A different kind of fairytale

FOR lead actors Kyle Timson and Lindsay Dunn, being part of the Shrek The Musical world tour is like a childhood dream come true.

The Dreamworks animation film on which the musical is based came out in 2001 when Timson and Dunn were seven and eight years old respectively. Dunn says: "Every Saturday morning, I'd watch Shrek on VHS tape on my tiny TV set. So when I saw it was coming to Broadway, I knew I had to get into the auditions."

Timson still owns the VHS tape of the original movie as well as its sequel. But his connection with the lead character, whom he plays in the musical, goes deeper. He explains: "When I was growing up, I was a bigger guy. I was shunned by some people and bullied by others, so that experience really made me relate to Shrek - he also goes through being bullied but remains true to who he is."