As a fan both of musicals and the film Shrek, I leapt at the chance to witness the combination of these two concepts in the form of Shrek The Musical, which is running at the New Theatre this week. I was fortunate to be able to bring my nieces and nephew to ensure this review would be properly informed by kids' perspectives and not simply by my own nostalgia.
The show's structure broadly follows the plot of the film: a misanthropic ogre finds his swamp is being used to house fairytale creatures who have been banished from the kingdom on accounts of their non-conformity by cowardly narcissist Lord Farquad, and agrees to 'rescue' a princess from a dragon-guarded tower on behalf of said ruler, in return for getting his home back. The stage version diverges from the screen one by adding more context to the stories of the characters, with the musical numbers delving deeper into their backgrounds than the original did. The opening scene depicts 7 year old Shrek being sent off by his parents into a hostile world to fend for himself. We first meet Princess Fiona in a number that cleverly depicts the passage of time: 3 weeks, a couple of years, then two decades after her imprisonment in the tower, her frustration at the situation grows concurrently with her fantasy about her would-be rescuer. There's even a modicum of sympathy for our villain, brought to life in deliciously camp style by James Gillan, as he explores the daddy issues that produced his inferiority complex.
I found it a shame that the creative spark exhibited in the score and the occasional updated reference in the script was not taken further: the majority of the spoken jokes were lifted directly from the film, so all the laughs were really laughs of recognition rather than surprise. I had the same feeling as I do when watching a stand up comedian tell someone else's jokes: somewhat cheated. I think tribute acts work in music but not in comedy, but as there were still lots of laughs, maybe I'm missing something.
Bigger laughs for me came from the energetic choreography of the dance numbers, especially the scene-stealing physicality of Brandon Lee Sears' Donkey (who was the firm favourite of both my nieces). Shrek himself, Antony Lawrence, was less of a crowd pleaser (probably deliberately) but showed occasional flashes of pure performance genius which reminded me of the charismatic versatility of Robin Williams. The whole chorus was excellent, particularly the fresher take on Pinocchio, and I would be remiss not to mention the astonishing vocals from Cherece Richards' Dragon.
11 year old E and 14 year old T were both in agreement that it's a great show and an enjoyable experience to witness live (E's highlight was getting a wave from Lord Farqhuad during the encore) but that it could never live up to the much-beloved film. I agree with their analysis, and reckon that the shared source material invites too much comparison. The show would undeniably dazzle if it stood on its own a little more, capitalising on the evident talents of its cast and crew.
Starting at 7.30 with a 2 hour run time, the logistics of the show might prove a bit challenging on a school night. Fortunately there are several matinee performances happening that will likely be more manageable for the littler ones. It certainly proved too much for O, aged 5, who had to leave at the interval. I caught her grinning at several points, and she was delighted with the live incarnation of her favourite character, Donkey, but the volume of the music and the brightness of the lights prevented her from becoming a convert to live performance just yet. The advised minimum age is 5, so I would recommend if your 5 year old is on the younger side, err on the side of caution - seek out a matinee and perhaps some ear defenders.
On the whole, Shrek The Musical is an engaging show with many elements of a roaring success: a fabulous original score, great production values and an undeniably popular story. Certainly a welcome autumn treat, well timed as a silver lining to the return to school and the nights drawing in.