Lachlan Tomich reviews Bexhill College’s latest musical production Photo by Ben Ramsey
Bexhill College’s production of Shrek the Musical Jr is a vibrant, budget, family friendly stage adaptation of the beloved DreamWorks film. The production brings the story to life with exuberant energy and a new splash of creativity. Featuring colourful characters, lively musical numbers and above your average college standard visuals, it celebrates individuality, friendship and the magic of embracing who you are on the inside. It’s a fun, family friendly experience which adds its own theatrical flair.
The cast has been deep in rehearsals with long evenings, wardrobe malfunctions, drama and all the chaos that comes along with getting a show put together. At the centre of it is Jordan Phillips, who’s stepping into the swamp as Shrek himself.
We sat down to talk so I could get a glimpse into the process and what the audience can expect for the show. Jordan shared some highlights, challenges, and moments that have made bringing Shrek to life unforgettable. Jordan joked about some of the funniest moments so far from, “getting my fat suit on for the first time,” to, “Farquaad’s wig falling off.” But behind all the laughs, he also shared some of the more difficult aspects of playing his role. He said the biggest challenge of playing the role has been, “adapting to how others portray their roles and learning how to work with that.”
As for what the audience should be expecting, Jordan promised the show would be exactly what fans hope for. He explained it would be, “the most unserious show with lots of iconic film references.” And for anyone hanging on the edge of their seats for an answer… Yes, we have had the honour of hearing some of Jordan’s favourite moments; he was especially excited for the emotional helmet reveal, “where Fiona realises, I’m an ogre,” along with the travel song.
The show itself was almost a complete reenactment of the original Shrek musical with the only difference being a college budget and a college cast, hence the name Shrek the Musical Jr. It was an absolute ball to go down with friends to watch. As well as seeing other friends on the stage performing after months of hearing chit chat, slight spoilers and complaining leading up to the show’s long-anticipated first night, I thought it was really cool seeing what they had all been working on behind closed curtains (see what I did there, like behind closed doors but it’s a theatre show). Jokes aside I’d say it was an amazing show, with everyone involved playing their roles and or back stage parts amazingly. The casting for all the characters was spot on, the performers were full of energy, perfectly matching their roles and cheerful costumes. I particularly loved Lord Farquaad’s song “What’s up Duloc”. There was not a dull moment throughout the show with lots of laughs from the audience. Shrek has set the bar high for this year’s college productions. Will the up-coming show live up to the standard set by Shrek?
