Fairy tale magic no longer far, far away

FAIRY tales may be fantasy, but they do an amazing job of reflecting our reality.

And with diversity such a hot topic today, Gympie director Peter Blyth said Shrek Jr was a perfect choice as the first piece to be performed by the Zodiac Players Youth Theatre.

"It's all about being different,” Mr Blyth said.

And they're pulling out all the stops to bring the magical Kingdom of Far Far Away to life, with costumes coming from America.

Assembled for the first time, Shrek's make-up took three hours to apply yesterday but should now be whittled down to 20 minutes, which actor Riley Salter will be thankful for.

While Shrek is a much-loved and well-known story in households everywhere, Mr Blyth said people should not expect to know what they will see.

"It is a new libretto based on the original book, not necessarily the movie.”

Shrek Jr will run for six shows from Friday, February 2 at 7pm at the Gympie Civic Centre.

Tickets are available at the Musician's Garage in Mary St for $28.