A review written by: Dorotea Blažinčić
Shrek the Musical is a Broadway musical that debuted on September 10, 2008, but it is also
available to us now mainly due to modern technologies and the media. Shrek The Musical is
written and directed by David Lindsay-Abaire, with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics by
David Lindsay-Abaire. The musical is based on the DreamWorks animated feature from
2001.
The musical is based on a well-known narrative. Shrek, the sensitive but grumpy ogre,
embarks on a journey with the assistance of a donkey to rescue the lovely princess Fiona
from the castle of the fearsome dragon and bring her to her prince, who would return his
swamp to him. But, in this well-thought-out scheme, love enters the picture, complicating
everything even more.
The musical remained, in every way, absolutely consistent with the film that came before it.
The screenplay, costumes, and scenery are generally identical to those shown in the film.
The characters in the musical gained a deeper meaning as they conveyed their deepest
sentiments via their songs (particularly Shrek and Fiona’s song about being abandoned as
young kids), and so the performance became even stronger.
When I compare the musical to the film, I don’t notice any glaring flaws. Unlike in the film, the
characters in the musical became three-dimensional, and everyone was given the
opportunity to tell their tale. Every character has both qualities and flaws, exactly like in the
real world. What I miss about the musical is definitely more vitality in the songs because,
while they were extremely lovely and sung at a high level quality, they are not songs that I
will remember the next day.
To summarize, I would suggest this musical to every Shrek fan. If you’re willing to set aside
two hours of your time, it’s funny, engaging, instructive, and enjoyable for the entire family.
It’s well worth it!