Shrek the Musical

I was very excited to see how AAOC would present the complex production of Shrek in their home theatre, The Gaiety in Ayr, which has a smaller and challenging stage space.  They managed this with ease, although I know this will not have been as easy as it seemed, and achieved by the backstage crews hard work, sweat and (happy) tears.  It was very impressive how the production team used visual backdrop projections and minimal set pieces to bring the magic of this show to life, to a fantastic result.  The characterisation, musical numbers and choreography were all fantastically executed by every member of the cast and it was clear to see everyone was having the best time.  This energy spread through the auditorium which allowed the audience to feel part of the story, a benefit of the more intimate theatre space.  When the audience are cheering from the first voiceover, you know you are onto a winner.  The characterisation from every cast member was well executed and they handled the challenge of transferring the movements from the characters in the animated film to live theatre seamlessly.  Leading the show in the title character role of Shrek was Mikey McCabe.  Mikey’s strong physicality, clear accent and powerful vocals really set the tone of the character from the start and he balanced the softer, warm side of the character perfectly.  This was highlighted in his number “Who I’d Be”, which was just lovely.  Shrek’s sidekick who we meet as the show progresses, is his ‘loyal noble steed’ Donkey.  Paul Hume showed flawless comedy timing, fascial expressions and energetic physicality in his role which was infectious and had the audience enthralled.  I was tired from just watching him perform “Don’t Let Me Go”!  Adding more comedy to the show and completing the leading trio of characters was Ciara Brady as Princess Fiona.  Ciara’s characterisation was fantastic.  She confidently balanced the princess and ogre sides of Fiona character, showed off her beautiful voice, and used her comic timing to produce the strongminded princess the audience fell for.  Mikey, Ciara and Paul worked outstandingly well together with a natural interaction on stage.  Supporting Ciara in the role of Fiona were Darcie Magee and Nancy Vollam (Young Fiona), and Beth Donaldson and Kiera Capstick (Teen Fiona).  The talent in their performances was very impressive.  The “baddie”, a word I use loosely as you just can’t help but love him, of the show Lord Farquaad was captured brilliantly by Greg Philip.  Greg gave a well-rounded performance, mastering the use of the costume and character’s trademark knee walking to produce hilarity in all of his scenes.  In particular his interaction with Shrek on their first meeting was “perfect” (I can still hear Greg’s voice saying that line).  A standout vocal performance was Lynne Kenmuir as Dragon.  It was simply outstanding to see Lynne perform the big belt numbers in an effortless style.  The puppetry of Dragon was cleverly done and allowed Lynne to be on stage with the operators as dragon flew across the stage.  It meant her attitude and acting was aiding the main puppetry and brought another dynamic to the scenes.  The main principal line up was supported by a strong and talented ensemble of Fairy-tale characters who cleverly jumped between roles as the show progressed.  All brought individual characterisation to their roles and it was lovely to see a variety of ages in the ensemble encompassing the full range of club members.  I couldn’t list everyone in this report, and wouldn’t want to miss anyone out, so I would say a huge congratulations to everyone for their energy and enthusiasm.  Behind the scenes the wardrobe and make-up team should be commended for fantastic input.  Congrats to everyone at AAOC on a brilliant show once again.  A great one to add to your repertoire.  I would also like to commend the club on their programme design which was very endearing and fitted with the storybook theme of the show exceptionally well.  Finally I would like to add extra congratulations to Mikey and Ciara, Shrek and Fiona, on their real-life engagement as Mikey took to bended knee on the last night of the show run – Go You Two! 

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