The 20 Million Dollar Flop

Shrek will join the list of classic bombs to hit the boards. The perfect metaphor for this turkey is the farting song- it stinks to high heaven. The whole thing is cheap looking, doesn't have one show stopper, awful music, unoriginal choreography, book that goes for really cheap laughs with all the modern references, and few laughs. It just lays there like a lump- not one original or creative moment-we've seen all those song paradies before.

I wanted to strangle the Donkey-his awful cliched portrayal of the sassy sidekick with hands on hip was amateurish- how bad could the guy he replaced have been? The Dragon song is a classic-one of the worst numbers ever seen.

Darcy James has a really nice voice, Sutton does her usual schtick- her Las Vegas number is pretty bad too. Seiber is funny-his character voice reminded me of Mike Myers' Dr. Evil in Austin Powers.

I kept thinking of King of Hearts for some reason-maybe cause of the mental patients being like the freak fairy tale characters in this -except King had better music and sets.

And there were crying babies in the house and most of the audience were dressed for a WWE wrestling event. One man had on shorts and looked like he was about to take the garbage out- which is where this drek belongs-DOA. Pure unaldulterated CRAP

Just the teensiest naive?

Look how that other certain bomb, The Little Mermaid, has done.

Well, the audience I saw it with seemed to really enjoy it...

and the farting song was the BEST part of the show. You know it was.

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- "Look how that other certain bomb, The Little Mermaid, has done."


Seriously. If quality alone were the measure, The Little Mermaid would have shuttered toute de suite.


Not having seen Shrek the Musical, I can't comment on its quality. But regardless, I imagine it will have a very nice run on name recognition and family-friendly appeal, just like that heaping pile, The Little Mermaid.

Shrek will join the list of classic bombs to hit the boards.

Except that it probably won't. There are many reasons why shows fail, but usually it's not because you don't like them. While you may believe the audience to be beneath you, they are probably the target audience for this show and their opinion of it is probably more indicative of its success than yours.

I don't care for the show, but I'm not foolish enough to think it will flop purely because it is not as good as I had hoped or because it is not my cup of tea. For anyone who believes Broadway shouldn't be for all audiences...careful what you wish for.

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I don't know how bad Shrek the musical is, but I do enjoy your review thoroughly. I think it is funny, creative and eye-catching. Thanks for giving me a good laugh at noon.

I totally have a desire to see this show. I think it looks good. That's my opinion. Will I call it "THE BEST MUSICAL EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!" ? We'll just wait and see, won't we? But I'm a big fan of Shrek and of Jeanine Tesori's music and I think the clips I've seen on that site sound really clever and funny. So I'm trying to be positive about this show, y'know?

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Hey, I like Tesori's scores, especially Caroline, or Change which I think is a modern masterpiece, but then I found that the Broadway score of Thoroughly Modern Millie was far inferior to that of the film.

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The source material wasn't too great, so I wasn't expecting anything else for the Broadway version.

Actually, I thought the source was imaginitive, funny and clever. Unfortunately, I just don't think it was the right material for musicalization. I can understand Disney's efforts in staging their more popular works because the screenplays were quite theatrical and dramatic. Shrek was written as an out-and-out comedy with elements of farce, which is easily bogged down by adding a musical score as well as the effort required in staging its spectacle. Unlike The Little Mermaid, which was a good idea that went horribly wrong, I think Shrek was a bad idea that rose up to mediocrity, similar to that of Young Frankenstein.

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No chance in hell that this flops. Huge brand + big promotions + big name actors = profit. Primarily the first element. Exactly the same with TLM--take a profitable brand, hire some accomplished performers, make everything else mediocre, and you have a cash cow. And Shrek is 5x as popular as TLM right now.

evic, of course it will run it's Shrek for goodness sake.

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If anything Shrek will encourage Disney to produce another show. I say this because there are two movie companies right now on Broadway producing shows that kids and families will enjoy.

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Hey Jere- I totally know what the message of the show is and while it is a noble one, that doesn't mean the production can't be well done. They workshopped it, had an out of town try out, and this was the best they could produce? The scene crossing the bridge!- so scary!!!!- if they had the bridge 40 ft above the lava and swung a bit- I'd be impressed. This set piece was pitiful.

I don't care what people do with their money-I laugh when I think of those losers who got hoodwinked and shelled out $450 for Young Frankenstein- another bomb. But their choice. If you think I am low class- fine....Don't be mad because I don't have to pay for a lot of junk! G-d Bless all who enjoy the show. Now 39 Steps is highly recommended-done on a shoestring, clever, well acted and FUNNY!

Opinions are what make the world go around. Hey- people like Sarah Palin too.