Shrek the Musical

There’s something very special about Avocet Theatre Company, which this year is celebrating its 10th Anniversary.  I think this is partly because it feels so strongly rooted in its community and partly because it produces work of extraordinary ambition and quality.  But it’s mainly because the group includes performers of all ages who share the stage as equals, and appear to have enormous fun doing so.  ATC is like a family, and when they present a show they welcome you to join them, and it’s quite impossible not to get caught up in the joy which radiates from the stage.

“Shrek the Musical” was an excellent choice as the piece really suits the peculiar strengths of the company.  The musical is closely based on the animated film, and while most of the songs aren’t especially well known, the dialogue is absurdly familiar.  The plot centres on Shrek, an ogre, who with his friend Donkey embarks on a quest to rescue Princess Fiona from her castle on behalf of Lord Farquaard.  Along the way they encounter a host of fairytale creatures, and a glance at the programme reveals that this gave just about every member of the company an opportunity to portray a well-defined and often much-loved fantasy figure.  Goodness me, they grasped the opportunity with both hands!

Some small details in the film were faithfully reproduced, such as the exploding bird and the dawn fawn, and I admired Fiona’s persistence as she finally managed to boot the troublesome deer offstage.  But then, there were amusing details everywhere you looked, from the trees used to imply linear movement in “Travel song” to the cow jumping over the moon.  The pièce de résistance, however, was the magnificent dragon guarding Fiona’s castle.  It took a team of operators, in the manner of “War Horse”, to breathe life into this impressive creature.

A perennial challenge with musicals based on films is that the rapid cutting between relatively short scenes is almost impossible to reproduce.  The set design proved flexible and adaptable, with the downstage walkway around the band well utilised to facilitate scene changes on the main stage.  A high platform upstage was complemented by a bridging truck which could be moved and rotated to serve as Princess Fiona’s elevated prison cell, Lord Farquaad’s compensating tower and much else besides.  The blocking on the platform and truck resulted in some eye-catching tableaux, while the walkway accommodated scenes such as Shrek and Donkey’s crossing of the perilous bridge, or Donkey’s efforts to secure “his” side of the swamp, without requiring the audience to suspend too much disbelief.

Particularly impressive was the way in which the cast’s movements were tailored to the space, with plenty of snappy armography and relatively little tricky footwork on that narrow walkway.  More generally, the quality of the choreography was a real strength of the show – you could see the movement flow in the most confident and accomplished performers.  The band evoked the tone of the film soundtrack in its blend of woodwind, riffing guitars and military brass.

The costumes were terrific, from the faithful reproductions of Shrek’s rough shirt and brown gilet to the unmistakable styling of Fiona’s emerald green dress and Lord Farquaad’s majestic but misleading finery.  The various animals were well realised, from the bears and the pigs to the Mad Hatter and the blind mice, and there were little details to admire everywhere you looked, such as the Wolf’s “Grandma” dress and Puss’s hat and boots.

The costumes were complemented by some impressive makeup, hair and prosthetics.  A huge amount of skill and energy must have gone into Shrek’s makeup so that it could stand up to the close scrutiny inherent in performing in a relatively small theatre, and significant effort also went into the transformed Fiona’s appearance.  Donkey’s make-up was well judged to hint at his equine character, and of course the fairytale creatures were faithfully reproduced, from the myriad whiskers and furry ears of the various animals to Pinocchio’s extending nose.

This is the magic of Avocet Theatre Company: a whole community had to come together to create something so dense, so challenging, so accomplished, while the show retained that inclusive and familial feel.  I cannot believe that anyone who saw this joyous production wasn’t feeling happier when they came out than when they went in.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.