Reviewed by Catherine Brown
The hilarious family musical ‘Shrek’ is entertaining crowds at the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent as part of a national tour. An energetic show with subtle messages about identity and friendship, this is a must-see for all fans of musical theatre.
Inspired by the 2001 animated Dreamworks film, ‘Shrek’, played by Steffan Harris, is a grumpy ogre indignant that his swamp is being overrun with fairy-tale creatures including Peter Pan, the three bears and the big bad wolf. The only way for Shrek to save his home is to rescue Princess Fiona with the help of the loveable donkey, played by Marcus Ayton.
Throughout the night the talented cast demonstrated excellent musical and dance ability. Lucinda Shaw voiced the dragon and sang the catchy song ‘Forever’ with tremendous energy. Former X-factor contestant Amelia Lily endeared herself to the audience as Princess Fiona, transforming skilfully to dance with the Pied piper’s rats!
The biggest giggles of the night were for pocket-sized villain Lord Farquaad (Samuel Holmes). He performed some amazing (if a little risqué) choreography with the help of ingenious props and costumes and everyone was in stitches when the identity of his father was revealed.
The set designer had a challenging job to recreate swamps, castles and forests but they did a superb job of transforming the stage into a believable fairy-tale setting. The costumes and props were also impressive, particularly for the roles of the dragon, Gingy and Pinocchio.
There were times when the young audience were fidgety and interrupted with shouts of spoilers (Luckily Shrek didn’t hear ‘She’s an ogre!’) but I guess it is to be expected from a family show. There were enough references to fairy-tale characters to keep even the youngest audience member engaged.
The Regent Theatre is in the Hanley area of the city where the staff are warm and welcoming. The piano bar is a perfect place to have a pre-show glass of wine or hot drink, while the main foyer also stocks a variety of drinks and snacks.
Shrek is a spectacular success, clearly evident when so many audience members joined in to sing the final song ‘I’m a believer’. It would be the perfect show to take younger family members to for their first theatre experience.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £19.50 to £54 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
Shrek the Musical is at the Regent Theatre in Stoke from 2-13 May 2018, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/regent-theatre or call the box office on 0844 871 7649.
Regent Theatre, Piccadilly, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST1 1AP | 0844 871 7649
