When almost every theatre in the land is doling out the traditional seasonal fayre of pantomime, Blackpool's Opera House went for another very popular and family friendly show for the children this December. 'Shrek' is a musical comedy based on the animated film of the same name, and the story follows a large green ogre named Shrek, as he attempts to win his swamp back from Lord Farquaad who has banished all the fairytale creatures from his city and dumped them in the swamp to fend for themselves. In so doing he meets a very talkative and excitable donkey, and together they end up rescuing Princess Fiona from an isolated tower guarded by a ferocious but lonely female dragon, and of course, because this is itself a fairytale, Shrek and Fiona fall in love and find happiness together.
This production by Goucher / Gale / Myers, and Gavin Karlin Productions is a very swift affair using graphics and CGI for majority of the scenery and set. Sometimes though it is too slick, as the scenery for the following scene appears before the scene being played out has truly finished. Philip Witcomb's set was a pair of concentic semi-circles enclosing the stage and action, meaning the acting area was reduced and we were constantly watching the action take place inside coloured lights and rainbow effects which distracted and took away from the actual set and actual action taking place within them.
Antony Lawrence was a most endearing Shrek, his Scottish brogue pitched just right, and his subtle changes in character from big scary ogre at first through acceptance, friendship, and finally love was nicely marked. Joanne Clifton (Princess Fiona) and Brandon Lee Sears (Donkey) were his travelling companions and co-stars, the three of them working well together. James Gillan played the baddie, Lord Farquaad, but I simply did not understand why he did not perform on his knees. Standing the same height as all around him did not work. The joke was gone, the laughter none existent, and his character diminished. Whilst the dragon was played by Cherece Richards. Again, this was most confusng. A large puppet dragon (not large enough!) was brought on stage by three puppeteers in black, as well as Williams costumed as a dragon. She spoke and sang, and the cast looked at and acknowledged her, NOT the puppet, negating the need for a puppet! Moreover Williams and the puppet moved independently of each other and even exited the stage from different sides! I asked a young boy seated next to me how many dragons were on stage, expecting him to reply with "two". However, his answer was three.... he counted the three handlers, and had not even recognised the fact that Williams was meant to be the dragon until prompted by his mum.
There was one other rather strange casting choice too. When we first see Fiona and she sings, "I Know It's Today", we should see three versions of her in the tower, one as a preteen, one a teenager, and one as the twenty-something of the now. However, sadly all three Fionas looked approximately the same age and there was no distinction in acting or singing between them either.
A lively, happy show for the festive season, but when the dialogue and singing seems somehow muffled and hard to understand - even if you do know the story -, it is a little disappointing. In fact, the only two occasions when the target audience truly laughed... belly laughed, were the two points in the show when either Shrek or Fiona fart.
Family friendly, fast-moving, and proficiently produced, this is a colourful and enjoyable spectacle.
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