Tampabay.com

MARCH 14, 2011

'Shrek' brings theater to theatre

fionashrek.jpgAre you looking for less theater and more theatre in your family’s lives? Shrek the Musical may be just the ticket. Slated for a run at the Straz Center in Tampa May 3-8, this musical is the perfect show to introduce younger audiences to the theatre (pronounced THE-uh-tuh). The characters, plot and dialogue are almost identical to the blockbuster movies, but the music is completely new for this stage performance.

I brought my 3 1/2 and 7 year old daughters to a recent Sunday matinee in Tennessee, and all of us were entertained. Like the movie version, there is some PG humor and some bawdiness that can only be found in a high energy, live stage production, but most of that was well above young heads. There is enough of the familiar set to the new that will sure to keep everyone happy for the rather lengthy performance. The characters are even more hysterically over the top. (Lord Farquaad is not to be missed.)

I’m posting this now rather than closer to the show date to remind you to get tickets early if you’re interested. For young families the experience is better the closer you are to the action.

UPDATE: Our friends at the Straz Center tell us that for the Wednesday night, May 4 performance, purchase one full-price adult ticket and get one free child's (12 and under) ticket in all price levels (restrictions apply). Not available for purchase online. Come early for family-friendly activities from 6-7:15 p.m.

--Tracey Henry

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Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.

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SP_255665_CROS_KATE.jpgAfter six long years of trying to have a baby, Kate Brassfield was finally able to have one. And then, two minutes later, another one. Suddenly the lady who had never been around babies before was juggling two! Just as Kate felt she was getting pretty good with babies, the girls became toddlers, and now Kate is back to Square One, learning about the care and feeding of these strange, wonderful creatures. She spends her days working part-time from home and trying to keep up with the Twinosaurus Wrecks.

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Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at courtneyblogs@gmail.com.

Suzannah DiMarzio has it bad for the Mouse. Although she grew up outside of Boston, she took her degree in tourism management down to Orlando just to work at Disney and the travel industry. Of course, when she married her high school sweetheart, the reception was at Disney. She’s now a seasoned stay-at-home mom to two tweens and a toddler – and yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. Suzannah has her own blog, ZannaLand.com , and she's a member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel in addition to being addicted to Twitter, iced coffee, and watching way too much Yo, Gabba Gabba.

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