Riedel: 'SHREK' IMPRESSES PREVIEW CROWDS

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 8/20/08 at 7:16pm

BROADWAY hyenas lying in wait for DreamWorks to stumble are going to have to find some thing other than "Shrek" to gnaw on this fall.

The $20 million musical began previews last week in Seattle, and my spies report that it's nowhere near the disaster some of the blood-thirsty scavengers in this business were predicting (Hoping?)...

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08202008/entertainment/theater/ogre_and_above_125226.htm

[savannah]

Posted: 8/20/08 at 7:33pm

Glad to hear this. I don't like blood thirsty scavengers.

[Rotel1026]

Posted: 8/20/08 at 7:54pm

I like how he makes that comment about the blood-thirsty scavengers as if he were not one of them.

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 8/20/08 at 8:02pm

"I'm looking forward to Shrek being a big, old, awful, lousy show."
-Michael Riedel, 6/20/08

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 8/20/08 at 8:31pm

He seemed to praise it and then on the second page seemed to say bad things as well, weird!

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 8/20/08 at 9:46pm

From his description they must be easily "impressed". It sounds even worse than I feared.

"I sold my memoirs to Stephen Schwartz?"

"Strap a pair of skates on d'Arcy James, one source says, and "you'd have 'Shrek on Ice.' "

How could this article excite anyone about this show?

I can see the pull quotes now: "Hey, it ain't as bad as Little Mermaid or Tarzan!"

Updated On: 8/20/08 at 09:46 PM

[Corine2]

Posted: 8/20/08 at 10:02pm

The cast is incredible. If I had the money I would fly to Seattle.
J Tesori
Abaire
Chester Gregory
Jen Cody
Jennifer Simard. I can't wait.
Wish it was on Broadway now.

[Corine2]

Posted: 8/20/08 at 10:02pm

The cast is incredible. If I had the money I would fly to Seattle.
J Tesori
Abaire
Chester Gregory
Jen Cody
Jennifer Simard. I can't wait.
Wish it was on Broadway now.
Anyone know of a cheap airfare to Seattle from NY?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/20/08 at 10:23pm

$24

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 8/21/08 at 9:05am

My favorite line from his article is :

"On the other hand, a competently rendered "Shrek" is certainly more welcome than, say, the Saran-Wrapped "Little Mermaid" from director Francesca Zambello and her goofy band of European avant-garde opera designers."

They are pretty goofy.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 8/21/08 at 9:42am

Like SALE OF TWO TITTIES, I just have absolutely no desire to see this.

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 8/21/08 at 11:13am

Like SALE OF TWO TITTIES...

Um... deep?

[gilvisto]

Posted: 8/21/08 at 11:27am

hahahahahaahha. I'm with you, BorstalBoy. Every time I read about the show, Monty Python is the first thing to pop into my head.

" Jeanine Tesori's intelligent music rewards attentive listening, though my spies lament the absence of "I'm a Believer," the Neil Diamond standard used so effectively in the movie. "

I'm a Believer? Neil Diamond? Am I the only one who remembers The Monkees? (at least he didn't say Smash Mouth)... or did Neil write the song?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/21/08 at 11:59am

Uh, yeah.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 8/21/08 at 12:05pm

Such a pity his spies didn't get a steady diet of the familliar with their steady diet of the familliar. I imagine the tourists will feel the same.

[Calvin]

Posted: 8/21/08 at 12:09pm

Yes, Diamond wrote it. The following is a list of Monkees hits that they did write themselves: