Shrek the Musical (UK Touring)

Always good to see The Big Green Guy touring and proving that even in a stage musical, passing wind from every orifice is funny and probably one of the few things that hasn’t become a victim of ‘political correctness’. There are some subtle differences in this production, not least of all the lack of any children in the cast and whilst it’s easy to understand the challenges of youth inclusion, I personally felt (particularly during ‘I Know It’s Today’) that this meant something was missing and Princess Fiona’s transition wasn’t quite as integrated or visually appealing as it normally is.

Certainly this is no criticism of Laura Main’s portrayal of the cursed princess and there was some highly engaging on stage integration between her, Steffan Harri’s disgracefully lovable Shrek and the comically inquisitive Donkey, played with great equanimity by Marcus Ayton. All have great stage presence and commanding voices both for the spoken word and the array of memorable songs from David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori.

I’m always in awe of anybody taking on the role of Lord Farquaad and Samuel Holmes leaves me feeling equally so as the added physicality required to play the diminutive tyrant is a challenge in its own right.

It’s for certain that the ensemble cast have a much greater part to play than in many musicals and this impressive assortment of fairytale characters is outstanding. From Michael Carolan’s cross-dressing wolf, through Jemma Revell’s Sugar Plum Fairy (and voice for Gingy) to Lucinda Shaw’s Fairy Godmother (and impressive vocal performance of ‘Forever’ as the Dragon) there is a flawless sense of togetherness and fun, from a team of talented individual performers.

If you’re looking for an opportunity to lose yourself in s couple of hours of sheer fantasy for all ages, this is the show for you and it’s touring until 6th January 2019 so there’s no excuse not to see it at least once.



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