REVIEW: Shrek The Musical at Mayflower Theatre

Shrek has come from Far Far Away and transformed Mayflower Theatre to one of the most glamorous swamps that I’ve ever seen! Yes it really is the same Shrek we all know and love but this time he’s on stage starring in his very own musical, ’Shrek The Musical’. The fairytale story of Shrek is one that everybody knows. Mike Myers’ iconic character is somewhat of a cult classic, with the 2001 hit film (and film series) being the cinematic universe for all things fairytale. This is a direct retelling of the story from the first film but all retold through an original script and soundtrack by David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori. ‘Shrek’ is a musical that has thrived at the heights of Broadway and The West End, and I was lucky enough to see that same award winning show on its first UK tour back in 2015. This version of the musical is a brand new production from directors Samuel Holmes and Nick Winston, being designed by Philip Witcomb. So having seen the original production, I was extremely excited to see how it had changed!

One of my initial thoughts of the show was, “Where has half of this show gone?”. This isn’t in terms of story, the same brilliant story and soundtrack is there, but rather in terms of the actual production value. With this being a big Broadway production, officially licensed by Dreamworks, you would be expecting to be fully transported into this fairytale world through the set, the design, and the theatre magic.

It is good fun for all ages of the family – especially if you are fans of Shrek.

Unfortunately, this just didn’t quite happen for me compared to how the original show looked. ‘Shrek’ is another touring musical that has yet again opted out of the major physical set option, but instead opted for projection effects that just aren’t quite up to standard. There were certain little details that were missing, and they felt as if they were missing as well (more on this later). This is all of course in comparison of what the show used to be, so if you have yet to see the show – that sense of magic will no doubt be there. Combined with the music and upbeat cast, some of the effects do work really well and it is good fun for all ages of the family – especially if you are fans of Shrek. However, having seen what the production has been previously and what it could have been, it’s confusing as to why it has changed so much. 

This isn’t to take anything away from the cast however. The cast was big and they were great. Playing the roles of ‘Shrek’ and ‘Princess Fiona’ were the extremely talented Antony Lawrence and Joanne Clifton, who shared a fantastic love and comedy bond on stage. The role of Eddie Murphy’s ‘Donkey’ was perfectly portrayed by Brandon Lee Sears, again sharing a great comedic partnership with Antony – firing both physical gags and spoken jokes for children, and some more crude for the adults. Talking of crude jokes, James Gillan played the role of ‘Lord Farqaad’, in a camped up reversion of the character – getting plenty of laughs every time he appeared on stage.

Her voice was absolutely incredible.

I particularly liked his little nod to ‘Defying Gravity’! I’d also just like to give a shoutout to two performances in particular that I believe stole the show. Cherece Richards, who played the role of ‘Dragon/Wicked Witch’ was incredible as the Dragon. Her voice was so powerful and beautiful, she literally owned the stage whenever she was singing. The other stand out performance had to be that of Georgie Buckland playing the roles of ‘Gingy/Elf/Bluebird/Dragon Puppeteer’. Her interpretation of ‘Gingy’ sounded like it was straight out of the movies (yes she said “Do you know the muffin man” & “Not my gumdrop buttons” and it was a magical moment!), and then when she started singing as well… WOW! To be dancing, whilst sounding like a well known character, whilst singing, and controlling a puppet. Phenomenal! Her voice was absolutely incredible, what a gift!  

In terms of set and lighting, as I’ve already mentioned it seemed to be a little bit lacklustre. From seeing what it was to what it is now, there was so much potential that just seemed to be lost. The lights were actually very impressive, big and on brand, with clever use of spotlights and shadows at points as well. The set used lots of projections. There were large moments when only a curtain with moving projections was used, leaving two thirds of the stage unused and it became quite boring to look at. Certain bits of set did seem to be missing as well.

The use of puppetry was very effective and I do have to say I really like the way in which the ‘Dragon’ was done, and love the way in which ‘Gingy’ was done. But again, having seen how the Dragon was portrayed previously, this just doesn’t came anywhere close. The effects were much the same. The ‘death’ of ‘Lord Farqaad’ was uninspiring. A half finished projection, with some haze and a flash of lights doesn’t present any theatre magic towards creating a sense of danger or fear. You may remember a scene from the film where ‘Princess Fiona’ makes a bird explode from singing. This moment again had so much potential but ended up with a puppet being thrown off of the stage. Having said this however, the mixture of the lights with the puppetry and projection effects was at times very effective in creating suspense and a scene. You would definitely feel as if you were part of a fairytale land, just maybe not as much as if it was physical set pieces instead. 

It was almost like I was waiting for things to happen, and then they never did. 

The original soundtrack is one that is quite well known by now; with songs such as ‘I’m a Believer’, ‘Big Bright Beautiful World’, and ‘I Know It’s Today’. Having a live orchestra for this was really nice! During ‘I Know It’s Today’, I did notice a lot of people in the audience seeming quite confused at exactly what was going on. Originally, this song is sung by a child, teen, and adult version of ‘Princess Fiona’. However, in this version it is just three adult Fiona’s all of different height and it was hard to differentiate between. A big change from the original was also not seeing ‘Lord Farqaad’ on his knees all show (If you know, you know). I actually quite liked seeing so much movement from Farqaad, but am not sure if this took away from the comedic value of him being so short or not. For me it just seemed to be the little details that were missing that really made this show the last time around. For example Pinocchio’s nose not growing made an entire piece of dialogue really confusing for me, and its another piece of theatre magic that’s just lost. It was almost like I was waiting for things to happen, and then they never did. 

I know that I have been drilling and thinking into this far too much. ‘Shrek’ is a lighthearted and fun story, retold on stage for all of the family. And does it do that? Yes it absolutely does! I think it is unfair to fully focus on a comparison of what the show used to be because if you hadn’t seen the original, I believe you could still be blown away by some of the effects and theming used. This was never intended to be a groundbreaking piece of theatre, but it easily could have been. The scripting is funny and very clever, with some fantastic nods to popular culture and links back to the movies. The soundtrack is also brilliant, and being performed live is exactly what musical theatre is. To sum up, this is definitely a great show that’s lots of fun, but I wish people could also have seen how it was originally portrayed! This new production was pantomime-esc but whether the show has cut so much to commercialise or not, you can’t take too much away from how it was performed. It’s still a great bit of family fun and a must see for all Shrek fans – a packed Mayflower Theatre on a Tuesday night tells you all you need to know! ‘Shrek The Musical’ is touring until May 2024 before heading to London’s Hammersmith Apollo in July and I wish all of the cast, crew and company the best of luck going forward.