[Gasp] "A pretty pony."
"No, it's the magic mirror."
At the age of 7, young ogre Shrek is sent out on his own. Years later he (d'Arcy James) lives in a swamp and is content with life on his own. His peace and quiet is interrupted by the presence of fairy tales who were evicted from their homes in the kingdom of Duloc. Shrek agrees to go to Duloc and convince Lord Farquaad (Sieber) to remove them from his swamp. Along the way he encounters talkative Donkey (Breaker) who offers to be Shrek's guide.
Meanwhile in Duloc, Lord Farquaad is trying to create the perfect kingdom... he just needs to marry a princess so that he can be a real king. He chooses Princess Fiona (Foster) as his bride, but he needs to send a champion to rescue her from a dragon. He makes a bargain with Shrek: bring Princess Fiona back to Duloc and the swamp is all his. Fiona has lived in the tower for years and has imagined her perfect fairy tale life, and Shrek is not what she was expecting. Can everyone live happily ever after?
In 2002 David Lindsay-Abaire and Jason Moore started developing a musical version of William Steig's 1990 book Shrek! and Dreamwork's 2001 film Shrek. In 2004 Jeanne Tesori came on board to write the music, with Lindsay-Abaire writing the book and lyrics and Moore set to direct. In 2008 the show premiered in Seattle, and a few months and several revisions later, it opened on Broadway. The show ran on Broadway from December 2008 to January 2010 (over 400 performances). The show was nominated for 8 Tony Awards, but only won for Best Costume Design. Brian d'Arcy James won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. This is a filmed version of the stage show with most of the original cast.
I was a little skeptical about this show; could they really make this work? I was expecting a disaster, but the cast list convinced me to give it a try. Sutton Foster is one of my favorite Broadway actresses; she is incredible and I love all of her performances (both on stage and on TV). And Christopher Sieber is always hilarious. I found videos from the Seattle preview on YouTube and decided to give it a try. I fell in love with the songs and the clips from it's move to Broadway. I even pre-ordered the soundtrack, which I still love.
The cast is incredible. Brian d'Arcy James is perfect as Shrek, bring a depth and pain to the character, while still cracking wise. His performance in "Who I'd Be" is beautiful and the perfect way to close the first act of the show. Foster is hilarious, especially in her solos on "I Know It's Today" and "Morning Person". Daniel Breaker is goes over the top as Donkey, and sings my favorite song "Don't Let Me Go". The fairy tale characters are funny as a group and deliver the catchy "Freak Flag" in act 2. But the stand-out is Sieber as Farquaad. He is over 6 feet tall and plays the character on his knees with little fake legs. He is hilarious and has the best moments in the show, along with 2 very funny songs.
I love this show, it will never be a classic, but it is charming and fun. In 2009 the show was recorded, but was not released until 2013 when the national tours had ended. It was a smart move to film this (financially savvy). It isn't appropriate for little kids, but older kids will enjoy it (one song ends with a farting/belching battle).
Shrek the Musical (2013) 131 minutes
Director: Jason Moore
Starring: Brian d'Arcy James as Shrek
Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona
Daniel Breaker as Donkey
Christopher Sieber as Lord Farquaad
John Tartaglia as Pinocchio / Magic Mirror
Marissa O'Donnell as Teen Fiona
Leah Greenhaus as Young Fiona
Haven Burton as Gingy / Sugarplum Fairy
Bobby Daye as Sticks / Bishop
Ryan Duncan as Bricks
Sarah Jane Everman as Ugly Duckling
Aymee Garcia as Mama Bear
Maya Goldman as Young Shrek / Dwarf
Colleen Hawkes as Fairy Godmother
Lisa Ho as Baby Bear
Chris Hoch as Big Bad Wolf
Denny Paschall as Peter Pan
Noah Rivera as White Rabbit
Jennifer Simard as Wicked Witch
Rachel Stern as Mama Ogre / Tweedle Dum
Dennis Stowe as Papa Bear / Thelonius
Jacob Ming Trent as Papa Ogre / Straw
David F.M. Vaughn as Mad Hatter / Pied Piper
Kristen Wyatt as Shoemaker's Elf
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