⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5

A seamless screen to stage transition of an fairy-tale favourite!

Shrek… as a musical?! The thought whirrs through your mind of wondering how this incredible DreamWorks movie with top tier animation could transition and be done justice on a live stage. Puppets? Stage make up? Costuming? The iconic fairy tale land? THE SWAMP!?

There was so much I had pondered about Shrek prior to the show, and I was really looking forward to it. It’s a movie that is a timeless classic, the one that screams Sunday TV. A nostalgic childhood favourite. How would a stage show was either going to absolutely smash it out the swamp, or crash and burn.

Walking into the Belgrade, the stage was set with the projection of the floating book ‘Shrek’. This projection would later become pinnacle in allowing scenes to move forward with backdrops, and be a covering to allow for the stage set design to be altered for the next big scenes. The set design is just simply incredible. From Shrek’s swamp complete with THE toilet, to Fiona’s bedroom, and Lord Farqaad’s Kingdom. In terms of design and props, it was in the style of animation and well-thought out.

This is a stellar cast, and a very large one at that. Despite being a large cast, everyone shone and everyone was heard and noticed the spectacular fairy tale creatures. The swing and ensemble did an impressive job of transitioning between characters and with the support of costume design and hair and make-up, I honestly had to look up in the programme to see who had played each role. Voices, in particular, were very strong especially delivering key lines from the movie like ‘NOT THE GUMDROP BUTTONS’ (admit it, you heard it in Ginger’s voice?), true to form,

What I found interesting about the theatre production was the elements of backstory we were given. We found out more about Lord Farqaads’ origin story, we saw Fiona go just a little bit mad spending days upon months upon years locked in a tower, and we saw how Shrek has been shunned from society from the very beginning, starting with his parents at the age of 7 and how his vulnerabilities and issues have impacted him… yet still remains a big softie. I thought Antony Lawrence, who played Shrek, displayed this wonderfully in demonstrating just how misunderstood Shrek is, and showed a real softer side to him the entire show through.

It would be a crime to not mention Cherece Richards who delivered a fire performance of ‘Forever’ as the Dragon. She absolutely smashed it. I also found myself giggling a lot to James Gillan who played a truly iconic camp icon in Lord Farqaad. The hair swish, the leg kicks, the voice. Spectacular. Personally, I think Donkey is the biggest shoes to fill. Who doesn’t hear Donkey’s voice whenever they think of lines from Shrek, and with such an iconic delivery from Eddie Murphy, it’s a big role to fill. But, Brandon Lee Sears really stepped up to the mark and nailed the expectations. From chaotic energy to that little twang in the voice, Sears brought Donkey to life.

If you’re looking for epic dance breaks, then you’ll be pleased to know Shrek has plenty. Many of which containing 2015 Strictly Come Dancing champion, Joanne Clifton, as Princess Fiona. I loved her performance of ‘I Know It’s Today’ and her hilarious solo ‘Morning Person’. You’ll also get to see lots of farts, burps, and lots of crude cheekiness from Fiona and Shrek, so you know the kids will relish in that!

Shrek revels in the ridiculousness. It’s almost like an organised chaotic pantomime. It’s filled with an original pop soundtrack, epic dance breaks, daft humour and impressive stage design supported by projections (which on occasion were a little blurry on press night but have hopefully been tidied up and didn’t cause too much of a distraction) to drive the story forward at an excellent pace and immerse audiences into the world of Shrek.

Plus, you’ll get to finish the night screaming ‘I’m A Believer’ with the cast. Epic.

It’s nutty, it’s wild, and it’s on at Belgrade Coventry until Sunday 4th February 2024.

Press tickets for review