Shrek The Musical, Eventim Apollo Review
Written by Philip for Theatre and Tonic.
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review. All opinions are our own.
Shrek is a huge theatrical franchise spawning four animated films, with a fifth coming in 2026, television specials, spin-offs and of course Shrek the Musical which first burst onto the stage in 2008. After successful runs on Broadway and in the West End, Shrek is back for a new UK tour with a 6 week residency in London this summer.
Following the plot of the first film, we see Shrek sent on a quest by the dastardly Lord Farquaad to rescue Princess Fiona and bring her back to him. In exchange, Shrek will be granted the deeds to his own swamp and the fairytale creatures who have been displaced there will be moved on. Shrek takes on this mantle with assistance from an extremely chatty and annoying but loveable talking Donkey. Over the course of the next two hours, you watch as Shrek and the Princess grow close with a couple of twists and turns along the way as with any good love story.
Having been a fan of the original West End production I was very excited to be able to see the new production. That excitement however was relatively short lived. Understandably, a UK tour is not same as West End production but compared to the opulence of the original production a lot of cut backs have been made here, making the show feel a little muted and slightly disappointing. In this production, there seems to be an overreliance on projection. Although effective for some moments on the show every time the curtain ripples the images being projected warp and go in and out of focus. It is quite off-putting.
Another choice which has been made for this production is to have Lord Farquaad standing rather than moving on his knees which has been the case in other versions of the show. It means that the height based quips and jokes just do not land or are scrapped entirely. One of the joys in the original film and original musical production is the humour in the height difference between Lord Farquaad and Princess Fiona, while also making jokes about Lord Farquaad’s parentage. While this remains in this version it just doesn’t feel the same when the actor is the same height as Fiona. I understand how having an actor moving on their knees to shorten themselves can be seen as offensive but what we are left with instead, is innuendo regarding Farquaad’s sexuality to fill the gap, which is potentially also offensive.
Having said the above - Shrek is still a great musical. The music and lyrics by Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay - Abaire are brilliant. You come away humming many of the tunes. The book, also by Lindsay-Abaire is witty and joyful with heartfelt moments. Through their words and songs, the characters and their emotions really do come to life.
The performances by the leads, (Antony Lawrence as Shrek, Joanne Clifton as Fiona, Todrick Hall as Donkey and James Gillan as Farquaad), are all very good. They each have their moment to shine. Lawrence gives a brilliant rendition of ‘Who I’d Be’ at the close of Act 1 showing strong vocals and emotion, Clifton shows off her incredible dance skills in ‘Morning Person’ at the top of Act 2 and Hall and Gillan both show their comedy chops throughout as both Donkey and Lord Farquaad. The stand out performer for me though is Cherece Richards who plays the Dragon. In her only number, she smashes it. She uses her short amount of stage time to her full potential. The ensemble get the chance to show off in a few numbers in the show, ‘What’s Up Duloc?’ and ‘Freak Flag’ being personal favourites. They are a very talented bunch of performers.
It is a shame this show has moved quite so far away from the original production but it is still worth a watch. The finale number is really quite the spectacle and really gets the crowd on side. It is just a shame it doesn’t manage it sooner. If you are in and around London over the summer and you have children who like fairytales and fun this is definitely one for them.
Shrek the Musical is playing at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith until the 31st August.
☆ ☆ ☆
