Shrek the Musical Jr

Shrek the Musical Jr .... a musical staged and performed by Chorley Youth Theatre at Chorley Theatre, Dole Lane, Chorley on Saturday, 11th July 2026

Shrek the Musical Jr adapted from a book by William Steig with Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanie Tesori... reminds us that ‘Beauty is in the eye of the Ogre’! Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film and the fantastic Broadway musical. It' surely is a "big bright beautiful world" when everyone's favourite ogre, Shrek, leads a band of fairytale misfits on a quest to rescue a princess and discover acceptance! Part romance and part twisted fairy tale, Shrek JR. is an irreverently fun show with a powerful message for the whole family.  Once upon a time, in a far-away swamp, lived an ogre named Shrek.  One day his swamp is invaded by banished fairytale misfits, cast out by Lord Farquaad, a tiny terror with enormous ambitions. When Shrek sets off with a wisecracking companion Donkey to confront Farquaad, only to be handed a quest: rescue the feisty Princess Fiona and his swamp will be restored. Shrek tries to win Fiona’s love and defeat Lord Farquaad, but of course no fairytale is complete without a few twists and turns along the way!

The Creatives... wow - what a fabulous youth musical this was! It’s such a privilege having so many talented youth societies/members in my District and so many dedicated creatives like Natalie Howarth and Cara Jones (Directors) who pour their knowledge and passion into these ever-so-talented young people. I’ve said this before and I’ll happily say it again, ‘It really does make me feel like a very proud dad’!  I attended the 7pm performance ... which was their third performance of the day, oh and let’s not forget, we were in the midst of a heat-wave... 30% plus... did they look tired, jaded... ABSOLUTLEY NOT! As soon as those curtains parted the pace was fast, smooth and confident!  They looked like they were having the best time! Not only was this their third performance of the day, it was their third full house and they were ‘buzzing’ off this fact! Rachel Toner (Musical Director) ... the cast performed to high-quality backing tracks; and yes, we did have a few ‘crackly mikes’ (live theatre folks), but their vocals were strong, with some lovely harmonies that added so much to the production.  I’ve left the best till last... Gemma Lever (Choreographer). Gemma’s choreography was fresh, vibrant and cleverly devised and played ever so well to the strengths of this young cast and which totally enhanced this show; loved, loved, loved the tap-dancing rats to ‘Morning Person’ sung/danced by Fiona... be proud Gemma... be proud all four of you... great job!

The Cast...  if my ‘maths’ is right... I do believe we had thirty-two talented young people on stage...
‘Shrek’ played by Daniel Melling; ‘Fiona’ – Jessica Marshall; ‘Donkey’ - Effie Scorah;
‘Lord Farquaad’ – Joshua Marston; ‘Three Blind Mice’ – Joy Owen, Madison Taylor & Sophia Spragg;
‘Ogre/Bear Family’ - Nicholas McCartney, Annabel Jenkin & Jospeh Kirkman;
‘Three Little Pigs’ – Evie Curley, Harry Srambler & Alfie Woods
‘Fairytale Creatures’ – Joe Trafford – ‘Pinocchio’; Ashley McLean – ‘Dragon’ & ‘Sugar Plum Fairy’ Oscar McNicholas - ‘Gingy’; Emiliana Brindle – ‘Teen Fiona/Ugly Duckling’; Zory Frater – ‘Young Fiona/White Rabbit’; Eva May Gregory – ‘Big Bad Wolf/Knight’; Grace Du Feu – ‘Wicked Witch/Knight’; Henry Johnson – ‘Peter Pan/Knight’; Ruby Stacy – ‘Fairy Godmother/Knight’; Freya De Nobrega - ‘Mad Hatter/Pied Piper/Guard’; Millie May Evans – ‘Humpty Dumpty/Puss in Boots/ Guard’; Austin Holmes – ‘Captain of the Guards/Bishop’ and Max Tidmarsh – ‘Dwarf/Guard’
Dancers: Annabel Lynch, Annie Dawson, Immy Dawson, Jemima Hardy, Olivia Alice & Poppy Thorne.
There were so many great characters on show, not all were principals, so it’s just impossible for me to write something specific about everyone ... but I am going to select a ‘show stealer’ plus a couple of MY favourite characters and even this wasn’t easy! The accolade of ‘Show Stealer’ had to go to Joshua Marston, who’s performance as ‘Lord Farquaad’ was outstanding! From his first entrance (on his knees) to his final bow, he had the audience in the palm of his hands. Loved the accent, loved his comedic timing, he oozed confidence and was without doubt an audience favourite!  Favourites — slightly cheating I suppose (three for the price of one) ... 'Shrek', 'Fiona' & 'Donkey' played respectively by Daniel Melling, Jessica Marshall and Effie Scorah. These three worked their socks off! Great voices, great stage presence and they bounced off each other beautifully whilst working ever so well with everyone on stage! Finally, I really can’t leave this section without making ‘Special Mention’ of a cameo role made unforgettable by Oscar McNicholas (Gingy – the Gingerbread Man). Oscar had this innate ability to ‘stand out’ wherever he found himself on stage! Confident, energetic, his dance ability was outstanding. Be very proud, Oscar, be very proud, everyone — wonderful job!

Staging/Tech... as we entered the theatre, we were met with a closed curtain and a ‘cabinet shaped book construction on wheels centre stage’ with a huge letter ‘S’ emblazoned on the front. The door to the cabinet opened to allow characters from the opening scene to enter! A simple, yet well-constructed set was used throughout creating so many beautiful scenes whilst allowing quick smooth changes and enough room for the ‘big scenes’ involving the ‘fairytale creatures’ to be created that really did enhanced this production. Congrats to Cara Jones (Stage Manager) and her crew.... to Natalie Howarth, Shaun McManus, Stephen Clipston and Ian Robinson (Set Designers) plus the vast army of set builders. Tech & Operations was as we’ve come to expect here at Chorley ... excellent.  Under the watchful eye of Ben Holden, Thomas Bramhal and Paul Carr... the technical side was excellent!  Congrats one and all, the staging and tech stuff really did enhance this entire production ... great job!

Wardrobe / Props... again what we’ve come to expect here at Dole Lane... first class wardrobe, (loved the costumes for all the Fairytale Creatures’ ... which enhanced the entire production, all under the watchful and creative eye of Kath Townsend (Wardrobe Lead) and her team Cara, Natalie, Carol, Karen, Dawn, Jean, Sam and Ann (with special mention to Molly Limpet’s Costume Hire & North West Theatre Arts Company). WHO CAN FORGET THE DRAGON ... the biggest dragon I’ve seen in amateur theatre that roamed around the audience with great dexterity ... amazing and congrats!  

Chaperones ... as always, a huge thank‑you to these selfless people who give of their time to make youth productions possible: Julie Norris (Chaperone lead), Keiron, Hazel, Samantha Michelle, Lisa, Dianne and Kayleigh.  Thank you so much for your commitment — be ever so proud, YOU’RE doing a fabulous job, your contribution matters more than you know.

Constructive Advice... just a little nudge about accents and the spoken word - this didn’t happen a lot ... so I hope I don’t offend anyone by mentioning it!  Accents are a vital tool in most theatrical performances; when employing one it’s essential that it doesn’t compromise the understanding of the dialogue. As I say, it didn’t happen a lot, BUT... it did happen; never let an accent compromise the clarity of your dialogue... plus it’s essential that your audience hear and understands every word you say, diction, projection are two other vital elements to remember!

Thank you so much for the invite, I really do love watching youth productions... the energy, the effort the enthusiasm and the ‘smiles’ on the faces of these young people is infectious. Another great show provided by an enthusiastic cast of young people hear at Chorley Youth Theatre ... I think, the future is in safe hands!

Stay Safe, keep well...
Stronger Together
Jim Briscoe NODA NW
District 6 Rep

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