In adapting the movie Shrek to the stage, writer and lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire makes some radical revisions. The backstory for the character of Fiona (Joanne Clifton) is tweaked, making her an outsider from her community rather than a damsel in distress, and so more of a soul mate for Shrek (Antony Lawrence) who is, after all, the ultimate outsider, preferring his own company and rejecting any offers of friendship.
The fairy-tale characters who cause such discomfort for Shrek after being exiled into his swamp become representatives of anyone who regards themselves as rejected by society, forming a militant movement determined to let their freak flag fly.
The central joke is, however, retained. Shrek the Musical, as with the books and films upon which it is based, subverts the plots familiar from traditional storytelling and, instead of a handsome prince, makes a hero of an ogre. Shrek, in accordance with the traditions of the Ogres, has lived a lonely existence since a child and accepts it is a big, bright, beautiful world for others but not for him. He is outraged by the policies of Lord Faquaad, not because they are xenophobic but because they result in unwanted guests being dumped on his doorstep. In order to regain his solitary existence, Shrek agrees to rescue Princess Fiona so she can be Faquaad’s bride. However, having been forced into an unwanted destiny since childhood, Fiona has a lot in common with Shrek. Actually, they have more in common than can be imagined.
Directors Sam Holmes and Nick Winston subtly move the show away from its cartoon origins towards a mainstream musical. In past productions, the diminutive character Lord Faquaad was played by an actor of average height kneeing and using puppet feet. This generated a huge burst of laughter upon the character’s first appearance, which continued throughout dance routines. Tonight, however, James Gillian, who plays Faquaad, dispenses with the puppet feet and creates a suitably hissable villain, which avoids cartoon stereotyping but loses a lot of the visual humour. It also seems odd to have a conventional villain in a show that champions unconventionality.
Nick Winston’s choreography is sophisticated, making excellent use of a large cast and cheekily exploiting Joanne Clifton’s past experience on Strictly Come Dancing. The approach is appropriate for David Lindsay-Abaire’s classy lyrics. There can’t be many shows aimed at a young audience using ’Kafkaesque’ in the lyrics.
Although the show might be moving away from cartoons, there is a heavy dependence upon video projections (by Nina Dunn for Pixellux) rather than physical sets, which creates a cold, artificial edge to the show. On the other hand, scene changes are so rapid, the show, despite an extended raucous encore, actually finishes early.
Antony Lawrence is a surprisingly vulnerable Shrek, defensive and easily hurt, finding it hard to even consider he might deserve a happy ending. To the contrary, Joanne Clifton’s bipolar Princess Fiona is more of a brash, in-yer-face broad than someone in need of rescue.
The shift from cartoon towards mainstream entertainment loses some of the humour, but fine performances ensure Shrek the Musical retains its offbeat charm.