Shrek The Musical

Based on the 2001 Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film and the book by William Steig, Shrek the Musical follows the story of Shrek, an ogre whose peaceful life is disrupted when fairytale creatures are banished to his swamp by the villainous Lord Farquaad. Joined by his loyal friend Donkey, Shrek sets out to confront Farquaad and ends up rescuing Princess Fiona, who is hiding a magical secret. Along the journey, Shrek, Donkey and Fiona, and all the Fairytale characters discover the beauty of being different and learn that our unique qualities are what make us special.

I think this show is just pure joy and was so looking forward to it and was not disappointed. BAOS Youth as they tend to do, chose to do the Full musical and not the Junior version and they did a fabulous job. I feel this is one of the best performances by BAOS Youth I have seen. Well done everyone. 

As we entered, the stage looked fantastic. A star-cloth type backdrop, combined with green netting was draped across the rear of the stage. Raised staging painted with a wooden effect also across the back, providing different levels and two useful entrance and exit points. An altar like structure on the platform was cleverly used throughout the production, transforming into Fiona’s tower, the Bishop’s altar, and several other settings. The cave structure worked particularly well during Fiona’s transformation scenes. Alongside a few flats as trees, Shrek’s door, and a tree trunk, the set created a highly effective and believable swamp environment. This was enhanced by the soundscape played preshow.

Direction was slick and very well thought out. I did wonder about some of the scene changes when done by cast in costumes not relevant to the scene currently playing out. It felt a bit distracting at times. All the characters were well developed. I loved the opening number in particular. The transformation scenes for Fiona, worked really well in silhouette in the cave.  Some scenes had cast added in (such as Farquaad’s Knights in the Castle) in their costume. I’m sure this was to maximise people’s involvement and to reduce costume costs, but it did look a little strange. There were some great touches, the reversing beeps on the hobby horse, when Donkey built his little wall for example. 

The 10-piece orchestra made a great sound. The music in this show is so beautiful and, in my opinion, very underrated. The balance between the vocals and the orchestra was lovely. The cast appeared confident in their harmonies and soloists sung strongly and confidently. 

The choreography was strong throughout, the Tap-dancing Rats were great, everyone was well drilled and it all worked so well. 

The lighting worked really well. The key feature here was just how beautifully integrated the lighting was with the performance, from the gobos to the footlights and even the lights around the surround of the stage. The shadow effect for Fiona’s night-time transformations was very effective. Atmosphere was created and maintained, whilst still allowing us to still see proceedings clearly. Very well done.

The sound was clear and balanced throughout. Microphones cue’d well, even with so many characters with lines.

The costumes were excellent, and the entire cast looked wonderful on stage. It appeared that there were several quick costume changes all of which were managed very smoothly. Hair and make-up were also generally very fitting for the characters and setting. If I were to make one minor suggestion, it would be that the girls playing the guards could perhaps have worn a neater bun-style hairstyle, as the two plaits felt slightly too casual for those roles. However, this is a very small detail.

Props when used were all appropriate and looked great. 

In Reviewing the Principal Characters:

Shrek: A really strong performance. Your comic timing and deadpan delivery was spot on. I particularly enjoyed Who I’d Be and Words Fail was just beautiful, well done.  Your relationship with Fiona worked well. I Got You Beat another highlight. 

Donkey: Some really strong character choices here which worked well in what is a very iconic part. Lots of energy and good comic timing. Just be careful with your accent here as it was dropping in and out a little. Your vocals were beautiful.

Fiona: I love this role, and you really gave it everything, showing Fiona’s character quirks and embracing the comedy well done. Really strong vocals and your partnership with Shrek was really strong. As I mentioned I Got You Beat was great. 

Lord Farquaad:  A difficult role for someone so young, which you played so well, you got the most out of the comedy and I really enjoyed the Ballad of Farquaad.  

Dragon:  Wow... your vocals were just as this character needs, strong and powerful. Well Done.

I want to mention Young Fiona, Teen Fiona and Fiona’s performance of I know It’s Today, it was stunning, so well sung and the harmonies spot on. It’s a deceivingly difficult song, particularly at the end and you managed it expertly. 

Fairytale Creatures and Guards:  I enjoyed how everyone had clear distinct characters, and not just the fairytale characters, but also the guards and dancers, all worked really hard on their characterisation which really enhanced the performance. Just be a little careful not to distract too much from the main action; it's a fine balance. Also, when playing characters with strong accents or big distinctive vocal traits, just be careful not to lose the diction. Your Singing and Dancing throughout was performed enthusiastically, and you all worked so hard and really showed us how much you were enjoying yourself.

As I mentioned at the start, I feel this was one of your strongest performances so far, and we really enjoyed ourselves. Well Done everyone involved on a great production and a fully justified standing ovation!!

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