Daddy and I had the amazing opportunity to watch Shrek The Musical. It was a perfect date night to end our little summer staycation! Orchestra seats were compliments of Broadway San Diego, which by no means had any influence on my review of the show! I could have watched it from the nose bleeds and still loved it! That being said, as I watched in awe, my mind was boggled thinking, “how on earth am I going to write this review?” The show was so intriguing I don’t even know where to begin, but here goes…
The Cast
Eric Peterson played the perfect Shrek. His ability to embrace the green misunderstood ogre was unbelievable, taking on all of Shrek’s moods from grumpy to loving, then back to grumpy again. Absolutely adorable to say the least!
Alan Mingo, Jr. was no hee-haw! He was very charismatic, without overdoing it! And although, he was no Eddie Murhpy, he had the crowd bursting out in laughter immediately as he trotted on stage.
Haven Burton, made a fine Fiona, beautiful, fun-loving and a little tom-boyish! Burton took well to Fiona’s multiple personalities! I loved that she got down and dirty in the fart scene!
I am always blown away at how Broadway comes up with ways to portray a character. In all honesty, I was expecting a midget to run out on stage (I really hope it was appropriate to use that term), but that would have been too easy for Broadway! Instead a very tall and talented, David F.M. Vaughn, played Lord Farquaad ON HIS KNEES! It was so hard not to fall in love with the antagonist in this story! He had the audience laughing much more than any other character in my opinion with his big head, little body and dangling legs! If anything, you must watch the show to see this.
As much as I’d like to list all of the cast members here it would take up my review, but they were all amazing, supportive and equally talented!
The creativity and attention to detail
Shrek The Musical was indeed a creative show. My favorite creative aspects were the transition from Fiona’s childhood to the present, when the dragon made her first appearance and Lord Farquaad, but I’ve already said enough about him. I can’t not mention young the Fiona who had the crowd saying, Awwww! I almost died when she came out
looking like child star Abigail Breslin from Definitely, Maybe. Everything about the scene showing young Fiona, teenage Fiona and adult Fiona was pretty amazing from the song to the scene.
The dragon is another character I was wondering how they would bring to life. Both the huge puppet version operated by men in black, and the very curvy Carrie Compere woman version at the end of the show were beautiful. Not to mention she can toot her horn, just as beautifully as she can blow fire out her breath! Loved the take on, “You’re Gonna Love Me!” Classic love song for a dragon and a donkey!
The music, the dancing and the underlying theme
What else would you expect from a Broadway musical, right? The overall theme that kept resounding in my head, even until is, “let your freak flag fly”. The musical number “Freak Flag” in my opinion was the underlying theme, and my favorite number. Like the movie, the musical had a lesson, that we must remain true to ourselves, and that beauty is not only defined by what’s on the outside, but what’s inside! By curtain call there wasn’t one person left sitting in their seats. A standing ovation was called to order! I was so excited when the show ended with the same song as in the movie, “I’m A Believer!” I have to admit I was doing a little dance myself.
Overall, this was a wonderful show for both children and adults alike. Definitely one the whole family will enjoy. I was hoping for an appearance of the Mirror on the Wall, but in the end I got much more. As a lover of Broadway, I still consider myself a rookie, having only 4 shows under my belt: The Lion King, Spring Awakening, Legally Blond, and now Shrek The Musical. This show in particular was a good laugh, and we all need one of those shows from time to time. It also made for an interesting date night with all of the adult humor, that wasn’t all too noticeable by the children. Except for when Shrek says, “he has to save his ass!” Much like the movie there are a few things you might have to explain to your child. It is recommended for children starting at age six, which is why I decided not to bring Pinky. However, there were some kids her age in attendance which seemed to be pretty glued to their seats!
Okay, I better stop before I give the entire show away! You must go see Shrek The Musical for yourself. Bring the whole family and get a special deal here:
Get a Family 4 Pack in Section B for only $99 and Section C for $75.
The offer is valid from Thursday, June 30 to Sunday, July 10, 2011, the last day of the show.
To receive your offer, go to http://www.ticketmaster.com/venueartist/82007/1250914 and select “find tickets” for the date you wish to attend. Then, type “4pack” where it states, “enter offer code/password.”
ENJOY, and let your freak flag waaaave!!
This show is up there with the Lion King. I highly recommend this.
Shrek the Musical was lovely!
I’m so glad I won a pair of tickets in the Borders Mission Valley drawing. It was such a fun show! The cast killed it, especially David F.M. Vaughn as Lord Farquaad. He was my fave! And you’re right, it was still very entertaining watching it from the nose bleed seats. Haha. Thanks for letting my friend and I join you and Ryan in the orchestra seats for act 2. It was my first Broadway show and definitely won’t be my last!