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Shrek firecracker Fiona not like the others

Strong character a positive role model for princesses everywhere
TUTS
North Vancouver’s Lindsay Warnock stars as Princess Fiona in Theatre Under the Stars production of Shrek: The Musical.

Theatre Under the Stars presents Shrek: The Musical and Legally Blonde: The Musical, July 11 to Aug. 23 at the Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park. Tickets: $20-45 at 604-696-4295 or tuts.ca.

When the first Shrek movie hit theatres in 2001, Lindsay Warnock was 10 years old and an instant mega-fan of the green ogre and his fairytale friends.

She was especially fond of the feisty leading lady, Princess Fiona, who has a very un-princess-like temperament and who, like Warnock, is a natural redhead.

"I really connect with Princess Fiona personally.

She was always my favourite princess growing up because she wasn't like all the other ones," Warnock says.

So, to have landed the role of Fiona in this summer's Theatre Under the Stars presentation of Shrek: The Musical is an exciting opportunity for the 22-year-old North Vancouver resident.

"It's really special for me to represent a red-headed princess that is kind of a firecracker," she says.

This season, TUTS presents Shrek and Legally Blonde: The Musical - the latter back by popular demand after a successful 2013 run - at the Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park.

Directed by Sarah Rodgers, the musical version of Shrek is based on both the animated DreamWorks film and the 1990 children's picture book by William Steig. The story follows a green swamp-dwelling ogre named Shrek (played by Matt Palmer) and his loyal sidekick Donkey (Ken Overbey) as they embark on a quest to rescue Princess Fiona from a dragonguarded castle.

"Princess Fiona does everything," Warnock says of her character. "She sings, she dances, she plays the damsel in distress, but she also kicks butt at the same time. She goes through such an amazing journey throughout the show and it's so fun to show that and make it come alive for the audience."

Fans of the movie can expect to hear many familiar gags and one-liners, with the addition of plenty of singing and dancing. Warnock says the musical also offers some extra back story. For example, the audience will find out why Lord Farquaad is so small and will learn more about Fiona's life before her rescue.

"They can expect all the same laughs they had during the movie, plus even more," she says. "There are hilarious bits that they have added to this musical that really make it just a blast."

One of her favourite numbers to perform is "I Think I Got You Beat" in which Fiona and Shrek try to one-up each other in comparing their unhappy childhoods - an exercise that eventually devolves into a fart-off. "It's so funny and so much fun to do," Warnock says.

Beneath all the jokes, Warnock says the show conveys the same point as the children's book and the movie: "Everyone is different, and it's OK to be different."

"It has this really heartwarming message," she says, noting that the song "Freak Flag" encourages people to embrace their uniqueness.

In addition, she says Fiona is a positive role model for both girls and boys. While strong-headed female leads are becoming much more the norm in kids' movies (think Brave and Frozen), Warnock believes it was Fiona who really kicked things off.

"I feel like she was the one that really started that new wave of fiery, doesn'ttake-no-for-an-answer kind of princesses."

Warnock completed the three-year musical theatre diploma at Capilano University and just graduated this spring from the subsequent bachelor of performing arts program. She made her TUTS debut in 2011, playing keyboard in the orchestra pit for Bye Bye Birdie. The following season she played Ethel Toffelmier in The Music Man - a role that earned her the E.V. Young Award for Most Outstanding Performance.

Despite being vulnerable to inclement weather and hungry mosquitoes, she says being on the outdoor Malkin Bowl stage is like no other acting gig.

"It's totally worth it to perform in front of the sunset," she says. "It truly is a beautiful experience to have everyone there with blankets - and sometimes ponchos for the rain - and enjoying a night of theatre outside."