Once upon a time, in a theatre not so far, far away, lived a big green ogre called Shrek. SHREK THE MUSICAL, as his band of merry players are known, set up camp in the city of Cardiff at the beautiful castle know as the Wales Millennium Centre. Okay, you get the idea, Shrek’s in town this week and he may be big and green, but he is anything but mean.
This is the musical baed on the 2001 (I know, 22 years) Dreamworks movie and if you love the film, I can guarantee you’ll really enjoy the two hour rollercoaster ride we were take on with the musical, which opened last night. The story is full of heart, love, laughter and some mighty fine tunes too.
There’s none of your reimagining of the story malarky here, this is the Shrek we know and love from the films, and the show actually feels movie like at times. Everything is there, the plot, all our favourite characters and Shrek even sounds like he’s supposed to, thanks to the incredibly talented ANTONY LAWRENCE.
In a packed Donald Gordon Theatre we watched as the sold out show entertained us with a mix of music, mirth and a fair bit of farting. As the show finished, we caught asked some of the audience to give us their take on the show. We also spoke to two of the star, Shrek himself, Antony Lawrence and Princess Fiona, Joanne Clifton…….
If you’ve been living in a swamp for the last 20 plus years, and don’t know anything about the big green man here’s a brief synopsis.
Like all good fairytales, Shrek the Musical is a love story, albeit slightly unconventional. Shrek you see is an Ogre, who’s best friend (although that’s open for debate) is a donkey – called Donkey (BRANDON LEE SEARS). Shrek leads a relatively simple life in his swamp until the evil Lord Farquaad (JAMES GILLAN) sticks his nose in, and sends him off on a quest to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona (JOANNE CLIFTON).
Along the way we meet a band of typical fairytale characters, all of whom have become firm favourites from the films. Yes, we do get the Gingerbread Man, Three Little Pigs and of course the slightly confused, often loved-up Dragon (CHERECE RICHARDS). Sparks flew when. the dragon appeared, quite literally, she is big and pink and has a mighty fine voice too. Add to that the slightly blossoming romance between her and Donkey and you can see why those sparks fly.
What we really love about the show is that it doesn’t wholly rely on incredibly flashy special effects to tell the story. In some ways it feels almost cartoon like, which seemed to go down well with last nights audience.
There are more than a few highlights to the show, apart from Antony as Shrek, who’s costume and make up is fantastic. Poor guy must drop a few pounds each performance. You can watch our interview with Antony HERE.
Strictly favourite Joanne turns in a feisty performance as Fiona, and is every bit as no-nonsense blunt as the animated version. Of course, we do expect a bit of dancing from Joanne, and that she most certainly does. I’ve seen Jo in a few shows over the years, and she always turns in a great performance, withFiona howeverm you feel this is the role she is made to play.
Biggest laughs of the evening go to the very Eddie Murphy sounding Donkey, a great take on the role from Brandon. And I have to say Lord Farquaad got more than a few chuckles, although I did feel a little sorry for James, when he took his curtain call we didn’t quite know whether to boo or cheer, instead, we did both. He brings a great take on the often repugnant Lord with flamboyant flair, and some pretty great glittery hotpants to boot.
This is of course a musical, and although the movies weren’t, they did deliver a memorable song in the shape of the Neil Diamond classic ‘I’m A Believer‘, and yes, that is in the show. As for the rest, JEANINE TESORI has written some incredibly catchy pop tunes, kicking off with a belter of a show opener ‘Big Bright Beautiful World‘. I also really loved ‘I Know It’s Today‘ performed by a trio of Princess Fiona’s in a beautifully choreographed routine.
The direction of the show is a real joy by SAM HOLMES and NICK WINSTON. The set and costume designs too by PHILIP WITCOMB mean we get something which is like a massive storybook unfolding on stage. Characters come alive in front of us and I have to say that I spent pretty much the whole of the two hours smiling from ear to ear as I watched dancing rats and a big old dragon flying across the stage.
As I said, the show sticks fairly close to the movie, thank goodness, which means all our favourite lines are there too, including my personal favourite – ‘Do you think he might be compensating for something‘…..
Although the story is faithful to the film I did feel it was able to breath extra life into the characters backstory, particularly that of Shrek and Fiona. Without getting too bogged (no pun intended) down, you learn that both of them led a life of solitude as kids, thanks to their parents. Which in storytelling land means they were always destined to be together.
As for your kids, they are going to love this from start to finish, but I can guarantee that the big kid in you will love it just as much.
SHREK THE MUSICAL will leave you thoroughly entertained, laughing from start to finish with the added joy of watching your kids light up as their favourite characters come to life on the Donald Gordon stage. It’s for that reason I felt the cast really engaged with this show, it’s clear they love being in it, as much as we enjoyed watching them.
You can join Shrek and Donkey on their quest to save Princess Fiona at Wales Millennium Centre through to Saturday 25th November. The show begins at 7pm each evening with a 2pm matinee on Thursday and Saturday. Prices start at just £17.50, but I need to warn you that availability is reducing by the hour, so you’ll need to be quick. For more details and tickets go HERE.
