Shrek - The Musical

Shrek is one of the shows that is “doing the rounds” at the moment, but it is one of my favourites and this production did not disappoint. From the opening few bars it was bright and lively and it lovely to hear a full orchestra.

Shrek (Rhys Morgan) and Fiona ( Gabby Roberts) were all you wanted in the roles, keeping the excellent characterisation  and energy of the role from beginning to end. Great performances.

Finn Elis Radford as Donkey gave us the comedy and slight pathos that the role demands and also gave a sterling performance, in fact you could not fault the casting of this show.

Dragon, played and sung by Becky Tumbrell, had an outstanding voice and costume and makeup completed the effect.

The standout comedy role must go to Jordon Dickin as Lord Farquad. A superb performance, just the right amount characterisation, as it is too easy to go too far with this character. I hope is knees are recovered, as he was never off them. Many congratulations on your performance.

Pinocchio (Cal Brown) and Gingy/Sugar Plum Fairy, kept up their respective accents throughout the show, not an easy task given what was required. Well done to both of you.

All the cast, whether playing leads or fairy-tale characters, had obviously worked incredibly hard and it showed.

I liked the bit at the start of Act Two where the “stage crew” got involved in the action, it  brightened up, what can be, a long dance break. A clever addition to the show.

What can I say about the Dragon? The team at The University of Wales Trinity St Davids, really pulled out all the stops and made a superb Dragon for you, complete with flashing eyes. When it appeared, in between the stage and the walk way you could hear the gasps from the audience, it even swallowed Lord Farquad, it was amazing. 

The set was good and was moved quickly and efficiently, and the costumes were colourful and bright.

The choreography was good and suited the abilities of the cast. 

My only slight reservation is that given the ages of some of the Principles I am not sure if I could class it strictly as a Youth Production. But whatever the ages, it was a superb production and I, and my guest, enjoyed it very much.

Thank you for your kind invitation. It was a production that I really enjoyed. Well Done to all Involved.

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