Shrek the Musical at Milton Keynes Theatre Review

Shrek the Musical
Milton Keynes Theatre

18 August to 6 September 2015

www.atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes

Reviewed by Lindsey Wilkins

As huge fans of the film Shrek, we were delighted Shrek the Musical had come to the Milton Keynes Theatre. I took along my husband and 2 super excited children. It did not disappoint. It was great!

The theatre is very well sign posted from Central Milton Keynes, so it is very easy to find, with plenty of parking spaces right opposite the theatre. The theatre is surrounded by plenty of nice bars and restaurants. It’s situated in a lovely location, perfect for dining before or after the show. As we entered the theatre, we noticed how clean and spacious the foyer looked. We made our way to the box office to collect our tickets, and were greeted by a polite lady who promptly served us with a friendly smile. We then had a little walk around the theatre. We noticed Shrek merchandise and lots of different snacks being sold around the foyer, and also a beautiful relaxing piano bar. We were then shown to our seats. Our seats were on the 1st floor, the view was perfect! The theatre has a nice warm feel to it. It was soon filling up, with lots of different age range families, from young children to the elderly. Then the show began, it was amazing, the set was fantastic! The costumes and props were flawless, the whole cast were brilliant.

Shrek the Musical tells the story of a swamp dwelling grumpy but loveable Ogre, played brilliantly by Dean Chisnall, who goes on a life changing adventure to reclaim the deed to his land. Joined by a wise-cracking donkey, played magnificently by Ryan Reid, this unlikely hero fights a fearsome dragon, rescues a feisty princess, played by the fantastic Bronté Barbé, and learns that real friendship and true love aren’t only found in fairy tales. Princess Fiona and Shrek sang beautifully together, and in parts were very funny.

The ruby coloured dragon, who plays the ferocious guard was so big and beautiful, my daughter was totally fixed as it sang and floated around the stage. There were lots more top quality performances from other characters including The Gingerbread Man, Pinocchio, The Big Bad Wolf, The Three Little Pigs, Three Blind Mice and lots more. They were all brilliant! Gerard Carey, who played Lord Farquaad was a favourite for us, he was absolutely hilarious, he had the whole audience laughing.  My husband isn’t really a bit fan of musicals but he enjoyed every minute of it, as did we.

We had a great time and would definitely recommend going to see this brilliant family show!

Rating: 5/5 

Tickets cost from £15 to £49.50 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).

Shrek the Musical is at Milton Keynes Theatre until 6 September 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 8717652.

Milton Keynes Theatre, 500 Marlborough Gate, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK9 3NZ