A Green Hero’s Journey

If you’d been living in a swamp since you were seven, you might not be too concerned with personal hygiene either. Still, while he’s not the handsomest of guys, with his green skin, bulbous nose and trumpeting ears, Shrek has plenty of odoriferous humor and heart, and he’ll need both to save Duloc’s fairy tale creatures, rescue the princess and cope with his new sentimental feelings of … love?

Bubbling over with laughs for all ages, Shrek! The Musical is based on Dreamworks’ Shrek film franchise, the popular movies and spin-offs built from the 1990 picture book by masterful children’s writer William Steig. This musical by David Lindsay-Abaire, expertly envisioned and directed by Actors Cabaret of Eugene’s Joe Zingo, relates more closely to Steig’s original story and illustrations than the movies ever realized. Here Steig’s artistic style is evoked throughout: From the inventively whimsical and exquisitely detailed costumes to the charming set with its wobbly trees and dripping leaves, this show makes Steig’s world three dimensional while bringing the iconic movie roles down to an accessibly human scale.

Anchoring the cast as Shrek, Mark VanBeever’s nuanced voice and booming physicality shine, deftly capturing Shrek’s glee at his own repulsiveness, and at times, a surprising vulnerability. Along for the mission is Shrek’s sassy new friend Donkey, ably played by Alex Holmes. And when the unusual duo meet up with Princess Fiona, portrayed by the gamine Melissa Miller, things really take off, as Miller and VanBeever exchange the gassy duet “I got you beat.” Rounding out the leads, Cameron Walker as Lord Farquaad infuses an oily petulance into every princely tantrum.

The winning cast features several teens, whose presence adds an approachable charm and youthful energy to the production. Kyra Siegel is especially strong as the astute teenage Fiona.

With lyrics that are entertaining to adults and kids alike, the show’s music invites the audience into a world where wolves wear dresses, cookies talk and dragons sing the blues. The strong ensemble performs with great enthusiasm, selling the lively choreography by VanBeever, which features clever references to A Chorus Line and Motown within its broad musical theater style. Epitomizing the silly fun is the fairy tale character anthem “Let Your Freak Flag Fly,” a glorious confection that could warm the heart of even the greenest ogre. — Rachael Carnes

See Shrek! The Musical at Actors Cabaret of Eugene through Dec 21.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!