Shrek the Musical

NADOS were back on stage with their musical offering, ‘Shrek the Musical’, which was directed by Vicky Dilworth, with assistance from Harry Thompson. This was the perfect musical to showcase both the adult members, as well as the talented Nippers. The set was made in house and looked great. Upon entering the auditorium, the audience were met with a giant book, which was used well during the opening number. Fiona’s tower was stage right and looked impressive. The scene changes were handled well, happening relatively quickly. There was a catwalk going through the central aisle of the auditorium, which was used well throughout to aid with scene changes. Vicky’s direction was secure, and it was lovely to see fully rounded characters. The relationships between different characters were well thought through and developed. The storytelling was very good throughout. It was great to go backstage after the production to see the village that had appeared to put this massive production on stage. The costumes, prosthetics and make up were fantastic and helped bring these characters to life. The costume for Dragon particularly stood out, with an impressive dragon head piece.

Leanne Barnes was the musical director for this production. The cast performed to backing tracks, and did extremely well with this. There were some lovely vocal moments throughout, such as ‘I Know It’s Today’, which had some lovely harmonies. The ensemble numbers were a joy to listen to, especially the power coming off the stage.

Neeve Dilworth was the choreographer for this production. Neeve used every inch of the stage with her choreography, which was fun and engaging. The tapping rats were a delight, as were the Duloc Dancers. The choreography was performed with energy from the entire cast.

Technical elements were generally good throughout this production. The sound balance between cast and backing tracks was good, as were the sound effects which were cue perfectly. There were moments where mics were left on backstage and some cast mics that were cued late on stage, but this was a huge challenge with 45 mic changes during the show, and tackled head on. The lighting design was good throughout, with a range of colours and movers used to create the world of Shrek.

Andrew Marsh took on the role of Shrek. This was a strong performance from Andrew. He gave us a Shrek that was kind and misunderstood, and there were some lovely moments as his relationship with Fiona grew. Andrew’s vocals were particularly strong, and he sustained the Scottish accent throughout.

Grace Fisher was excellent as Princess Fiona. There were some lovely moments the Grace brought to the role, such as the realisation that she had feelings for Shrek. Her singing and dancing was top notch. Grace’s sense of comedy really impressed, with some fantastic facial expressions and reactions. All the best as you continue your training at Emil Dale.

Harry Thompson put in a great comic turn as Donkey. Harry created a believable friendship with Shrek, creating an endearing sidekick. Harry’s vocals were good throughout. There were moments where we lost lines from Harry, as he said them very quickly due to the excitable nature of the character. All the best as you continue your training at The Hammond.

Brandon O’Leary was suitably camp as Lord Farquaad. The reactions and facial expressions from Brandon were hilarious and the audience loved him. Just be careful not to draw attention away from key moments of the story. Brandon’s vocals were good, and he put in a pleasing performance as this comic villain.

Caitlin Barnes played Dragon. Unlike other productions where the performer playing Dragon is offstage, Caitlin was front and centre, with a wonderful Dragon puppet that towered over the cast. Caitlin’s vocals were a joy to listen to, giving us a very sassy Dragon.

It was great to see Sam Shackleton in a principal role with NADOS, following his time in Nippers. Here, he played Pinocchio, and did very well in the role. Both physically and vocally, Sam executed the role well, and led the Fairy Tale Creatures convincingly.

Becky Barham did well as Sugarplum Fairy and Gingy. Becky gave Gingy their unique voice, which is well known from the film, and led ‘Freak Flag’ well.

Karina Corless did well in her roles as Young Shrek and Grump Dwarf. She did well to portray Young Shrek’s feelings at being sent away, and then brought some comedy with her role as Lord Farquaad’s dad.

Lucy Wilkinson and Mollie Prior did well in their roles as Young Fiona and Teen Fiona respectively. They sang well individually and as a trio with Grace in ‘I Know It’s Today’.

The ensemble was huge, playing a multitude of roles from Duloc Dancers to Guards to Fairy Tale Creatures. Every single person on stage was confident in what they were doing and appeared to be having the time of their lives. There were some lovely cameo performances from the likes of Jess Ratcliffe as Captain of the Guard and Jackie O’Leary as Pied Piper.

Overall, this was a very good production. The staging was great, there were some very good performances, and it was great to see a production that had adults and Nippers taking part.

A big thank you to everyone at NADOS for their kind invite and hospitality.

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