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Health & Fitness

'Shrek the Musical' brings beloved film to life at the Byham Theater

It’s Valentine’s Day Weekend so why not spend it with one of the most romantic theater performances ever -  “Shrek the Musical” presented by the Pittsburgh Musical Theater.

“Shrek the Musical” opened last weekend with a delightfully, hilarious performance bursting with talent bringing the beloved film to life on stage. Based on the Oscar-winning Dream Works film, “Shrek,” the musical version mostly follows the first film as we meet Shrek and Fiona to watch them fall in love – with many hilarious twists.

Featuring a fantastic leading trio of Shrek (Billy Mason), Donkey (David Toole) and Fiona (Emily Lynn Miller) who create comedy magic on stage, this show is a must see this weekend. While each character is modeled after the film version, it’s easy to see each actor bring a little bit of their own personality to the stage. Mason is a much tender version of Shrek than the film led on, which plays well with Millers fierce Fiona character that is a bit more demanding. Of course, the real comedian is the famous talking Donkey, which according to Toole’s program bio is a perfect role since “his wife would probably agree that playing an ass is very fitting.”

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“Shrek the Musical” also features one of Pittsburgh’s biggest actors – Tim Hartman – who has become a staple in many Pittsburgh Musical Theater performances over the years. Of course if you’re looking for the incredibly tall actor to stand out against the cast, you might have to think a little lower as his big role in the vertically challenged Lord Farquaad. Performing the entire show on his knees, Hartman shines in the role of the evil Lord Farquaad even dancing with the cast in several numbers (and no one tripped)!

Of course, not every shining star is the leading roles and for this performance, I would advise all audience members to keep their eye on Brady Patsy who plays the Big Bad Wolf, Thelonius and Papa Ogre. Patsy had some of the best moves, lines and hidden gems of the show – you won’t want to miss out!

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Pittsburgh Musical Theater has another hit on their hands with “Shrek the Musical” but perhaps one of the best parts of the show is the finale – so don’t make the run for the exit during curtain calls. You’ll find it hard to not sing and dance along!

“Shrek the Musical” has nightly performances through Sunday. Great seats are still available for all shows with tickets starting at just $12.25! For more information, visit www.trustarts.org.

 

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