Shrek - the Musical

It was a pleasure to visit with WODS again and attend their matinee performance of Shrek the Musical. The full-house, and buzz of excitement on arrival, certainly bode very well for an entertaining afternoon. The selection of various small toys/items to purchase was a great idea and it was lovely to see so many young children in the audience wearing green Shrek ears!

Shrek the Musical is based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks animation film, was written by David Lindsay-Albaire and includes all new songs from Jeanine Tesori. Set in a mythical ‘Once Upon a Time’ sort of land, it is the story of a hulking green ogre who, after being mocked and feared his entire life, retreats to a lonely swamp to exist in happy isolation. When a gang of homeless fairy-tale characters suddenly invade his sanctuary, Shrek agrees to do whatever it takes to get rid of his unexpected visitors.

Congratulations must first go to Susanna Klemm who, as Director, was responsible for the overall production and its ultimate success. Shrek the Musical is a hugely ambitious project and one that must have resulted in much time and effort being spent and much sleep being lost! It is always difficult to take on such a well-known, and well-loved production but it must have been very pleasing to see all your hard work come together so well onstage. Attention to detail was obvious and this can only be achieved through commitment, dedication and hours of rehearsal time.  

The four principals (Shrek, Donkey, Fiona and Lord Farquaad) had all been well-cast and were of a high standard. The principals had clearly worked extensively on their individual characters and it was delightful to watch their relationships blossom.

I would very much have liked to have been able to single out more individual performances but with such a large cast it was difficult to take everything on-board. The costumes, colour and overall spectacle from the entire cast were terrific. I was aware that everyone was fully engaged throughout the performance and greatly contributed to the overall success of the show.

Congratulations once again to everyone at WODS and those directly involved with Shrek the Musical. This was another excellent production and I look forward to visiting again.

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