Shrek

Based on the well-loved film, lightly adapted for the stage, the story of Shrek has become familiar to children and parents alike.  As many will know, the story revolves around our hero Shrek, who finds himself on a life-changing journey, in the company of a wisecracking Donkey and a (very) feisty princess!

The staging was very clever and served multi-purposes which kept the well-managed stage crew on their toes. Props, hair and make-up were first-rate and were done by the local Bradford College and Zoe Kellett.  The costumes were outstanding — well done to Jeni North.

Lighting and sound were excellent in the main, maybe a couple of more characters crucial to the story at the beginning could have had a mic and possibly shared with someone who came on later in the show.  

Musical Director Danny Gamble guided the cast through some quite difficult music and Choreographer Jessica Sweeney certainly hit the spot with the dance aspects of the production, especially the tap routine.  She had obviously worked the cast incredibly hard in rehearsal and without exception everyone gave one hundred percent of what was expected of them.

In the title role of Shrek Darren Ryder was a tour de force.  His was an outstanding performance which he maintained throughout the whole show. Not an easy task as he didn’t get much of a break. He was a joy to watch. 

Poppy Jo Lumley gave a super performance as the loveable Donkey. Her characterisation was spot on. The onstage chemistry with “Shrek” was perfect.

Fiona Passey as Princess Fiona had a great rapport with Shrek and Donkey ensuring this trio worked well together.  “I Know It’s Today” with Teen and Young Fiona (Lexi Markinson and Cece Moore) was one of my favourite points in the show.  Well done to all three!

I loved Lord Farquaad superbly played by Paul Matthews. He was hilarious.  The dance with the guards was very funny. His costume was excellent, and the audience eagerly anticipated his every entrance. Great to see Paul playing something completely different on stage.

The Dragon was, I am sure, equally eagerly anticipated by the young members of the audience and was well managed by her puppeteers. The Dragon was sung by Sam Wood who delivered a powerful vocal performance.

Most of the 30 plus cast played dual roles. There were too many characters to mention them all by name, but this clever script allows each person their own chance to shine.  They all worked well together with each performer characterising their fairy tale role well.

This very challenging show is a huge undertaking for any society, and everyone involved rose to the occasion to help make it a success.  Congratulations to Director David Ayres, MD Danny Gamble and Choreographer Jessica Sweeney and all involved in this production you did a superb job of putting such a superb show onto a challenging performance space. Thank you for inviting me along and for the warm welcome I received.

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