Shrek - the Musical

This was another of those shows which had originally been scheduled for 2020 but repairs to the roof of Harrogate Theatre had postponed the production even beyond 2021.  A professional tour due next year might have led to a further delay but, thanks to the co-operation of the rightsholders, we had to wait no longer to experience the “big, bright, beautiful world” of these characters.

Luke Wilby in the title role immediately endeared himself to the audience with an excellent performance and a Scottish accent to satisfy the most demanding critics, at least those of us south of the border. Such was his make-up and costume that he would be unrecognisable to even his closest friends. His side-kick, Donkey, was well played by Alex Hogg, an experienced performer returning to this group after an absence of several years. Also returning after some years away was Jacqueline Bell as Princess Fiona, everybody’s idea of a princess, albeit a little feisty at times, as no doubt befits such a character these days.  Her powerful voice led to excellent renditions of her songs, and her trio with the young and teenage “Fiona” (“I know it’s today”), simply sung and with minimal movement was a highlight of the musical score.  Ben Walton as Lord Farquaad made the most of his opportunities as the vertically-challenged villain of the piece, on his knees for most of the time.      

The cast is completed by a variety of fairy-tale characters from an ugly duckling to trios of pigs and bears via a wicked witch, a pied piper and a wolf, to name a few. Leading them all in their endeavours was Pinocchio, a role which Jack Moran played with great vitality and vim, a word which my dictionary defines as “exuberant vigour and energy”. The very opposite of wooden, in fact!  There is also a rather large dragon, voiced by Vicky Eustace and manhandled by half a dozen others.  My experience of the backstage area in this theatre had me wondering where there was space for its lair when it’s not on stage. 

The entire production was of the extremely high and professional standard which we have come to expect from this team. Numbers involving the full cast were well performed and costumes were first class. 

The professional pantomime here is always one of the highlights of the year for reasons financial and otherwise.  This show has some similarities to that genre and so was an excellent choice for half-term week. A Friday afternoon matinee is planned and the two Saturday performances scheduled for the somewhat unusual times of 12 noon and 5pm.  Furthermore, the Friday matinee is a relaxed performance with the benefit of a British Sign Language interpreter. Virtually full houses seem to be the result of these moves and, of course, of the choice of this family show, well worth the two-year wait.                                                  

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