Show: Shrek: The Musical
Format: Musical
Genre: Comedy
Date: November 26 2015
Location: Empire Theatre, Liverpool
So, Shrek: The Musical is the latest big-budget production to hit Liverpool‘s Empire Theatre. This is a Dreamworks production, so expectations were high for this one.
Shrek: The Musical
Description Of Shrek: The Musical
in this case produced by Dreamworks, Shrek: The Musical tells the story of Shrek (played by Dean Chisnall), a large ogre, a friendly ogre, but one whose visual appearance and intimidating size makes him horrifying to many who encounter him. Having been abandoned at the age of seven, and eventually finding his home in a swamp, one day he was startled to learn that his home had been taken over by a group of fairy-tale characters, including Pinocchio, the Gingerbread Man (who is presented on a board), the Three Bears and the Three Little Pigs, by orders of Lord Farquaad (Gerard Casey).
As Shrek makes it a personal mission to meet Farquaad and reclaim his home, along the way he meets Donkey (Idriss Kargbo), who despite his overly-excitable nature and occasional annoying behaviour, becomes a true friend to Shrek, and joins him for the journey. When they meet Farquaad, though, they are informed that to get back his home, Shrek must complete a separate quest. This is to rescue Princess Fiona (Bronté Barbé) from the castle and a wicked dragon.
Captive
As Shrek makes his way to the castle, Donkey is held captive by the dragon, and we see Fiona grow up as she wishes to one day be rescued by her Prince Charming. When the moment finally comes, though, her joy at being set free is offset by her dismay from her rescuer being the big ogre that is Shrek. In the meantime, Donkey is saved from the dragon. But there appears to be something of a bond that has relevance later in the story.
The mission is twofold: Shrek is to bring Fiona to Farquaad so that they can get married, and by doing so Shrek would be entitled to then reclaim his home. But there are bumps in the road: Shrek starts to develop feelings towards Fiona, magnifying his disappointment when Fiona cannot look past his physical appearance; and we soon discover that Fiona has a secret, one which only becomes clear at night, and one which Donkey accidentally stumbles upon.
Secret
Such a secret would affect Fiona’s future with Farquaat, but also her relationship with Shrek, as he mishears her explanation and eventually has a falling out with both Fiona and Donkey, especially when she gleefully goes off with Farquaad upon their meeting. Shrek’s disappointment gets worse when it appears that, despite fulfilling his mission, he may not actually get back home after all.
So, there are several questions heading into the conclusion: can Shrek reclaim his home? If he does, what will happen to the fairy-tale characters? Will he and Donkey ever be friends again? And how will Fiona’s secret affect a potential marriage with Farquaad, or could Shrek have second thoughts and find a way to be with Fiona after all?
Analysis Of Shrek: The Musical
The ending does a good job of tying everything together, at times in an over-the-top manner, but it is perfectly suitable for a show of this nature. After all, this is about the very successful children’s movie franchise of the same name. So, it is clear that much of the content is for kids. From the colourful characters to the light-hearted songs and storylines, to the deliberately ludicrous dance moves, coupled with the likelihood of a happy ending, it is a show which should definitely keep kids entertained and excited.
At the same time, it appeals to adults because there’s a lot of humour here. The standout character when it comes to making the audience laugh is Lord Farquaad, who has a diminutive appearance. But rather than using a smaller actor to play the role, we instead have a puppet. This means that when Carey bends down, Farquaad’s legs move in a way that is unnatural yet silly. Therefore, every time he walks or runs, it gets a laugh from the crowd.
Dance
It also means that his dance routines are amongst the highlights of the show; if it were another character of regular size, the scenes wouldn’t have the same impact, because it is the unusual ways in which Farquaad moves his legs in line with the music that makes the moments funny. There are other funny moments, including a scene with the Pied Piper (Will Jennings) and a group of people who are dancing behind a curtain, but whose footwear makes it look like a group of rats are dancing to his tune.
Elsewhere, the sets are spectacular, with the large-scale forest settings, the huge book serving as a door at the beginning, the well-designed castle and church backgrounds, and the bright, colourful lighting and eye-catching visual effects. The costumes are also good for the main characters with suitable exaggerations for others. However, some of the fairytale characters (in particular the pigs) could be a little clearer and more authentic.
Dragon
Even better, though, is the huge dragon creature. Background puppeteers hold up the dragon, and the dragon’s appearance and actions are stunning to watch. To me, this was the most impressive part of the show. It’s clear that a lot of work went into its design and its actions during scenes. The use of fairy-tale characters was a good twist. And there’s a laugh when we learn that the miniature Lord’s father was actually one of the seven Dwarves.
The musical numbers are very good on the whole. They will be most familiar to those who have previously seen the Shrek films. I’m A Believer is the only recognisable tune to those who have never seen Shrek before. However, they are mostly enjoyable. The performance of I Know It’s Today by three versions of Fiona being the musical highlight of the show. Plus, the performances of the main roles are generally strong.
Due to the child-friendly nature, the performances of actors and actresses are less significant than for other shows. After all, the younger fans are watching for the story and the comedy. But Chisnall, Barbé, Carey and Kargbo all do a good job, with Carey’s portrayal of Farquaad being the best. That’s due to his always-ridiculous appearance and his deliberately silly tone of voice when delivering certain lines.
Summary Of Shrek: The Musical
So, overall, Shrek is a success. It isn’t a show that will blow you away from a performance standpoint. But it is a show which will keep you entertained throughout. The show has a good amount of funny moments (particularly in the second half). And it provides some very impressive settings and special effects. If you have children from 5-11, chances are that they will love Shrek: The Musical.
