The beach is closed, but waves of great musicals keep landing on the Queens shoreline.
Rockaway Theatre Company’s Young People’s Theatre Workshop is currently presenting Shrek The Musical Jr. while getting ready to offer Finding Nemo Jr. in February.
Based on the DreamWorks Animation franchise, Shrek Jr. premiered on Broadway in 2004. The plot follows a loveable ogre who meets a caravan of fairytale creatures who were banished from the Kingdom of Duloc by Lord Farquaad. The adventure takes off when the ogre (aka Shrek Jr.) decides he has to visit the evil Royal, and of course, a talkative Donkey joins him.
The plot thickens when Princess Fiona enters the scene. (You gotta have a love interest, right?) After a series of ups and downs, the story ends – but we won’t provide any more details to ruin it.
Watch Shrek Jr. on Jan. 17 or Jan. 18 at 7 pm or on Jan. 12 and Jan. 19 at 2 pm.
Tickets cost $10.
Finding Nemo Jr. is based on an animated Disney Pixar franchise starring an overprotective clownfish, Marlin, and his son, Nemo. One day Nemo is kidnapped (fishnapped?) and taken from the Great Barrier Reef to Australia. Full of anxiety, Marlin takes off on an adventure to save his son. Along the way, the audience gets to meet a cast of characters, including a blue tang fish and a sea turtle. Again, we’ll keep quiet about the ending.
Here’s the schedule for Nemo Jr.: Feb. 7, Feb. 8, Feb. 14, and Feb. 15 at 7 pm; and Feb. 9 and Feb. 16 at 2 pm.
Again, tickets are $10.
RTC performs in the Post Theatre, a venue that was once a cinema for United States Army personnel at Fort Tilden. The address is Building T-4 or 1 Murray Rd. in side the former military campus.
Founded in 1997, RTC offers performances intermittently throughout the year, usually Broadway musicals, comedies, and dramas. Past performances include Guys and Dolls, The King and I, My Fair Lady, Fiddler On the Roof, Oklahoma, and Annie Get Your Gun. The nonprofit’s faculty teaches workshops in such subjects as acting, vocal, tap dance, dancing, stage management, sound, light design, and musical theater history.
Editor’s note: After Nemo Jr., the next production is Monthly Python’s Spamalot in March or April.
Images: Rockaway Theatre Company