Shrek Jr. The Musical

What a fantastic time we had at The Minerva Juniors production of Shrek. From the very start when the audience were settled by the storytellers with the pre-show announcement, we knew we were in for a treat. The performance from all the young people on the stage was energetic and bright. As the story unfolded, we were introduced to the characters, and we enjoyed meeting all of them along the way taking us from the murky swamp to the castle. We saw some excellent talent on the stage from vocal ability to dance and acting and each performer had truly thought about the role they were playing. Direction and staging from Mairead Dunsmore and Eleanor MacKay, choreography by Marie-Anne McGrattan and musical direction from Emma Cluckie was all excellent. The level of talent and commitment from the production team was evident. From tapping rats to Duloc dancers we were entertained to a wide range of dance and movement. The singing was very strong and vocal abilities wide ranging.  A busy show with lots of scene changes, these all ran smoothly, and the crew dressed in costumes just blended in. While this a good fun and feel-good show, there were also some challenging roles, where costumes, specialised make up and prosthetics are so key to the production.  Each person managed these extremely well. This production was enhanced with a bright set and great lighting. While there wasn’t a live band the backing tracks were of excellent quality and the sound between the tracks and the singing was well balanced. 

No show like this gets to the stage without a great deal of hard work and I know everyone involved from performers to stage crew, chaperones and front of house, each person gave a high level of commitment which was evident in the production. It is good to hear that some young people are now eligible to join the adult section and are looking forward to moving up and getting involved. A final well done to everyone involved, but a special well done to the performers who took us on their journey with Shrek.

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