Robert Reviews "Shrek"!

[Robert Taylor]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 7:02am

* please note that this was written in an airport in the middle of the night by a very tired person waiting for his late flight to go home to Ohio. Excuse the incoherence.*

It’s really not all that far, far away. Only the Fifth Avenue Theater in Seattle, actually. But with advance ticket sales for the tryout of “Shrek The Musical” disappearing faster than a smoker’s breath while dancing, getting to see the production proper might just be as difficult as the trek that Shrek and Donkey undergo to rescue Princess Fiona.

So is “Shrek The Musical” the next “Lion King” or the next “Little Mermaid”? The answer is, right now, a little bit of both. But let’s not be too hyper critical, shall we? After all, the show is still pretty green. Apologies for further “green” puns in advance.

You know the story right? A giant green Ogre named Shrek (Brian D’Arcy James) and Donkey (Chester Gregory) go on a quest to retrieve the beautiful-but-secretive Princess Fiona (Sutton Foster) for the evil Lord Farquaad (Christopher Sieber). Mayhem and slapstick ensues.

Most importantly, this feels like part of the “Shrek” franchise. In the place of dozens of movie and pop culture references and jokes (though there are some, of course), we get several Broadway references and jokes that I wouldn’t dream of spoiling for viewers. The gags are genuine and elicit belly laughs for the same reason the gags work in the films: They send up the shows they target, but not in a degrading way.

That said, the show needs some work. If it were opening in this condition, I doubt anyone would be fully pleased with the final product. Families with children will find the show slow and top-heavy. Broadway fans will criticize some of the costumes and set pieces. And the score still needs work. On the other hand this is, after all, a tryout for the show and many, if not most, of the problems can be fixed before the show premiers on The Great White Way.

“Shrek” certainly takes it’s time to get going; in fact the first forty minutes of the needs-a-half-hour-trimmed-from-the-running-time show seem to be more of an exercise in wheel spinning than anything else. It was as if the creative team and actors were visibly getting used to the world they were crafting then moved on to doing the rest of the show (which gets progressively better) while forgetting the shaky first section of the production. It’s here that the score, by Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire (who also wrote the very smart book) is at its weakest, and there is, sadly, no real “Circle of Life” moment that immediately immerses the audience into the world.

The first act DOES pick up, though, and by the time we reach the beginning of the second act, the production is humming along at a fair pace. The score improves exponentially and the set pieces begin to click. Yes, the dragon IS included in this production and her entrance is breathtaking. Yes, the puppetry of some of the fairy tale characters is pretty darn cool. And yes, Shrek looks like Shrek (the photos from USA Today do not do the costume justice).

But although much of the costuming is good, that only puts a spotlight on the clunkers. Yes, I’m talking about Donkey, whose costume looks like it would be more at home in a high school nativity scene at Christmas than in a Broadway production. Also, the transformation of Princess Fiona from beauty into an ogre (whoops, uh, spoilers!) is pretty lame considering the obvious budget involved. It was another opportunity to get a “wow!” out of the audience, but it just didn’t work.

The smart book and dialogue is delivered with vivaciousness by a game cast. Standouts include Foster, who already seems at home with Fiona, and embraces the character’s emotional journey without ever missing a beat. Sieber is jaw-droppingly good as the height-impaired Farquaad (in a great bit of old-stage magic, he’s simply on his knees the entire production—and it works!), never moreso than in his standout “The Ballad of Farquaad” that brings down the house.

“Shrek the Musical” has the makings of being a good, solid production that turns into a profitable Broadway run. There are several problems, both major and minor, that need to be addressed, specifically the snooze-worthy beginning, for the show to flourish as it has the potential to, but the creative team and cast show a lot of possibility for excellence here. Just don’t expect a masterpiece—life isn’t always a fairy tale, after all.

Rating: *** (out of 5)

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 7:06am

You really should review for a living

[musicalmaster703]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 7:22am

< I Agree

[esparza 333]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 7:34am

Do you work for a theatre magazine or a theatre column. You are a natural. I enjoy reading reviews alot.

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 7:55am

Thanks so much for the review -- your "incoherence" is miles ahead of most reviewers' "coherence." I love reading about a work in progress through its different stages.

I feel bad for Christopher Sieber's knees. Updated On: 8/15/08 at 07:55 AM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 8:32am

I'd like to hear more about the performances.
Is there any dancing?
Thanks.

[KatSing]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 9:21am

"I feel bad for Christopher Sieber's knees"

I'm pretty sure he wears knee pads.

And I hope that they fix Fiona's transformation. I was hoping for something at the same level as Beast in Beauty & the Beast

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 9:29am

Amalia, I'm assuming he's got great knee pads, but this still seems a tad dangerous. Really seems like he could hurt himself,

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 9:37am

That was one of the best reviews I've read on bww. Thanks, RT!

[NYC_or_Bust]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 9:52am

"I feel bad for Christopher Sieber's knees"

Deary, don't feel bad. He's been in showbiz for 10+ years. I'm sure this isn't the first time he's had to get down on his knees for a project.

[Weez]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 9:57am

Bet you any money he's running and jumping about whenever he's not onstage. And he's not onstage constantly. Sounds painful, but do-able.

[esparza 333]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 10:00am

Don't worry. Christopher Sieber told me he would be wearing very thick knee pads. He said they are very comfortable.

Updated On: 8/15/08 at 10:00 AM

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 10:01am

Most importantly, this feels like part of the “Shrek” franchise. In the place of dozens of movie and pop culture references and jokes (though there are some, of course), we get several Broadway references and jokes that I wouldn’t dream of spoiling for viewers.

Wait, it that a GOOD thing? Because to me that was one of the biggest weaknesses in the films.

Is lampooning Broadway shows now one of the requirements of getting a show on Broadway?

Thanks for the review.


(and
"I feel bad for Christopher Sieber's knees"

"I'm pretty sure he wears knee pads." is one of the funniest things I have read here in a while!)

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 10:02am

Great review.

Could you delve deeper into the Broadway references? What are they? If you can remember them specificially...

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 10:08am

Thanks for all your thoughts! Everyone is right: you write beautifully.

[NYC_or_Bust]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 10:12am

Spare us the spoliers...or at least update your thread subject to say "(with spoilers)"

Sueleen, I totally understand what you're saying. I don't think that its necessarily a requirement these days. Just consider that every generation of theatre has its own "gimmick". I think in the last 5-7 years (thru now) we've seen shows that have lampooned other Broadway shows because...well...it works (for the most part). But keep in mind, it OBVIOUSLY does not work for every genre of Broadway shows. I highly doubt Tale of Two Cities is going to use references. haha

[rose_pearl]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 10:19am

AMAZING review, Robert! Thanks for sharing! But I must ask, how was our leading man? Could he move around in that contraption of a costume?

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 10:22am

I am sorry, I think Tale of 2 Cities IS a reference (to you know what).

[NYC_or_Bust]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 10:36am

to get technical...


Tale of Two Cities (1859)

Les Miserables (1862)

Les Mis beat Tale to Broadway, but Tale has been around longer...

[Weez]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 10:38am

Yes, but 'Les Miserables' the pop opera appeared back in the '80s, when pop operas were still cool. ATOTC appears to be following the pop opera route, despite being twenty years out of time and there being a whole host of other ways to make a musical. :P

[candydog2]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 11:07am

I would have thought that they'd do a "beast-type" transformation for Fiona, I really did.

I mean, in the movie her transformation is a complete parody of the beast's transformation from the BATB Disney movie, with light bursting from fingertips and things, I thought it would have been a clever touch to make her transformation on Broadway a parody of the beast's transformation on broadway - spinning in the air while she transforms.

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 12:11pm

Maybe they decided to modify her actual transformation to accommodate the 5th Avenue Theatre. Perhaps the final transformation is really spectacular. Also, now that Chris is on his knees, what happens to his arms? Do they just drag on the ground?
Updated On: 8/15/08 at 12:11 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 12:17pm

Not to threadjack, but that the references to Les Miz are stupid. I mean, how else would a Tale of Two Cities musical sound? I mean, would you want it to have guitar riffs or just a simple piano? I think the music fits the period. That type of theatre has obviously been introduced by Les Miz, so why is it such a big deal that Tale of Two Cities borrows from that?

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 12:35pm

It's more than the sound that is off. ToTC looks like Sweeney & Les Miz's Love Child. The costumes & characters.

[toanythingtaboo 2]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 12:57pm

Wasn't the whole point of 'Shrek' to take the piss out of the Disney 'formula'? Now its just translated that into poking fun at the musical industry, whether it be shows in particular...or just the general format (a la Spamalot).


It is a great review, could you go into more detail perhaps about the score? Are there any gems that stick out?

Plus, is the format; act one - go and rescue Fiona. act two - the aftermath?