The Curtain Goes Up
by John Mooy
I had the nicest email from a friend the other day who gave rave reviews about an event she attended in Marcellus the other night. She and her sister were in the crowd for “Shrek the Musical” which was performed by middle school and high school students. She thought it was the first musical performed in Marcellus in the past eighteen years.
With my own background as a storyteller, I admit I didn’t know what this story was about. I used my rather limited technology skills to find out: It seems the main takeaway from Shrek is that we should accept people who are different. Much of the presentation centers around Shrek and a budding relationship with a donkey. That’s enough right there to create interest for me. I like stories that are a bit on the unusual side.
How does one go about putting together a musical? I have no idea, but I did learn that an extremely talented lady by the name of Misty Krueger was the person in charge. Ms. Krueger comes to Marcellus by way of Niles where she previously taught.
Ms. Krueger, I understand, artfully coaxed administrators and local folks to assist her in the undertaking of this presentation. We know it’s always helpful to surround yourself with good people in order to make things happen. We also know one doesn’t have to go far in Marcellus to find good people.
It was further mentioned to me that the costuming for the performance was superb so again I went to Google to get a look at some of the costumes. They were incredible, colorful and “eye” inspiring. Again, I have no idea where one would start to create all the costumes necessary for the performance, but that task was completed as well.
And for the students who took part: You have my greatest admiration for what you’ve accomplished. No matter what your role, large or small, it was critical to the overall success of the performance. Lines to learn, songs to sing, costume changes, sets, and being at the right place on stage at the right time is only accomplished through practice, practice, and more practice.
Skielynn Snodderly as Fiona in Shrek.
The photo in the May 26 edition of Fiona was incorrectly captioned.
The News regrets the error, but is grateful folks are reading closely enough to find mistakes.
And for the folks who attended the performance, or performances I don’t know how many times the play was given but what a thrill. To see sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters on stage in a role they had never before played could only give one a sense of pride as they sat in the audience and watched and listened and ultimately applauded.
My source told me that there were parts in the program that had her laughing so hard she didn’t know she had it in her to do so.
This all brings me to the comment concerning what you all have accomplished through the performance of this production. For the duration of the musical, you gave people the opportunity to take a break from the outside world. My guess is there were scenes and songs that were touching in nature. It seems to me that this happened through the very nature of the theme itself; it is okay to be different.
And so, Ms. Krueger, all performers and all helpers, I give you five stars for your performance. Be proud of your efforts and know that you now have a community now wondering “when will there be another musical performance?”
No one wants to wait until 2040.
Have a great week, Marcellus.
You’re the best, and perhaps you could
“whistle while you work.”
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