Shrek, the Musical

This was my first visit to Redditch Operatic Society (ROS for short), and what a warm welcome awaited!  It was a pleasure to meet President Bob Taylor and Chairman Tony Jay, who explained that this was the group’s first foray onto the stage since the Covid interregnum.  And what a delightful return it was, as they brought us a production of Shrek, the Musical that was full of warmth and humour.

Shrek, of course, is the tale of a not-so-gentle green giant, sent out into the world at age seven to live alone in his swamp, who comes to the (reluctant) aid of a group of displaced fairy tale characters and, with the help of his Donkey sidekick, vanquishes the dastardly Lord Farquaad.  Along the way, he finds love with Princess Fiona – with whom he shares his childhood trauma and who, it turns out, is not quite what she seems. 

As the titular ogre, Paul Mitchell was a confident presence, clearly showing Shrek’s journey from grumpy loner to romantic(ish) hero.  Alongside him, Sophie Hill was excellent value as Princess Fiona, initially rather stern and then melting as the romance between her and Shrek blossomed.  The character’s uncertainty around revealing her true self was particularly well conveyed.  Completing the lead trio, Ryan Allen-Rose was a very funny Donkey, inhabiting the role with good movement and characterisation.  All three of them had strong singing voices, which were put to good use in belting out the songs of the show.

Matt Bridgewater was suitably sneery as the nasty Lord Farquaad – a particularly difficult role for any actor, given that he spends most of his time on his knees!  Well done also to Lucy Traves, who effectively portrayed the Dragon as not just a fire-breathing menace but also another lost soul.  Finally amongst the principals, Hannah Fennell and Kirstie Boyden energetically led the fairy tale characters as Gingy and Pinocchio respectively.

Supporting them was a large and hard-working ensemble of 43 performers, playing a variety of villagers, guards, and fairy tale characters.  They all played their part in bringing the show to life.  I particularly liked the little gang of Palace guards, who had several nice routines and demonstrated how those in smaller roles can really lift a performance.  I also liked Russell Hay’s Big Bad Wolf – a creature in touch with his feminine side!  Finally, a special mention for young performers Ruby Khawaja, Nancy Parker-Griffin and Evie Pavlovs, who made the most of their opportunities as Young Shrek, Baby Bear and Young Fiona. 

Director James Baldwin did a good job of keeping the show moving, and Paula Lacey added some nice choreography, particularly in ‘Morning Person’, as six tap dancing rats joined in.  Maybe a little bit more movement could have been introduced at other times, as the show got perhaps a little bit static and ‘concert’ like from time to time.  However, there were a lot of people on stage a lot of the time, and the team did a good job of ensuring that the limelight was fairly shared.

In staging the show, ROS made use of the depth of the Palace Theatre stage by utilising several layers of backdrops.  This generally worked well, although it did mean that the ensemble were a little bit cramped for space at the beginning of the show.  The scenery itself was of a good standard, and I liked the use of a gauze screen to enable us to see inside the little house in which Donkey discovers Princess Fiona’s secret.  Good work by the lighting team here to get that effect.  There were a few technical issues with the staging on the night that I attended, but these did not detract from the show and the cast coped well – even adding in the odd ad-lib as a bridge proved a little harder to get over than usual! 

Shrek is a show that provides a challenge for any costume department, with so many fairy tale characters to deck out, in such a way that they are instantly recognisable.  Not to mention the guards, villagers and, of course the principals.  I’m happy to say that the wardrobe team at ROS rose to the challenge admirably. 

Congratulations, then, to everyone at ROS for a very commendable performance – the packed audience lapped it up, and rightly so.  As the first notes of closing number ‘I’m a Believer’ rang out, we needed little encouragement to get to our feet and clap along to the feel-good closer of a feel-good show!  Well done all, and I look forward to seeing you in 2023 for ‘Evita’.

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