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Shrek the Musical (Review!) |
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Written by Micah Sauvageau
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When they (whoever "they" are) announced that the popular Dreamworks movie Shrek was being made into a musical, I was skeptical, just like the rest of the musical theatre crowd (and many still are). It seemed that Broadway was being taken over by movies-turned-musicals, many of which were for sheer entertainment value, and it seemed Broadway began to lose that artistic spark which made it so original. But then I saw this show, and boy was I wrong! For the sake of everyone's sanity (including my own), I'm going to divide this review up into the following categories: set/lighting, costume/makeup, plot/musical numbers, and acting.
First of all, the set is amazing. This show contains the best technical theatre I've ever seen, and I can comfortably say that it's the best Broadway has ever seen (its competition being Lord of the Rings from London, but I haven't seen that so I can't compare). The set was fully mobile and very interactive, each piece having a purpose that it fulfilled wonderfully. For much of the backdrop, they made use of painted scrims, and then they had a fully mobile castle, hut for shrek, stairways, a rotating tower, AND A BIG DRAGON. Additionally, many things, such as a few props, temporary scenic items, and level blocks came from the floor. The Magic Mirror was probably the most impressive "prop" part of the set, as it was a giant mirror with a projection in the middle (it looked exactly like the mirror from the movie), and its mouth moved exactly in tandem with John Tartaglia's voice over (I don't know whether or not it is a recording), and the mirror's facial reactions were spot on with the other actors' performances. I was extremely impressed by the sheer versatility of the set, as it really created the world of such an imaginary show while not proving cumbersome of interfering with the show itself. Another thing that really impressed me was the fact that the set never stayed the same for more than a few minutes. It was constantly changing to reflect the characters' travel, and it did so without becoming distracting. It was absolutely fascinating to watch the set change during the musical numbers, and how easily the actor's worked around them! I have absolutely no complaints here. If this musical doesn't win Best Scenic Design for a Musical I will be so furious.
I had high expectations for the costumes for this musical, given the subject matter and the production photos I'd seen. And indeed, for the most part, I was highly impressed. Shrek's costume, which included prosthetics and a body suit, was wonderfully done, and I am amazed at the fact that the creative team was able to transform Sutton Foster from totes hawt princess into ogre-ness in under two minutes, as it required a costume change, full make up change, and prosthetics. The donkey's costume I was sort of eh about, as it seemed to lack the sort of creativity that the other costumes had. Farquad's "costume" was extremely hilarious, and I applaud Christopher Sieber for being able to do what he did and still sing wonderfully (if anyone REALLY wants to know how this was done, ask me and I'll send you a message). I am amazed by Pinnochio's costume! He really looked wooden, and his nose even grew! The most controversial "costume" is probably the dragon, which is made up of the giant puppet, and voiced by a chorus of sassy girls (there are three main ones and a group of four that make up the "tail"). I didn't mind this, nor did I have an issue suspending my belief, even though the three main ladies who played the dragon walked around. I found it very artistic, and I know a lot of people have an issue with it, but I liked it. The ensemble of fairy tale creatures was very well done, and I enjoyed all of their costumes (particularly the witch and humpty dumpty). I expect this show to win best costume!
Most of you should know the plot of Shrek, and will probably be pleased to know that this show remains very faithful to the movie. I had no issues following the plot, though I did feel it was rushed at some points in order to fit all of the material into two and a half hours while bursting into song every ten minutes or so. All in all, the plot worked for me. It was simple and straight forward, and I appreciate that in this show. The book/lyrics writer, David Lindsay-Abaire, made a wonderful combination of lovable lines from the movie and original material. I strongly appreciate it when a show's book and lyrics are by the same people, as it gives a strong sense of continuity in the musical and non musical dialogue. I felt he knew these characters well, and I can't wait to see what he works on next! By the way, in case you didn't know, he also wrote the screenplay for the new movie Inkheart, which I cannot WAIT to see. The music is by Jeanine Tesori, who is most known on Broadway for her 12th Night score and her lyrics to Thoroughly Modern Millie. I can definitely see that she picked up some things from Millie, and I appreciate that similarity in this show! The musical numbers in Shrek are wonderfully done, and almost none of them are throw away "production" numbers, as it were. I felt most (if not all) of the numbers had a specific purpose in characterization, even the silly songs such as What's Up, Duloc (which includes a HILARIOUS reference to Wicked and A Chorus Line), and the act 2 opener, Morning Person (which includes a tap dancing Sutton Foster accompanied by tap dancing rats).
The show opens with Big, Bright, Beautiful World, which sets up some back story and provides a nice introduction to Shrek's character (as well as some really cool stage magic). The next song, Story of My Life, is a chorus number, sung by the fairy tale creatures. I appreciated this song immensely, as it gave those characters a REAL character, as opposed to just being there for sheer entertainment value. This song also shows off John Tartaglia's character acting skills (as if any of us doubted they were there!), and he proved absolutely wonderful. The next song I'm going to talk about is I Know Its Today, which is probably one of the more better known numbers from the show because of its demo version available on Youtube. It features Fiona's growth from childhood to adulthood, featuring three different actresses (the last of which is divine Sutton Foster, of course) that portray her different ages (childhood, teenage, and adult). This song was a comic character number with a lot of torch-song attributes put in at the end. Simply put, its one of my favorite numbers in the show. I really enjoyed watching all three actresses, from little Rachel Rescheff (who is a bucket of ADORABLE), to Marissa O'Donnell, to Sutton Foster. Seeing them work in tandem as they sang together at the end of the song was really amazing, and I can't compliment these ladies enough. The next song, What's Up Duloc, had me in hysterics. Lord Farquad and his dancing Dulac dolls are just plain hilarious, and of course there is the afore-mentioned reference to Wicked (if you care to know what it is just ask me, but I don't want to spoil it). The Travel Song, where Shrek and Donkey travel (who knew?) to the Dragon's Castle was also hilarious. It included a few more musical theatre references (particularly to the Lion King) and a very comic use of some stuffed animals. Donkey Pot Pie and This Is How Dreams Come True are the next two songs, the first being the Dragon's ballad(?) to the Donkey, and the latter being Fiona's song as they escape from the castle, where she tries to stay positive in ugly circumstances ("Pink ponies, happy sky!"). The next song, "Who I'd Be" is the Act 1 finale, and it was simply gorgeous. It starts as a ballad for Shrek, describing to Donkey who he would be if he could change himself. Fiona and Donkey join in at the end, with Fiona fully ogre-ized. A few people might recognize this scene as the one with the GIANT moon from the movie, because, hey, there's a really big moon in the background. Act 2 opens with Morning Person, where Fiona goes about being very cheery, blows up a bird with her voice, rips off a deer's horns, and tap dances with a bunch of rats and the Pied Piper. By the way, Caty, since I was asking about this earlier, I could sort of see microphones on Sutton's tap shoes, so mystery solved on the magnified tap sounds question. Act 2 continues well enough, with memorable songs like I Think I Got You Beat (including a very uncouth competition in body sounds between Shrek and Fiona), The Ballad of Farquad (in a bathtub), and Freak Flag, where the fairy tale creatures except themselves and band together to help Shrek get back Fiona. All in all, the musical numbers were very well done, and I appreciate that not every song is an OMG SHOWSTOPPING NUMBER (one of the reasons I wasn't as gung-ho for In the Heights as everyone else), as it allows each set of characters have their own chance to have a memorable song. My personal top 3 favs from the show are (in no particular order because I haven't figured it out yet): I Know Its Today (3 Fionas), Who I'd Be (Shrek, Donkey, Fiona), and Morning Person (Fiona).
I'm going to start out the acting portion by saying this: everyone was wonderful. Everyone really played to their characters and were very enjoyable to watch. Brian D'Arcy James did a fantastic job as Shrek. I enjoyed seeing a character congruent with the one portrayed on the film, but he also added levels of sincere depth. Indeed, Shrek seemed to be a very stand-offish person (to put it lightly) because that's the only way he could survive and that's the way he was expected to act. Seeing moments where that hard demeanor started to crack and show vulnerability was very touching, particularly in the songs Who I'd Be and When Words Fail. I appreciated such honesty in the character, who could have easily been made to be purely comical. I hope to see a Best Actor nomination for this role in this year's Tony's.
Sutton Foster. Oy vey, what can one say? Absolutely divine. People applauded when she made her entrance, and she certainly deserves it. In many ways Fiona is a lot like Shrek. She has this facade that hides a real vulnerability, though her mask is made from dreams, hopes, and expectations, fueled by the intense desire for the life she wants and the life she deserves. One scene in particular stuck out to me, and it's right before the song I Think I Got You Beat, where Donkey and Shrek are making puns about Farquad (much like in the movie). Ms. Foster portrays a defensive, hurt, and hopeful Fiona, beaten down by life's disappointments yet determined to pull through. She has certain subtleties, particularly with her eyes, hands, and eyebrows, that make it all the more real. Like above, I hope to see another Best Actress nomination coming her way.
Daniel Breaker plays an absolutely hilarious Donkey, with fabulous comedic skill and a real gift for timing. He has a large portion of the jokes in the show, and even his mannerisms are downright hilarious. I appreciated that he didn't make a carbon copy of the movie's Donkey, and went further to portray someone who desperately wants to be needed and liked. Perhaps my only complaint is that some of his lines seemed to be thrown to the wind, losing some of their potential comic effect (to me, at least). But, perhaps that's how it was supposed to be! Or, better yet, each night in the theatre is different, and every line is delivered in a spontaneous new way every performance. I certainly got this spontaneity from him, being fortunate enough to see the show twice (ooo, I didn't tell you guys yet, did I?), and it was very excited to see Daniel working in different ways, proving that the theatre thrives best when not bound to a fully rehearsed format.
Christopher Sieber as Lord Farquad had me laughing SO hard. His mannerisms, voice, and line delivery was PERFECT. It seemed everything he did had me giggling (at least), and, as I mentioned above, I am amazed he can sing like he did given the circumstances. He also utilized a lot of spontaneity in his performances, and good God he is so good! These really good character roles (much like Pinocchio, but I'll get to that in a second) really make me happy, because they allow outstanding actors give really strong performances though they may not be in the lead roles per se.
John Tartaglia. Oh, John Tartaglia. What DONT you do that isn't fantastic? I mostly know John as Princeton and Rod in Avenue Q, and he was brilliant. And he brings that same caliber to Shrek as Pinocchio, the Magic Mirror, and the Dragon's Puppeteer. Fran, you would like this guy a lot! As Pinocchio, he had an intense character voice to keep up, and he did it 100% of the time, never breaking it while speaking OR singing (something that is fairly difficult, at least for me). He also really moved like a wooden doll, which was really cool to watch on stage. I haven't figured out if his voice over for the Magic Mirror is recorded or not, because it was SPOT ON both times I saw the show. I totally didn't even recognize it was John until I looked at my playbill, and even still I can't draw a connection between the two characters he plays. I'm also very very very impressed by his versatility with the dragon. I can't even begin to comprehend how you work that massive creature, much less keep in time with the vocals while manipulated the head, the mouth, the eyes, and the eyelids! What was also really cool was at the stage door, when he came out, he was so nice! It still blows my mind that these are REAL people, and its so surreal watching them on stage, and then seeing them after as they become just normal people and walk away at night. And John was an absolute doll to talk with, and he obviously really cares about his fans. He made all of us seem so special, and really appreciated us. THAT is really cool, being able to talk one on one with a Broadway star and feel special.
Well, this is getting fairly lengthy, and its taken me a LONG time to write, so I think it's time to wrap this mutha up! You know, there once was a time when many musicals were being made into movies, and I'm sure a lot of Hollywood fans felt a little invaded by the musical theatre industry as Broadway shows became huge successes. Now, the tables have turned (though musicals are still being made into movies on occasion), and it seems like a lot of us are getting our panties in a twist. We should be grateful that musicals are still being made at all, especially in these economic times. Old, rock solid, successful classics have recently left the stage, but new ones (both original and revived) are taking their places. Shrek has made me look forward to the coming seasons, because I realize that that's what Broadway needs right now, some sheer entertainment. I refer to my above statement about musicals forsaking artistic value for entertainment value, and I am happy to say that Shrek contained both. I wish it a successful run this season and the seasons to come, and I do believe it has a strong shot for the Tony. You guys have my vote.
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