‘Embracing your differences’: Actress playing Fiona in ‘Shrek the Musical’ talks on what it’s like to play strong female lead in touring Broadway show

When Kelly Prendergast was 10 years old, she traveled to New York for the first time and saw “Wicked” on Broadway. She knew right then and there that she belonged on stage.

“This is where I want to be,” she remembered thinking. “This is what I want to do.”

Years later, she’s on stage playing another green character – not Elphaba in “Wicked,” but Fiona in “Shrek the Musical.”

“She’s so fun to be around and get to step into her shoes every day,” Prendergast said.

The musical plays three shows, Friday and Saturday, at the First Interstate Center for the Arts.

“Shrek the Musical” features music by Jeanine Tesori and a book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. The musical is based on the 2001 film “Shrek” as well as elements from “Shrek 2,” “Shrek Forever After,” and the novel “Shrek!” by William Steig, through which the world first learned of the curmudgeonly ogre after its publication in 1990.

The story begins when a troupe of fairytale creatures, which has been banned from the Kingdom of Duloc by the evil Lord Farquaad (Timmy Lewis), shows up at Shrek’s (Nicholas Hambruch) swamp. Determined to again enjoy his peace and quiet, Shrek travels to Duloc to meet with Farquaad.

Along the way, he rescues the chatty Donkey (Naphtali Yaakov Curry) from Farquaad’s guards. To show his appreciation, Donkey insists on showing Shrek the way to Duloc. Meanwhile, Farquaad is torturing Gingy (Ally Choe, who also plays the Sugar Plum Fairy, Young Fiona and a Dulocian) in an attempt to learn the whereabouts of the rest of the fairytale creatures so he can banish them from the kingdom.

Before he can get an answer, the captain of the guards (Tori Kocher, who also plays Dragon) arrives with a magic mirror, which reveals to Farquaad that he can become a king if he marries a princess. Through a round of the dating show “This is Your Wife,” audiences learn about Princess Fiona (Prendergast), who is trapped in a castle guarded by a dragon.

Before the magic mirror can let Farquaad in on Fiona’s secret, he dashes out, determined to find a knight who can bring Fiona to Duloc. The knight for the job, it turns out, is Shrek, who agrees in exchange for his swamp. With Donkey’s help, of course.

Upon reaching the castle, things get off to a rough start, but eventually Shrek, Donkey and Fiona are on their way to Duloc. Though initially annoyed at one another, Shrek and Fiona bond due to their similar pasts.

Shrek and Fiona start to develop feelings for one another, but misunderstandings around Fiona’s secret threaten to keep the pair apart. On top of that, there’s still the wedding to Lord Farquaad and the plight of the fairytale creatures to worry about.

The musical also stars JRay Kuhn (Pinoccio/Dulocian), Sage Jepson (Wolf/Thelonius), Leon Ray (Pig 1/Dulocian), Zach Perrin (Pig 2/Dulocian), Carson Zoch (Pig 3/Dulocian), Demetrio Alomar (ensemble), Cynthia Ana Rivera (Mama Bear/Dulocian), Hope Schafer (Wicked Witch/Mama Ogre/Dulocian), Katherine Paladichuk (Peter Pan/Teen Fiona/Dulocian/Tail), Kiana Clarke (Ugly Duckling/Dulocian), Casey Lamont (swing) and John Cardenas (swing).

The show is music directed by Harrison Roth.

Prendergast grew up watching the “Shrek” films and saw the musical on tour years before she joined the show, drawn to the music and the ensemble, who juggle multiple roles. Prendergast’s time with “Shrek” began in the ensemble, playing Sugar Plum Fairy and Gingy.

“I got to be two characters at one time, where I was the Sugar Plum Fairy, but then I also held Gingy in my hand,” she said. “It was a process learning the puppetry of that and how Gingy spoke, compared to how the Sugar Plum Fairy speaks. Obviously, it was really fun to say those iconic lines of the Gingerbread Man in the movie.”

Prendergast said the role was a chance to bring some nostalgia from the movie into the musical while also putting her own spin on the character.

Prendergast understudied the role of Fiona five or six times before taking over the role full time in September. Fiona, Prendergast said, goes through a roller coaster of emotion during the show, from being hopeful then doubtful that her Prince Charming would rescue her from the castle, to gaining a little independence upon meeting Shrek and Donkey to worrying that people will learn her secret.

“At the end of the day, she is a very hopeful, light-hearted, spirited princess who dreams of the best life for herself and for everyone else around her,” she said. “Honestly, it’s so fun to play and play with the audience, to get the different reactions, see what works each night.”

This iteration of “Shrek the Musical” features revisions made by Tesori and Lindsay-Abaire, who Prendergast said wanted to focus more on the story than the spectacle of the musical. A few moments were tweaked to appeal more to families.

Another change (spoiler alert) involves the way Fiona transitions into an ogress. Before, the production used body doubles and prosthetics to illustrate Fiona’s change. Now, the musical uses a green light for one transition and, after a 90-second quick change, paint and ogre ears for the other.

Surprisingly, Prendergast said the paint doesn’t take long to remove after a show.

No matter how the effect is achieved, Prendergast is happy being green, as it highlights what she thinks of as the draw of “Shrek the Musical.”

“It is a story about embracing your differences, embracing what makes you different from everyone else,” she said. “My favorite line in the show is, ‘What makes you special makes you strong.’ I think, ultimately, it comes down to that.

“Shrek was this guy that didn’t think anyone would love him or that he could be loved, and the world proved him wrong. We love loving that character.”