by Ella Filsell of Ambedo Magazine
In July 2022, Nexus Youth Theatre put on a bright and lively production of Shrek the Musical. These kids had been working on this for months and finally it paid off.
I was given the amazing opportunity to go backstage and have a chat with some of the cast before the opening night and then watch the show and can I say, it was truly incredible. The cast ranges in age from 12 years old all the way up to 19 years old with ranging experiences as well. Some of the people we talked with had been a part of Nexus since 2017, while for others this was their first show.
Fiona, who was played by Jade Cuskelly, told us about how she saw Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz back when she was only six years old. Ever since then she has been chasing to become her. Donkey, who was played by Abe Geyer, and Lord Farquaad, who was played by Oli Sexton, told me that they had grown up around musical theatre, with both their parents being very theatrical so it just made sense to be that as well. All three agreed that while the show is wrapped up in loads of comedy, there is a strong message of togetherness and self acceptance.
The chemistry amongst the casting was incredible. Shrek and Donkey were definitely the same if not an even more iconic duo, which is always a wonderful thing to include. The show kept many of the famous quotes from the movie as well as inserting many more laughs. Just sitting in the audience, I could tell that not only had the cast worked incredibly hard to put all of this together, but that they were having a ball of a time up on stage.
The ensemble members that I got the chance to talk to were Halle Blake-Burrows, Jakob Walsh, Kade Lightfoot, Oliver Willits and Daniel Chisholm. Between them we have a multitude of characters; King Harold, 3 little pigs, Duloc dancers, Knights, Tapping rats, an Elf, Gingy, the Muffin Man, Pied Piper, a bishop, the Big Bad Wolf and a puppeteer for the dragon.
Nexus has a history of putting on magnificent shows such as Phantom of the Opera, Oliver, Le Miserables and the Sound of Music. This production of Shrek was another to add to the list. In my opinion this is one show you didn't want to miss.
