Shrek: Better in Seattle?

[darquegk]

Posted: 2/5/09 at 11:51am

I've been keeping up with the changes in the show since its opening in Seattle. I don't know how many of you will be with me on this one, but comparing Shrek (Broadway) and Shrek (Seattle Opening Night), I genuinely prefer the Seattle version. How do you feel about this?

[steven22]

Posted: 2/5/09 at 4:37pm

I'm seeing the show for the first time next week..so i can't say anything just yet..but I've heard that the "dragon" is terrible in NY

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 2/5/09 at 4:40pm

It would help if you stated what you liked better about this production during its initial run in Seattle.

[James2]

Posted: 2/5/09 at 4:57pm

Based on the two versions of the song I've watched on that site, I'd say I like the Seattle version of "Who I'd Be." The song is great whichever version you have, but the Seattle version ended in a simpler manner that kept one's attention mostly on Shrek (even though the Broadway ending ties Shrek and Fiona's dreams together). Plus, the way the Seattle version was staged, Shrek sang the first two verses sitting down, and he leaned up looking at the sky for my favorite part of the song, in which he's talking about the story he'd write if he was a poet:

To the skies I'd throw it/
The stars would do the telling/
The moon would help with spelling/
And night would dot the I's

That selection plus that perfect dreamer's pose made it a very empathetic moment, and it's not as affective when Shrek is standing up.

[ChecksintheMayo]

Posted: 2/5/09 at 5:22pm

I've heard that the "dragon" is terrible in NY

The dragon was much worse in Seattle - a dead-eyed, clunky parade float. The Broadway version at least made the attempt to sync the puppet with the singers by giving it an articulated jaw that enabled it to "sing." It also seemed to actually move and weave faster as well, as opposed to the random bobbing it used to do.

[Kad]

Posted: 2/5/09 at 5:26pm

But what about the idea of one voice for the Dragon in Seattle, as opposed to the trio on Broadway? The trio doesn't work, particularly as they divide up the spoken dialogue between them.

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 2/5/09 at 5:33pm

The stupidest thing they did following Seattle was letting go Kecia.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 2/5/09 at 5:36pm

Kecia was a frickin' hot mess. She had a garish costume and she was not at all connected to the dragon. I'm guessing she was let go because she was too diva-ish to relinquish her ridiculous act 2 solo or let the (thankfully improved) puppet do the acting.

Chester Gregory wasn't an awful Donkey, and though Daniel's better, I have no idea why Chester was fired.

I actually like the new ending of "Who I'd Be". A lot more powerful.

[ChecksintheMayo]

Posted: 2/5/09 at 7:08pm

But what about the idea of one voice for the Dragon in Seattle, as opposed to the trio on Broadway? The trio doesn't work, particularly as they divide up the spoken dialogue between them.

It didn't work in Seattle because there was a major disconnect between what the dragon puppet and Kecia were doing. Worse yet, it stole focus from her, resulting in an audience identifying the puppet as the Dragon. They started wondering where it was when Kecia came on stage by herself in Act 2's "What Happens to Love."

I assume, after the Seattle run, the choice was made to make the puppet the primary focus, hence the use of a "chorus" to make it appear bigger and more nebulous. During the early Broadway previews, they all sang together and, well, given that Donkey Pot Pie isn't really a chorus piece, sounded terrible. The switch to line trade off between the three dragon ladies that came about in later previews was a split between the two extremes - a way to give the dragon a less cluttered voice without tying it down to one specific person.

This is all my speculation, of course.
Updated On: 2/5/09 at 07:08 PM

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 2/5/09 at 7:47pm

I just saw this on Tuesday. I enjoyed the show, but the dragon drove me nuts. I would have prefered an offstage voice with just the puppet head onstage. The trio and scales clashed with the rest of the very literal design. Just my 2 cents.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 2/5/09 at 7:50pm

To be fair, I have no idea how they could make that idea work. They could have just kept the dragon silent (as they did in the movie) or just cut it altogether.

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 2/5/09 at 8:05pm

Like PiraguaGuy, I also prefer the new ending of "Who I'd Be". It was always a great song (probably the best in the show), but I think that adding a verse for Fiona not only made the the song more powerful, but it sets the stage for what's to come in Act II.

One of my biggest complaints about the Seattle to Broadway changes was the removal of "More to the Story". I thought it was a great song, and Sutton's performance was beautiful. I really enjoyed the show when I saw it on Broadway last month, but I wish that song was still included.

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 2/5/09 at 8:42pm

Honestly, the only thing I did not like about the dragon when I saw the second preview on Broadway was that when it crashed through the church's stained glass, it sorta just awkwardly hung there really limp, with its head kinda tilted backwards...

But on the topic of Who I'd Be, I definitely like the version here with the trio... It is much more powerful and has a lot of meaning behind it. Many people thought this would be a funny song, but it leaves them heavy hearted, and at the beginning of Act 2 things pick up again with Morning Person.

And I totally agree with James2- in Who I'd Be, the original staging of the current first part was better. Shrek needed to hold his dreamer's pose a little longer in this current staging...

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 2/6/09 at 1:39am

The dragon (NY version) is a mess.

DONKEY POT PIE is a terrible song also which does not help matters there. That whole scene kinda left me cringing and awkwardly clapping because...well, I had to, the song was over. They should have either scrapped it or made it much more spectacular. For a $30 million production, there isn't too much in terms of spectacle which is odd. And attempts at spectacle in the show (generally) fall flat. IMO.

[Kad]

Posted: 2/6/09 at 2:04am

What bothered me about the Dragon in NY wasn't the *sung* lines, but the handful of *spoken* lines that immediately precede the song, which are divided up between the girls in the trio. The effect, to me at least, was a Dragon with several personalities.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 2/6/09 at 2:10am

Agreed. They should have had one person singing and speaking for the dragon for SURE.

[outdamnwench]

Posted: 2/6/09 at 2:14am

As much as I think the Dragon is a little bit of a mess, I really can't think of any solution that would improve the situation other than cutting the dragon from the show completely. It would seem even more dead and parade-esque as a silent role, and it really doesn't do much for the plot.

I love the new ending to Who I'd Be.

My main complaint is that they butchered the opening and Freak Flag, now they're kind of emotionless and dead.

I was a little bummed when they cut "I Smell a Happy Ending", it really grew on me, although I understand their reasons.