“Since people will see me as a whole being, I feel like I’ve bridged the two with the physical and vocal,” said Alan Mingo, Jr., who stars in the national touring production of the Broadway hit Shrek The Musical. “I’m thankful and blessed that they are loving it.”
15-year stage veteran Mingo is indeed in an interesting position with his latest role. As the originator of the Donkey character in Broadway’s stage version of the hit film franchise, he put his own spin on a character comedian and actor Eddie Murphy originally made famous nearly a decade ago.
“My goal was to keep the essence of the character the same,” Mingo said.
He is especially eager about the show’s St. Louis run – which is currently underway and will be housed at the Fox Theatre until September 26. As the first city that Shrek was moved since the show was re-hashed from its Broadway version in Chicago, Mingo is excited to feel the love for the first of many moves as the production takes the country by storm – a show that he assures people of all ages will enjoy.
“Most people assume it’s a children’s show, but there is a lot of adult humor as well,” Mingo said. “There’s duality – the children will be laughing and the parents will be laughing at something else altogether.”
Mingo’s enthusiasm regarding hitting the ground running in St. Louis pales in comparison to the thrill of mixing his own funny flavor with a character like Donkey and a brand such as Shrek.
“This is my biggest role yet, because everyone loves the character so much,” Mingoo said. “There’s a panache about him.”
As a central character among one of the most popular movie franchises in history – and the first animated feature to earn an Academy Award – he insists that the stage show is by no means an imitation, but rather an expansion.
“Musical version slows down the story,” Mingo said. “We are allowed to extend the story you have time to elaborate on the characters a little bit more. For instance, the audience will learn why Farquaad is such a villain on an ego trip. Plus you get to see more of Shrek’s parents.”
Most importantly through Mingo’s Donkey and the other central characters of Shrek, an opportunity for to laugh while subconsciously soaking the production’s not-so-subtle message of self-love.
“This show has a lot of heart and humor,” Mingo said. “And guests also get a message without knowing they’re getting a message.”
As far as what fans will walk away knowing for sure after being entertained through music and laughter is also an expansion of the underdog champion theme that the film provides.
“Don’t judge a book by the cover,” Mingo said. “Just think, the hero in Shrek is an Ogre – and many would consider him a creature. And Princess Fiona is not the type of princess that we expect – but she is still a princess. No matter who you are, you’ve got to be the best you.”
Shrek The Musical will run through September 26th at the Fox Theatre. For more information, visit www.metrotix.com or call (314) 534-1111.
