Shrek, the Musical Jr., presented by Cricket Theatre July 31-Aug 1

Cricket Theatre has announced that its summer show, Shrek, the Musical Jr., will be performed live and welcome a full audience. The show, which will be held at historic Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center in Palatine, Illinois, will be open to the public. Tickets are available at cuttinghall.org.

Featuring everyone's favorite ogre and his playful donkey sidekick, Shrek, the Musical Jr. is an adaptation of the Oscar-winning movie by DreamWorks. The fairy tale tells the story of a misunderstood but loveable derelict and his band of outcasts on a quest to rescue the local princess.

"I'm especially excited to perform in this show, because although the pandemic has stopped some shows, it has not stopped everyone's love of theater," explains Lily Clark, who has performed in Cricket Theatre productions of Alice in Wonderland and Annie.

The performance of this popular classic will take place July 31 at 7 p.m. and August 1 at 2 p.m., and feature two casts of nearly 50 actors. Students have practiced weekly since the beginning of June and are eager to show off their talent.

Founded in 2013, Cricket Theatre Company is a nonprofit corporation and aims to provide children and young adults with experiences in the theater arts. Mary Beth Euker, director and founder, and Vince O'Brill, Shrek, the Musical Jr., director comment, "We have safely navigated performing during COVID and are pleased the kids can be together with their friends on stage this summer. Shrek Jr. is a perfect show for children as it contains so many empowering anthems about diversity and acceptance. Plus, the characters are hysterically funny and features caricatures of many figures in pop culture with tongue-in-cheek humor the adults will recognize and enjoy."