SHREK Reviews- Page 7

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 8:43pm

The New York Post is pretty positive with three out of four stars...

"...As it happens, it takes nearly all of Act 1 before "Shrek: The Musical" starts to sing. And when it does, it truly comes alive.

Until then, Jason Moore's staging seems like a blueprint for some "DreamWorks on Ice" version, with its by-the-numbers readings from the 2001 film and greenery that looks left over from "Tarzan."

...

David Lindsay-Abaire's book and lyrics, when he finally deviates from the film, are giddy with shoutouts to Broadway (look for "A Chorus Line," "Chicago" and "The Lion King"). And he and composer Jeanine Tesori, working here in a pop vein, deliver an anthemic "Freak Flag" ("It's time to stop the hiding/It's time to stand up tall") that might have powered Stonewall's pioneers.

You're sent out of the theater on a cloud of confetti to the strains of Neil Diamond's "I'm a Believer," just like the movie. Once again, "Shrek: The Musical" plays it safe."


http://www.nypost.com/seven/12152008/entertainment/theater/hey__look_me_ogre_144204.htm

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 8:44pm

NY1 is mixed to positive...

http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/theater_reviews/Default.aspx

"All the pieces are in place for this big budgeted adaptation. It's very close to the 2001 movie in many ways with its own original score.

The endearing characters are well matched and there's stage magic in abundance, yet "Shrek - The Musical" isn't quite the sum of its parts.

What should be a towering blockbuster, falls a little short I'm afraid.

...

Director Jason Moore (of Avenue Q fame) knows well how to pace for humor and he shrewdly cast bonafide stage stars. Christopher Sieber rises beautifully to the task of playing the height challenged Farquaad while on his knees. Daniel Breaker, so excellent in the R-rated "Passing Strange" now finds himself passing gas with his costars and he almost steals the show. And Brian d'Arcy James and Sutton Foster are simply terrific. Both create adorably skewed individuals, making us love the human beneath their fairytale facades.

I also loved the show's re-focused theme -- that it's what's inside of us that counts.

One of "Shrek's" best numbers called "Freak Flag" celebrates our unique differences as the qualities that make us special.

It's a very worthy message from a beast of a show that I wish was a little more special itself."

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 12:50am

So there haven't been any significant changes throughout the preview process on Broadway, right? It seems like they tweaked a few things, but no songs were cut or added and no scenery, costumes, scenes either, right?

[sn2214]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 1:06am

"So there haven't been any significant changes throughout the preview process on Broadway, right? It seems like they tweaked a few things, but no songs were cut or added and no scenery, costumes, scenes either, right?"

Well, Sutton Foster changed her name to Susan Foster and something about mices.....

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 2:22am

"Does this mean [Title of Show] will have a better chance of winning some awards?"

No, [title of show] doesn't have a prayer of winning any Tonys. It just doesn't. If you hope that it does, you'll be disappointed. The most it can hope for is some nominations.

Sorry.

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 2:07pm

Nobody home TOS will be nominated for a few awards. Will it win? Sadly no. Do they expect to? I dont think so. Would it be the greatest thing in the world to see them perform at the tonys? Yes indeed it would. And will Heidi Blickenstaff be nominated for featured actress. You bet you A** she will be.

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 9:05pm

The Bergen Record is Mixed:

'"Shrek," which opened Sunday at the Broadway Theatre, is a musical that certainly has its entertaining moments. It's a pity it's so hectic that it's hard to just sit back and enjoy them.

Based on the animated-film goldmine about a Scottish-accented ogre with human qualities, the show apparently found it hard to decide what it should be, and who its intended audience was. Its creators compromised by trying to make it everything for everyone.

The result is a musical with a restless quality, one that never finds a comfortable, consistent tone for its storytelling. Under the direction of Jason Moore ("Avenue Q"), the watchwords seem to be "keep moving" – and that includes the succession of attractive Tim Hatley sets – and "keep telling jokes."'

http://www.northjersey.com/entertainment/stage/36152259.html


The New York Daily News is Mixed-to-Positive:

'When [Sutton Foster is] onstage singing, dancing or burping (Fiona's a princess, but not so fair), the production comes close to achieving liftoff. But by and large, it stays earthbound - fine, not great.

The same goes for the score by lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire and composer Jeanine Tesori. It never soars, but the songs are pleasant and fit the story.'

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/arts/2008/12/14/2008-12-14_green_giant_shrek_the_musical_hits_broad.html


New York Magazine is Positive:

'Three questions present themselves regarding Shrek the Musical, which opened last night at the Broadway Theatre. Can DreamWorks, following the Disney template, make a stage musical from a cartoon movie about a not-so-jolly green giant who finds love with a half-ogre princess? Can the Pulitzer-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire and the similarly serious composer Jeanine Tesori pull off a kid-luring crowd-pleaser? And, finally, is Shrek’s asinine sidekick, Donkey, quite the prancing, squealing gay caricature he’s rumored to be? The answer, on all counts, is yes.'

http://nymag.com/arts/theater/reviews/53120/


The Newark Star-Ledger is Mixed-to-Positive:

'"Shrek The Musical" wants to be naughty and nice at the same time. Adapted from William Steig's book and Dreamworks' animated film, it bursts with pop culture references and cheekily tasteless jokes, but it also sells a gentle moral about the value of inner beauty.

Thanks to exceptional design and two great performances, the sweet-and-salty balance mostly works, delivering plenty of harmless fun.'

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/arts/index.ssf/2008/12/shrek_shows_being_green_isnt_a.html


Newsday is Mixed-to-Positive:

TITLE: "SHREK THE MUSICAL" SHORT ON INSPIRATION, BUT LOVABLE

'"Shrek the Musical" is sweet and busy, nice and big, and, every so often, extremely lovable. In yesterday's economy, this lavishly down-the-middle adaptation of a movie franchise would probably have been a sure thing for the big-ticket family market.

The fact that "Shrek" makes us think more about its market than its achievements, alas, says something about the shortage of real inspiration in the show itself. Director Jason Moore's production has an extraordinary cast - including Brian d'Arcy James as a deeply endearing hulk of an ogre - and marvelous prosthetics for the swamp-green monster with the plunger ears and Cyrano nose. But given the beloved source, not to mention a seriously bright creative team, we can be forgiven for expecting more than a paint-by-numbers fractured fairy tale from DreamWorks' first challenge to Disney on Broadway.'

http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/monday/partii/ny-etshrek155965530dec15,0,2898304.story


The Philadelphia Inquirer is a Rave:

'Brian d'Arcy James (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Lieutenant of Inishmore) plays Shrek for maximum empathy; at the end of the first half, when he sings about "Who I'd Be," you want to hug him, even though you'd end up covered with green. Broadway veteran Sutton Foster (The Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein, Little Women) is a wonderfully upbeat Fiona, the princess trapped in a tower and eventually Shrek's gal-pal.

For a musical portrayal of sheer megalomania, you can't beat Christopher Sieber (Spamalot, Chicago and a sheaf of daytime soaps), who plays Shrek's diminutive nemesis, Lord Farquaad, in a great costume that seems to have him walking in a chair. Effusive Daniel Breaker is a fine donkey pal, and the cast of fairy-tale stars includes a Pinocchio by the talented John Tartaglia (Avenue Q), who also operates the shows impressive fire-belching dragon. There's plenty of belching in Shrek, but the spiritual fire is what you come away with.'

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/arts/20081215_A_big_green_ogre_goes_to_Broadway.html


Time Out New York is Positive:

'David Lindsay-Abaire’s consistently clever lyrics are complemented by Jeanine Tesori’s fresh pop music, and Tim Hatley’s storybook set and costumes look spectacular. But as Shrek says of Lord Farquaad’s castle: “It’s a bit much, isn’t it? Do you think he might be compensating for something?” Although director Jason Moore coordinates the action capably, he has trouble building momentum; Shrek often seems like a supporting character, and the emotional core of the show takes a long time to emerge. Happily, this problem is not fatal. As a lightly fractured fairy tale, Shrek is solid fun. It’s not a dream, but it works.'

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/theater/69950/shrek-the-musical


The Wall Street Journal is Negative:

'"Shrek the Musical" is an iPod show: I liked looking at it, but longed desperately to be listening to something else on my earbuds. On the other hand, it wasn't made for me, or anyone over the age of 12, and I'm sure that the members of its target market will go for it in a great big way. In short, you're stuck with "Shrek," and so, I fear, is Broadway.'

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122963466772219437.html


The Washington Post is Very Negative:

'To: [e-mail]

From: [e-mail]

So, Shrekkie baby, how's it shakin'? Listen, kiddo, I caught the new Broadway show about you, what's it called? I got it in my notes here: Oh yeah. "Shrek the Musical."

As your former agent, I may be a little bitter -- how could I have known that snooze-a-thon "Shrek the Third" would tarnish the franchise? But Shrekster, buddy, allow me to ask the question:

What the heck happened?'

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/14/AR2008121402465.html?sub=AR

Updated On: 12/20/08 at 09:05 PM

[Testing1232]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 7:07pm

Just got back (Btw, theatre could not have been more than 50% full)

I REALLY went in wanting to love this show, (LOVE the movie!) but it just didnt do it for me.

I liked it, but found the score to be very forgettable, (might need a few more listens... maybe it would grow on me) and the jokes did not translate from film to stage that well.

Enjoyed Sieber the most (sort of the way I felt while watching Fitzgerald in "YF")

Love Sutton, but thought she was good, not great.

Breaker was fine, but for someone that has not seen the movies (per his article in Playbill), he certainly sounded ALOT like Eddie Murphy! (which is not a bad thing, but the joy of an animated film is the facial expressions that the characters make- hard to capture on stage)

Its cute, and the younger crowd seemed to enjoy it, but for this obsessive person, this might have been a one-time only for me !

I dont think seeing "Billy Elliot" last night helped either !!!
:))

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 11:16am

I really want this show to succeed. I do.

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 2:11pm

Sat through this a second time on Wed 12/17 (first time was Nov 21), and if there were any changes made in those 3 1/2 weeks, they were subtle, virtually undetectable, and of no value.

Lots of empty seats upstairs

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 12/19/08 at 1:38pm

B+ from EW. Just thought I'd share it.

[perfectliar]

Posted: 12/19/08 at 4:46pm

Saw it last night... pretty healthy audience for a Thursday night. About a quarter of the mezzanine was open.

I enjoyed almost everything. I don't really understand how some can call the score "unmemorable," as I still have four songs repeating in my head. I didn't like the fart song, the dragon's song was pretty pointless, and a few of the lyrics were painfully pedestrian. But when it was good, it was great... a lot of fun, wonderfully mindless entertainment that catered to both its young and adult audiences.

I really enjoyed Brian d'Arcy James and Christopher Sieber. Daniel Breaker was funny, but I don't believe for a second that he hasn't seen the movies... his performance is WAY too close to Eddie Murphy's for that to be true. Sutton Foster was much better than I expected her to be (as I found her extremely underwhelming in Young Frankenstein), but I just don't buy her in the role. Something was lacking, but I'm not quite sure what it was. And why does John Tartaglia have "star" billing? He's just an ensemble member, really. Are they expecting to capitalize on his name? Is his TV show really that popular?

Regardless... I had a lot of fun at the show and would return to it again. Hopefully business will pick up with the holidays coming, although it'll be hard with Disney's "bring a kid free" promotion going on.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 12/19/08 at 5:43pm

Sutton Foster was one of the best things about YF. She was just criminally underused.

[Jack King]

Posted: 12/19/08 at 6:13pm

Shrek has rather limited appeal. Sillyass kid's stuff. Any good parents would snack the little buggers who would whine to see it. None of we stodgy adults would see it. And there lots of us in that category. So Shrek is a loser.

I like sentimental, romantic musicals.

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