The Stage

Shrek the Musical

Published Wednesday 15 June 2011 at 10:26 by Lisa Martland

A farting contest that breaks the ice between an unconventional princess and a large green ogre with hygiene issues hardly sounds like the stuff of romantic musical comedy, but Shrek the Musical may have just enough potential to make its mark with West End audiences.

This collaboration between Hollywood heavyweight DreamWorks Theatricals and UK-based production company Neal Street (brainchild of Sam Mendes, Caro Newling and Pippa Harris), did not exactly set Broadway alight when it closed in January 2010 after a year’s run.

Since then, the producers and creative team have revised the show for the UK production and US touring version with a particular emphasis on paring down some of the overly-ambitious effects that contributed to the original costs of £15 million. The attempt to please both young and old fans of such a phenomenally successful movie franchise still remains a challenge, but it appears that at least part of the gamble has paid off.

David Lindsay-Abaire’s libretto is mainly a retelling of the first and probably best of the four-film series when Shrek’s quest is to rescue Princess Fiona and present her to future husband Lord Farquaad, the power-hungry and vertically-challenged ruler of Duloc. The ogre’s reward is the deeds to his swamp that has been inconveniently invaded by evicted fairy-tale creatures. The last thing he expects is for a love story to become part of the scenario.

Unlike the theatrical innovations that have made The Lion King so successful, Shrek’s creative team has stuck pretty closely to the look and content of the original, although set and costume designer Tim Hatley has a few surprises up his sleeve, including a 25ft dragon puppet (a character that caused all kinds of problems in the Broadway staging). Alongside lighting designer Hugh Vanstone, Hatley provides a storybook feel to this much-loved alternative fairy tale.

Elsewhere there is an opportunity to find out more about the childhoods of Shrek, Fiona and Lord Farquaad. And while their work has definite flaws, Lindsay-Abaire’s lyrics and Jeanine Tesori’s music are integral in fleshing out these characters, as well as underlining the sentimental but touching theme of what makes you special makes you strong.

Silly musical theatre in-jokes and visual gags, together with a sense of humour that swings between pantomime and Monty Python, may put some audiences off, but directors Jason Moore and Rob Ashford (as well as choreographer Josh Prince) do well to juggle all the elements, particularly in the superior second half. They are helped by a good cast led by likeable Nigel Lindsay in the title role, although the chemistry with Richard Blackwood’s low-key Donkey is unfortunately lacking. Amanda Holden, charming as Fiona, appears to be having a ball, particularly when joined by a chorus of tap-dancing rats, but the most memorable performance has to be Nigel Harman’s camp and oddly charismatic Lord Farquaad. What Harman can do with his little artificial legs makes for comedy gold.

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