Shrek

I was both excited and very “green” when I visited this production. Excited because it was an unseen and new show, and “green” because I am one of the very few who didn’t know the story and hadn’t seen any of the films or musical show ever!

The set was a John Buckley masterpiece - it’s moving parts were very relevant, quiet and unobtrusive. The trees were all on mini trucks which enabled them to be moved carefully and safely by cast members instead of black clad stage crew. Shrek’s cabin in the swamp was also on a truck and again was easily moved  by “Fairytale” cast members. The apron had a large green painted floor put down which perfectly amplified the rats and Fiona’s tap number. I was closely watching every single wing, shuffle and tap spring and they were all beautifully executed and in perfect time - this was a well drilled dance team. The steps at the front of the stage were used throughout the production to create more height levels, as seating and as actual steps, it was refreshing to see them being fully utilised instead of them simply being steps to go up or down.

The cast appearing from behind the audience at times was clever and kept our interest, it allowed the audience to be completely immersed into the story instead of it just happening right in front of us like a t.v. show. The costumes, make up and wigs all looked amazing, everything was so well thought out, it was bright and larger than life without being garish. Even with various facial prosthetics all dialogue, diction and vocals could be heard without any muffling or slurring. None of the cast pulled at or fussed with any of their costumes while in character on stage, this for me is a huge plus - there is nothing more distracting than somebody constantly fiddling with a costume.

The choreography by Jane Wood was fresh, innovative, interesting and very well executed throughout the show by the whole cast, it had obviously been much thought about to make allowances for various costume dimensions and mobility issues while also keeping in mind all the different characters on the stage. It is a huge cast in this show and everyone worked together in perfect harmony. 

John Wood (Shrek) and Samuel Maurice (Donkey) projected and emoted such fabulously strong characterisations. I am certain that both of them were exhausted after each performance as they are both physical and emotional performances and all done in heavy weight costumes, but they gave us their all. Neither of them relied on just dialogue intonation and deliverance, they used facial expressions, body movements and were both supremely confident in pausing and just letting the moment happen. Their vocals were clearly and confidently delivered, for me they had managed to cross the line from being just another actor playing the parts to actually being Shrek and Donkey. Laura Meredith-Hoyle (Fiona) gave a strong performance and she had some truly heartwarming moments with both John and Sam, a favourite moment of mine was when John and Laura both corpsed during their song when a “trump” should have been a “belch” ( or vice versa), after all the stress ( we will get to that later) it was a lovely genuine moment to see. Her characterisation was strong, her vocals delivered well and she had a beaming smile that truly lit the room up, it is very obvious how comfortable she is on stage and that she is enjoying herself. She gave us some great full facial expressions.

This was a massive show for Ian Bennett (Director) to take on and he should be so very proud of himself - both myself and my guest thoroughly enjoyed it.

I truly felt for Ben Vaughan (Pinocchio) when, after some mic feedback and a large pop as he started his section of the Fairytale Creatures song, it became apparent that there was a serious technical problem. Ian Bennett handled the audience announcements beautifully and before too long we were able to restart the show, running old school on the technical side as due to a power outage they had lost 65% of their lights, orchestral mics and a lot of their own character radio mics. The cast were obviously gutted but they showed true performer grit - the show must go on! , pulled together and worked their socks off, there were a few pitching problems - understandable when you can’t hear the music properly at times but what I really saw was a theatre family working hard to bring their show home.

I stood for you all and applauded at the end in acknowledgement of your professionalism under great duress, it was a job very well done. Thank you for your hospitality, I look forward to seeing you all again very soon.

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