Shrek – The Musical

Although now established as a firm favourite on the Community Theatre circuit, this is my first experience of Shrek the Musical, and thanks to the talent, enthusiasm and sheer professionalism of the Carlton production team and cast, this production is now very much my favourite post Covid show, and also the most complete show I have seen from Carlton in my 7 years of being a NODA representative.

As always, the heart of the Carlton production was the musicality of the cast.  Chris Rees had done a fantastic job coaching his talented ensemble cast of Villagers, Fairytail Creatures, Guards, Knights and Principals so their vocal work was crystal clear in diction and intonation.  The Choreography of the show, thanks to Abby Wells, was amazing, from the Duloc Dancers to the Knights, Rat Tappers and Dragon Puppeteers.  This coupled with the cast’s acting skills developed to perfection by Amanda and Cassie Hall, resulted in a full cast who were: at ease with their roles; were all “in the moment” in terms of their actions, reactions and interactions, making the whole cast very much at ease in the impressive staging of the Theatre Royal.  In other words – the whole cast were at home in the Professional Theatre and the audience would be hard pressed to tell this production apart from a touring professional group on top form.

For anyone familiar with the Shrek the Movie, at the heart of the show are Shrek, Donkey Fiona and Lord Farquaad, and here the Carlton team had managed to select the perfect quartet.  Chris Wilson, Mark Coffey-Bainbridge, Charlotte Barrington and Graham Ward together and individually knocked their performance socks off pulling for each other, delivering nuanced dialogue that pinged between them in their many metaphorical jousts and each delivered three dimensional characterisations that captivated their audience.

The 4 principals may be key to driving the narrative but the heart and sole of the production is completed by the strength in depth that the Carlton team brought in all the supporting characters and Dragon puppeteers.  There are too many names to mention, all brought their A game and it was the great depth of talent, energy and precision that took the production to the next level.

Moving to the technical team, the set changes throughout the production were delivered at pace and ensured the action continued without pause or interruption.  The sound balance was perfect throughout the night ensuring that the diction of the cast always carried above the talented orchestra.  Chris Rees and his Orchestra provided a superb soundscape throughout and judged the pacing of the songs expertly.  The lighting design by Tom Mowat was some of the best I have seen at the Theatre Royal in any production and the Dragon Choreography was expertly delivered making the Dragon seem like just another human cast member.  Costuming, prosthetics and props all helped to complete the show at the same high standard as the acting, singing and choreography.

So – bravo Carlton! This was very much a tour de force and one that you should all be very proud of.

I look forward to Kinky Boots next year..

Martin Holtom

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