Reviewed by Zoey Caldwell
Shrek the Musical is an amazing stage adaptation of the 2001 DreamWorks animation.
Shrek, played by Steffan Harri, has his idyllic life of solitude in his swamp disrupted when Lord Farquaad (Samuel Holmes) banishes favourite characters of fairy tales and dumps them at Shrek’s door.
Not happy at having to share his swamp, Shrek agrees to visit Lord Farquaad and demand they return and his quiet swamp lifestyle will resume. What a boring story that would make and the comedy onslaught that follows throughout the musical is second to no other show I have seen.
An unexpected and at times unwanted friendship blossoms between a talking donkey (Marcus Ayton) when Shrek rescues the donkey from Lord Farquaad’s men. It is a friendship that is strengthened when Shrek accepts Farquaad’s quest to rescue the Princess Fiona from a tall tower guarded by a mighty dragon. Lord Farquaad has the desire to become king but falls short of the acumen required to rescue a princess, Shrek is his key to being king.
At first Princess Fiona’s sanity could be questioned after 20 years stuck in the tower with nothing but puppets as company, but her desire to be rescued by her one true love keeps burning. Today is the day her dream comes true.
The adventure and love story that ensues is nothing but class. I could not fault the show whatsoever. The sets are built to the best standards, the costumes are incredible. Songs up lifting and the musical talent throughout the cast is outstanding. Dance routines are smooth and effortless – see if you can spot when they put the Princesses skirt back on in the tap dancing scene – we missed it!
The dragon blew our minds, jaws dropping open in awe at the beauty of the puppetry, choreography and soul filled voice that filled the stage. It really is to be celebrated. Quite amazing and lashes to die for.
In short Shrek is an unconventional love story, a story of the underdog and the powerful. It urges you to look within for inner beauty – there is a great moral undertone to the storyline. However, what shines bright from this musical is the comedy.
Holmes is genius, by far my families favourite character, every scene that Lord Fardquaad was in ensued in belly laughs. Samuel Holmes however is not alone in keeping the laughs coming, Ayton (donkey) is full of sass, attitude and warmth. Steffan Harri and Laura Main (Princess Fiona) give their all to provide the best type of toilet humour. Their individual contributions were outstanding and the chemistry between their characters shone!
Shrek the Musical surpassed my expectations and has blown all other family shows out of the water in my opinion.
Casting standards are insanely high, not one cast member did not give everything to their performance – Farquaad’s men, all the fairy tale folk/characters. The entire cast and backstage crew must go home elated after every performance because I know I will be smiling for days.
I can’t recommend this show enough for family entertainment.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £16 to £49.50 (booking fee may apply).
Shrek the Musical is at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton from 14-25 March 2018, for more information or to book tickets visit www.royalandderngate.co.uk or call the box office on 01604 624811.
Royal & Derngate, Guildhall Road, Northampton, NN1 1DP | 01604 624811
