Shrek the Musical at the Birmingham Hippodrome Review
Shrek the Musical
Birmingham Hippodrome
31 March to 26 April 2015
Reviewed by Victoria Linney
Although I have been to this theatre before, it is my first venue review. We knew where the different car parks were and on this occasion as it was requested that we enter on the Thorp Street entrance and go to studio 5 (rather than the usual Hurst street main entrance). We choose to park in the Apcoa China town car park. We easily found a space on level one and took advantage of the pre-pay option. If you arrive at the car park after 5pm and intend to leave before midnight, you can pay a flat rate of £4.50 once you have parked. This saved money and also time as no queuing for a machine when we returned after the show.
The Thorp Street entrance was easy to find, there was a lady on the desk who directed us up to Studio 5, where we were to collect our tickets and programme. As we arrived in the room we were greeted by a very polite lady called Grace. Our tickets awaited us in a lovely green envelope.
We were advised to have a drink at the bar. There was a good choice of drinks. Red, White or Rose Wine, Water and Juices were all on offer. I had a lovely glass of Pinot Grigio and my husband a Merlot.
Studio 5 was set up with some pretty flowers on the tables and also plates of gingerbread men for the guests to munch on. There were only a few tables and seats; it would have been nice to have a couple more tables to have somewhere to put your drink down, but this is not really a complaint. The staff were all very friendly, and approachable. We were able to leave our coats on a couple of rails provided in the room which is a nice touch.
Once the bell rang to advise the show was soon to start, we made our way to our seats. We were in row M in the stalls. These were great seats and we had a brilliant view. It was at this point that I noticed how clean the theatre was and I was also impressed by the Green stage curtain that befitted the Shrek theme. They even had colour changing flowers on them! We were able to return to Studio 5 at the interval for drinks.
The stage set was brilliant and they regularly changed it to fit in with what was happening with the story with ease. The cast are very impressive singers. Dean Chisnall was a very convincing Shrek and Gerard Carey’s portrayal of Lord Farquard was hilarious.
The story is about Shrek, (an Ogre) and Princess Fiona who were both sent away by their families when they were 7 years old. Shrek grew up living on his own in a swamp and Princess Fiona, in a tower guarded by a dragon, awaiting her knight to come save her.
Lord Farquard banishes all the fairy tale creatures to the swamp (where Shrek lives). Shrek is a loner and is as unhappy about this as the fairy tale creatures. So Shrek goes to see Lord Farquard to get his swamp back…
Lord Farquard wants to become King so needs to find a princess to marry to make his dream come true. He hears about Princess Fiona but is too scared to go rescue her himself. When Shrek comes to see him, he strikes a deal with Shrek where if the Ogre rescues Princess Fiona then he will give him title to his swamp. Shrek and his new persistent friend Donkey, go to save Princess Fiona. Donkey comes across the Dragon. A really cool puppet controlled by 3 operators dressed in black, who make the Dragon look like it is flying round the stage and of course singing. They did this so well you didn’t really notice them too much. On the their escape from the tower, things do not go to plan as Shrek and Fiona fall in love and Fiona declares to Donkey that she has a secret…
This was a brilliant experience, great story, great singing and great effects, all at a lovely theatre with friendly staff. The whole performance was produced by the theatrical team at Dreamworks and this creative excellence shone through from start to finish. The music was superb and vocals (spoken and sung) being very easy to hear.
I would (and have already) recommended both the show and the theatre to others and will return for sure.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £18.50 to £48.50 (plus 5% transaction fee).
Shrek the Musical is at the Birmingham Hippodrome until 26 April 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 338 5000.
Birmingham Hippodrome, Hurst St, Southside, Birmingham, B5 4TB | 0844 338 5000
