly a family affair.
The familial cast starts with Shrek himself, played by Throckmorton Youth Program Director Steven Hess. Though he has an extensive acting background, including roles as Stanford White in the Shotgun Players’ production of Harry Thaw Hates Everybody in 2012 and as the narrator in the Ray of Light Theatre’s upcoming production of Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hess hasn’t acted in a Throckmorton production in his four years at the downtown Mill Valley landmark.
After Hess and the Throckmorton team decided to tackle Shrek as the perfect balance for both young and adult audiences, Hess gave in to peer pressure to play the lovable green ogre. In a perfect twist, his son Monterey Hess makes a cameo as Young Shrek, and his wife Bidalia Albanese, an instructor at the Throckmorton and an accomplished performer and director in her own right, is playing Gingy.
The cast also includes Marty Dunn as Farquaad and his daughter Meghan Dunn as the hilarious Donkey, and Lily Bogas as Pinocchio and her mother Desiree Goyette as the Dragon.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Hess says. “They all came to the auditions – it just ended up working out that way.”
The 411: Shrek The Musical is based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks film. Its six-show run kicks off Friday, August 7 at the Throckmorton Theatre, 142 Throckmorton Avenue, and runs through August 16. More info and tickets.
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