Based on the story and characters from the Oscar-winning film, Shrek The Musical follows, somewhat unsurprisingly, Shrek (Stefan Harri, Les Miserables) and his trusty sidekick, Donkey (Marcus Ayton, Aladdin) as they set off on a quest to rescue the beautiful - if slightly temperamental - Princess Fiona (Laura Main, Company) from her tower, which is guarded by a fire breathing, love-sick dragon.
From the moment you sit down in the auditorium, the world of 'Shrek' engulfs you. This is the opposite of many similar productions, where the film often follows the stage show. In this instance, the musical was very much developed to bring the screen to the stage and there's an amount of hesitancy as the lights go down. Will this be a line for line recreation of the film (it isn't) or will it pail into insignificance and only exist to milk the franchise (it doesn't)?
What Shrek The Musical does is very unique - for me, it took the essence of the movie and used it as a catalyst to develop a strong theatrical performance that stands on its own two feet. Admittedly there were elements that weren’t afforded the same coverage, possibly from a technical perspective, as they were in the movie but I’m not convinced that harmed the flow of the story.
The set and lighting are superb. This isn't a show that takes itself too seriously and that works very much to its credit. With slick scene changes that allow characters to emerge in the blink of an eye, Shrek has a perfect fairytale-esque staging which works beautifully for the piece.
The score is catchy and relevant, having been written for the show and only leaving ‘I’m A Believer’ as a nod to the original and a sure fire crowd pleaser after the bows. There is a song missing from the original production, where Fiona explores her journey from girl to adult; a song I remember being poignant and well received - however it’s omission doesn’t detract from an otherwise exemplary song list.
One thing a show of this scale can't do without is its cast - and what a cast they are too. Harri and Ayton have so much chemistry as Shrek and Donkey that there isn't a moment when you pine for Mike Myers or Eddie Murphy. Ayton in particular brings us a sassy, divaish donkey which is just close enough for an audience to relate, but far enough away from it's on-screen equivalent that it doesn't become a caricature of Murphy's performance - something that's incredibly important when you take on such recognisable parts.
Main excels as Princess Fiona, bringing the characters humour to the forefront. Again, she doesn’t attempt to mimic those before her but gives us a Fiona that no child in the audience woukd question was authentic.
However, for me, Samuel Holmes stole the show as the pint-sized Lord Farquaad. Spending 90% of his stage time clambering about on his knees, his attention to detail and perfect underatanding of his costume allowed him to create a hillariously camp panto-style villain. Being used far more as the comedy character than he is in the films, his portrayal of the token ‘bad guy’ had children and adults alike in fits of proper belly laughs.
My only disappointment was the lack of ‘dragon’. Whilst a brilliant puppet version brought the much loved character to the Alex’s stage, she - and her subsequent relationship with Donkey - felt like a severely underused part of the story. Featuring once early on when the princess is saved and once at the end to defeat Lord Farquaad, we don’t get to explore that side of the show in detail, which is a shame.
That said, I defy anybody to walk out of the theatre without a huge ogre-sized cheesey grin from ear to ear. This is show which is at times funny, at other times poignant - but at ALL times loveable and all consuming.
Shrek The Musical is at Birmingham’s New Alexandra Theatre until Sunday 25th February. For more information visit atgtickets.com/birmingham.