Ryan Abel is no stranger to singing but is conquering a new challenge as Shrek.
The lead singer of the Number 9 band was cast in the lead role of "Shrek, The Musical," which will play May 8 to 10 at the Imperial Theater in Augusta, 749 Broad St., Augusta, and is put on by the Augusta Players.
"This is my first lead role. I've been a principal on a few occasions," the North Augusta native said. "I'm looking forward to working with (director) Richard (Justice) - he makes it such a fun journey. I love that it's an all-ages show and am looking forward to having a lot of friends and family in the audience. So far the response has been great."
Along with the thrill of playing the lead role, Abel is also excited to be able to play Shrek, as he was a big fan of the movies.
"The challenge of a lead role is great, and it's a new one for me, so that's exciting," he said. "I loved the movie. I remember when it came out we probably watched that movie as a group hundreds of times."
The challenges of playing Shrek are much more difficult than Abel's normal gig of singing cover songs with Number 9. The accent of the character and having to be green will make for an interesting time for the actor.
"It's Scottish, but not really Scottish," Abel said of the accent. "It's more of a character of Scottish, so there are certain rules you follow and others that are thrown out. The music will be another challenge - speaking in an accent is one thing, but singing in an accent is a whole different level. The way you shape your vowels and sounds completely changes. The makeup side of things will also be interesting, but I'm sure we have a team game plan for that."
In playing Shrek, Abel is expecting to have an audience that includes children and adults, and hopes to give as accurate of a portrayal to the movie as he can.
"Developing that very well-known character but also having your own spin on it is going to be a fun balancing act," he said. "There are certain things I'll need to do just like the movie/show, but then there are other areas where I can add my own spin. Making it mine, while staying true to the original character is important. It follows the original movie pretty closely. It's got great child humor, but it also has some sneaky adult humor."
For more information on "Shrek, The Musical," visit augustaplayers.org.
T.J. Lundeen is a reporter for The North Augusta Star. Follow him on Twitter @lundeentj.