Shreck

Taking a break from twenty-five years-worth of traditional pantomimes, Audlem 5a’s have had the clever idea of producing their own version of Shreck.  Set in similar circumstances to that of the hit movie, this version of Shreck (purposely spelt with a C), evil Lord Farquar is rounding up all of the fairytale characters, some of whom who escape and run into the forest and end up in the swamp – cue Shreck.  Complete with his pal, Donkey, they travel to Duloc to see the evil Lord Farquar and rescue Princess Fiona.  Of course, this being a comedy, there are many comedic interludes along the way.

Even though Audlem 5a’s are taking a break from Panto, this play offers many similar traits to pantomime.  The audience participation, the asides to the audience, physical theatre and many characters breaking the fourth wall throughout.  All of which help add to the overall comedic effect.

This version of Shreck was set traditionally, with traditional costumes that reflect the time period and style of the piece.  The set was minimalistic, mostly using backdrops on a sliding curtain, which helped with the overall pace.  The director for this production was Cheryl Guerin.  There are many scenes in this play with many characters, some of whom who appear numerous times.  It had the potential of being a logistical nightmare, but Cheryl has done very well to keep the direction so that its sympathetic to the script.  I did feel that there were slightly too many scenes that were quite similar and that some of the dialogue could’ve been trimmed.  It felt, at times, that there were scenes to aid the jokes in the script, rather than having a scene to aid the storyline.  Nevertheless, great fun was had by all and it was still a very enjoyable evening at the theatre.

Technically, this show had lights, smoke machines, numerous scene changes and music.  All of the scene changes were quick.  Using the front cloth to hide the scene change, the front steps were used well throughout.  The cast used various entrances and exits – even through the audience, which also helped, as the stage space is very small.  The music was used well, I would’ve liked a few more songs!  Being such a small space, I wasn’t expecting there to be many lights but Audlem 5a’s have worked very hard to produce a quality production with a generous lighting rig.  A special mention has to go to the costume and make-up department on creating fantastic costumes that made the characters stand out from the very beginning – well done!

Shreck was played by Rob Tovey.  With references to his Scottish heritage, Rob struggled to adhere to his accent throughout, especially during his song which was sung in complete English.  This didn’t matter though as the style of this piece allows for flaws in continuity.  Rob had good interaction with the audience and a good rapport with Donkey – he was well cast in this role.

Donkey was brilliantly played by David Davenport.  Having a costume covering parts of his face, David did not struggle with projection.  His characterisation as Donkey was brilliant and he brought a much-needed energy to every scene.  I loved David’s commitment and he was very entertaining to watch!

Princess Fiona was played by Rhiannon Brookes.  Whilst Rhiannon looked the part, I felt that she lacked characterisation and commitment.  Constantly looking at the audience and laughing in every scene, I felt that Fiona could’ve been slightly more serious with the plot.  Saying that, Rhiannon had good comedy timing and did well in the more comedic scenes.

Lord Farquar was brilliantly played by Luke Murphy.  I really enjoyed Luke’s performance and he interacted with both the cast and the audience, very well.  I liked the clever script which allowed Luke to establish the theatre conventions for this characters’ size issues.  Particular highlights were his entrance scene and getting onto the chair.  Luke also did well vocally.  He had great diction and projection and was entertaining to watch.

Other characters who deserve a notable mention were Helen Katterloher (Soothsayer) who had outstanding projection, Cat Hunter (left guard) and Lucy Davenport (right guard/Ogre Fiona) who were very entertaining and Paul Turner (The Big Bad Wolf) who looked like he was having the time of his life.

There are far too many other characters in this play, and it would be unfair for me to mention some and not others.  Overall, because of the lack of head mics, I lost some of the lines.  There is some progress to be made with the youth of this society, in terms of projection, diction, articulation and storytelling.  This very clever script allowed each person their own little chance to shine.  Some of jokes really hit home and some were missed.  I felt there were slightly too many gags in some scenes and that some scenes were set up for the gags rather than the plot.  Some of the gags were slightly near the knuckle in terms of being appropriate for a family audience – particularly one the gags in the shadow scene.  Overall, the audience had a rip-roaring time and loved the entire thing from start to finish.  It is clear that Audlem 5a’s have done a fantastic job in promoting this show and they were very well supported.  I thank Audlem 5a’s for their hospitality and can’t wait to return to see their next play!

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