"Shrek" at Artistry

To close out their 2021-2022 season that began with the gorgeous and timely Jason Robert Brown song cycle Songs for a New World, ushering us into the new world of post (mid) pandemic theater, Artistry is bringing us the joyful story of Shrek. This story of a lonely ogre who finds friends, community, and love is a celebration of the beautiful uniqueness of all of us freaks, and it's a really fun time. With a huge cast chock full of local talent; super fun fairy tale costumes; direction by #TCTheater veteran Angela Timberman, a master of making the audience laugh while tugging at their heartstrings; and a catchy score music directed for the last time by Artistry's soon-to-be-retired resident Music Director Anita Ruth, Shrek is a great choice for kids and grown-ups alike (continuing at the Bloomington Center for the Arts through August 14).

"Shrek: The Musical" at Lyric Arts

"Fairy tales should really be updated." So sings Shrek in the 2008 musical adaptation of the smash hit 2001 movie. And that's exactly what the creators of the movie and the musical (playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, who also wrote Rabbit Hole, Good People, and Fuddy Meers, and composer Jeanine Tesori, who is also responsible for one of my favorite musicals Violet, opening soon at Yellow Tree Theatre) have done. Lyric Arts' joyful and colorful new production is my third go-round with Shrek: The Musical, for which I have much affection despite it being a blockbuster movie adaptation. The musical retains and builds on the funny, clever, irreverent tone of the movie, adding a diverse collection of songs. This updated fairy tale for the modern age is well done by Lyric Arts with a fantastic cast, bright and colorful set and costume design, and a joyfully irreverent spirit.

"Shrek: The Musical" at Children's Theatre Company

I don't go to the Children's Theatre often, but when I do I always have a great time watching the show as well as watching the children in the audience watch the show. For a seasoned (one might say obsessive) theater-goer like me, it's a different dynamic when there are so many little ones in the audience. They're so present and vocal about their reactions, whether it's joy or surprise or laughter. Such is the case with Shrek: The Musical. This is a blockbuster-movie-turned-musical done well, with book and lyrics by playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole, Good People, Fuddy Meers) and music by composer Jeanine Tesori (who also wrote one of my favorite musicals Violet, now playing on Broadway). I liked it more than I expected to when I saw it on tour a few years ago. For this local production, the Children's Theatre Company has put together a dream team that includes the Theater Latte Da trio of director Peter Rothstein, music director Denise Prosek, and choreographer Michael Matthew Ferrell, as well as a top-notch cast of adults and children. Shrek is a funny and heart-warming story that turns the traditional fairy tale on its head - "true love" is not only for pretty and proper princesses and their handsome knights, but can be just as strong and beautiful between two crass and flatulent ogres. True beauty is simply being yourself.

After being kicked out by his parents at age 7, as is the ogre way, Shrek is living a solo life on his swamp, telling himself he's happy away from the "Big, Bright, Beautiful World." The swamp is soon invaded by a bunch of fairy tale characters, from Pinocchio to the Big Bad Wolf, who were banished from the city of Duloc by the evil Lord Farquaad. Shrek heads to Duloc to try to remedy the situation, and picks up Donkey along the way, his new best friend and a constant source of annoyance. The vertically challenged Farquaad takes the opportunity to send Shrek on a task that he's unwilling to do himself - rescue Princess Fiona from her tower so that he can marry her and become King. Fiona has been waiting all her life for a knight to rescue her, just like in the fairy tales. She's somewhat disappointed when her rescuer is an ogre, but is reassured when they tell her they're taking her to a Lord in a castle. Along the way something unexpected happens - Shrek and Fiona realize they have a lot in common, from their unhappy childhoods (leading to the charming song "I Think I Got You Beat") to their talent in making bodily noises. But secrets, miscommunication, and expectations lead Fiona to go through with the wedding, until Shrek comes to stop it by telling her the truth about his feelings for her and the man she's about to marry. And these two crazy ogres and their wonderfully freakish friends live happily ever after.

Fiona and Shrek (Autumn Ness and Reed Sigmund)

This fantastic cast is led by Reed Sigmund as Shrek and Autumn Ness as Fiona, both so funny and full of life, with great chemistry (not surprising since they're married in real life). Ansa Akyea is gleefully charming as Donkey, and Adam Qualls is deliciously evil as Lord Farquaad. One of my favorite characters in this piece is the dragon, who becomes a sympathetic character through the powerful voice of Lauren Davis as she laments that no one has ever come to rescue her, raised high on some magnificent contraption with huge flowing wings. Which brings me to the other star of this show - the costumes by Rich Hamson (who is also responsible for the delightful under-the-sea world at the Chanhassen). The costumes are ridiculous in a good way - bright and colorful and fantastical, and there are a lot of them. I could not get over the fast and frequent costume changes by the ensemble members; for example, Rachel Weber goes from a villager to a Little Pig to a tap-dancing Duloc guard to part of the dragon to a blind mouse to ogre Fiona and back again. These many crazy costumes and the warm green world with set pieces and flowers rising from holes in the floor are a feast for the eyes (set design by Kate Sutton-Johnson).

Shrek: The Musical is great good fun for cast and audience, adults and children. Check it out before it closes on June 15.

"Shrek: The Musical" at the Orpheum

I'm not a fan of the current trend on Broadway of turning movies into musicals, so Shrek was never high on my list of shows to see.  But it's part of this year's Broadway touring season at the Orpheum, which also included several shows that I did want to see (Rock of Ages, Billy Elliot, and the upcoming HAIR and West Side Story).  I bought the season package, and didn't have very high expectations about Shrek.  So of course I was pleasantly surprised, as is usually the case.  This little movie-musical has pretty good theater credentials with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire (Pulitzer Prize winner for his play Rabbit Hole, which he recently adapted into a movie starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) and music by Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Caroline or Change, and one of my favorite shows of 2010, Violet).  I found it to be charming and clever at times with some great songs and a fabulous cast.  It's a lot of fun, doesn't take itself too seriously, and has a great message for the many kids in the audience.

I'm sure everyone is familiar with the plot: ogre meets girl, ogre loses girl, ogre wins girl who really is an ogre herself, with many mishaps and much silliness along the way.  Eric Petersen is somewhere inside the Shrek costume and make-up and has a big strong voice and a charming presence.  But the star of Shrek in my opinion is Princess Fiona (Haven Burton).  She's not your typical fairy tale princess - crass and impatient and opinionated.  And that's why I like her.  Haven has a beautiful voice and natural presence on stage, especially in the charming "Morning Person" and "I Know It's Today," which she sings with two younger versions of herself.  Fiona and Shrek's chemistry is especially evident in the song "I Think I Got You Beat," in which they compare their difficult childhoods (kicked out of the house, locked in a tower).  Alan Mingo, Jr. has a really amazing and effortless voice coming out of a silly donkey's body, and David F.M. Vaughn gives an impressive performance on his knees as the vertically challenged Lord Farquaad.  It's actually quite fascinating to watch the choreography as he dances on his knees, short little fake legs hanging in front and a flowing cape to cover his real legs.  Another bit of choreography I enjoyed was that the misfit fairy tale characters, lead by Pinocchio (Blakely Slaybaugh).  Not only does he speak and sing in a high falsetto, a feat in itself, but the choreography really makes him look like a puppet.  When Pinocchio leads the fairy tale misfits in "Let Your Freak Flag Fly," it's impossible not to smile and cheer them on.  But I think my favorite character was the dragon who's guarding Fiona's tower; a large puppet manipulated by four ensemble members and gorgeously voiced by Carrie Compere.  In the song "Forever," she laments that everyone comes to save the princess and considers her just an obstacle in their way.  No one wants her.  She kills all of the knights except four, whom she keeps locked up as her backup singers.  Again, really interesting and beautiful choreography in the way the dragon puppet really comes to life and has a personality all her own.

I'm still stumped by how they do the Fiona transformation at the end - from human to ogre.  I was sure they had brought in another actress in full ogre make-up, but no one else came out at the curtain call.  I don't recall Fiona being offstage; I don't know how they got her in that get-up so fast!  Theater magic, I guess.  The show ends in the same way the movie does - with all of the characters (including an impossibly cute gingerbread man) singing the Monkees' "I'm A Believer."  Shrek is one of those shows that leaves you dancing and singing as you go out into the cold Minnesota night.

Shrek is a fairy tale for modern times; one where Prince Charming doesn't always show up to rescue the Princess.  And sometimes when he does, he's on ogre or a really short jerk.  And "beautiful isn't always pretty."  I guess if you're going to turn a blockbuster movie into a musical, that's not such a bad one to pick.