Something big, green and swampy landed at the Omaha Community Playhouse on Sept. 14. Its name is Shrek the Musical and it is sure to captivate, charm and astound audience members young, old and everywhere in-between.
Located on 69th and Cass St, the Omaha Community Playhouse reigns as one of the largest and most well-known community theaters in the United States. With Shrek the Musical as its current show, the Omaha Community Playhouse seems to remind Omaha its popularity is not to be forgotten.
The title character is played by Steve Krambeck, who nailed the Scottish accent of Shrek with finesse and talent. While Krambeck may not cause people to scream in terror in real life, his incredible costuming and makeup design did the trick on stage. Krambeck wore a massive, plastic green headpiece and while some of his facial expressions may have gotten lost, his excellent body language and voice skill made up for it.
The other star of the play, Mackenzie Dehmer, astounded with wide-range vocals and a personality bigger than the stage. Charismatic, witty and facially expressive, Dehmer had Fiona on lockdown from the opening scene to the closing song of “I’m a Believer.”
The true showstopper of Shrek the Musical fell to Kerri Forrester, however, who portrayed the role of Dragon. In her Omaha Community Playhouse debut, Forrester brought the house down with stunning vocal runs, incredible belts and a costume fit for a queen. In a sparkly pink dress and an enormous headpiece, Forrester strutted the stage and took her bows to shouts, whistles and a standing ovation.
The driving force behind the success of Shrek the Musical had to be the costume designs of Lindsay Pape. Formerly the costumer designer for Creighton’s Fine and Performing Arts Department, Pape brought the mythical characters in Shrek’s tale to life with a certain vibrancy, snap and detail unseen at most community theatres.
Senior College of Nursing student Matthew Tolliver is a member of the show’s ensemble and played the character of the Big Bad Wolf. Decked head to toe in fur, Tolliver commented on the intense talent of his fellow castmates and said that he felt he has grown as a performer through his work on the show.
While the runtime for this show is a little long at 2 hours and 40 minutes, there were very few moments where the action seemed to drag. Admission can be steep at $32 a ticket. However, the Omaha Community Playhouse offers $10 same-day tickets on Wednesday starting at 4 p.m.
As a theater major myself, I can honestly say Shrek the Musical is not one to miss. Bring your friends, your significant other or your siblings and enjoy a night of giggles, talented performers and jaw-dropping costumes.
Shrek the Musical runs until Oct. 14 every Wednesday through Sunday. Tickets can be purchased at https://ticketomaha.com/Productions/shrek-the-musical.