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Show: Shrek the Musical
Society: New Wimbledon Theatre (professional)
Venue: New Wimbledon Theatre. 93 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London SW19 1QG
Credits: Book and Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. Music by Jeanine Tesori. Originally produced on Broadway by DreamWorks Theatricals and Neal Street Productions. Based on the Oscar winning DreamWorks film, the Broadway and West End production. Tour produced by Mark Goucher, Gavin Kalin and Matthew Gale
Type: Sardines
Author: Andrea Richardson
Performance Date: 26/09/2023
Shrek the Musical
Andrea Richardson | 28 Sep 2023 21:28pm
Photo: Courtesy of Shrek the Musical
Full on fairytale fun
Shrek the Musical has arrived in South West London as part of its UK tour. I was welcomed to New Wimbledon Theatre to see the latest production of this musical about our favourite Scottish swamp-living ogre.
This is a stage musical version of the much loved animated 2001 movie, telling the story of grumpy Shrek and his trusty sidekick Donkey, who are sent on a quest by the evil Lord Farqaad to rescue Princess Fiona who is trapped in a castle guarded by a fire breathing dragon.
The challenge of bringing these well known characters to life is that it’s easy to copy the originals. This is not the case with the leads of this cast – they definitely give their own spin on them.
Antony Lawrence donned the padded suit and green body paint as Shrek. He has a great voice and managed to convey both humour and emotion into the role – just as Shrek states, he has many layers.
Joanna Clifton (former Strictly Come Dancing pro-winner) was of course a fantastic dancer, but surprised us with powerful vocals as well. She made Fiona a tough talking, independent female character.
For me, Brandon Lee Sears as Donkey stole the show. His chaotic characterisation and physicality were outstanding, as were his vocals.
James Gillan portrayed Lord Farqaad as wonderfully camp, which added a nice touch and made it lighter hearted. A few mildly adult jokes that go above the kids heads went down well. It was interesting the production have chosen to have the actor walk around on two feet and not on his knees, which previous productions have done (perhaps a mark of respect to the disability forums who feel using actors on knees is insulting to actors with dwarfism).
Special mention goes to Cherece Richards as Dragon. She had incredible vocals, and whilst she sang only one solo it was a stand out performance, alongside the giant puppet dragon that follows her round the stage.
The ensemble members are incredibly hard working. They play multiple roles and have multiple costume changes, and are almost never off stage. They really shone in the full company numbers and every performer brought great energy and interpretation to their characters.
With lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori, the songs are nice enough, but musically it is nowhere near as strong as it could be. A couple of stand out number such as “I Know It’s Today” and “Make A Move”. I especially loved “Freak Flag”, a definite LGBTQ+ anthem if I ever heard one! I also liked spotting many references to movies, nursery rhymes or other musicals such as Wicked and Chorus Line. I loved the touches of Fosse in the dance routines. The finale song “This Is Our Story” felt a bit of an anti-climax so it is no surprise they include “I’m A Believer” to have a singalong encore with the audience.
The orchestra, led by Richard Atkinson, were excellent. Direction is by Samuel Holmes and Nick Winston. Set and costumes design by Philip Whitcomb.
The show promises a night of laughs, fart jokes, fabulous dancing and singing. Go and see it for some fairytale fun!
- : admin
- : 26/09/2023