New Wimbledon Theatre – until 30 September 2023
Reviewed by Amber Mills
5*****
Magical musical fantasy, where dreams come alive!
Shrek is a classic childhood film that was originally a fantasy comedy picture book published in 1990 by American book writer and cartoonist William Steig, about a mean lord who exiled fairytale creatures to the swamp of a terrifying, repugnant green ogre by the name of Shrek, who must go on a quest and rescue a princess for the lord in order to get his land back. Shrek ends up leaving his home to see the world and ends up marrying an ugly princess.
This big, bright, beautiful cast was remarkable. Each and every cast member was captivating and larger than life during the ensemble numbers, in particular, ‘Freak Flag’, I didn’t know where to look. Everyone really embraced their characters and took them to another level. They didn’t just play there bulk standard fairytale creatures, they went beyond and each added their own spice on top of the general characteristics which reinvigorated these fun-loving, lively characters.
In particular there were 4 dancing prisoners in ‘Donkey’s pot pie’ song who drew my eye. They brought the power, and pazzazz to this crazy routine. These dancers had chains around their wrists and ankles yet were still going full out with feeling and because of this it made it an even funnier moment to watch.
One of my favourite characters of the evening was Donkey, who was played by Brandon Lee Sears. Donkey is known for his talkative, but annoying demeanour, which Brandon portrayed fantastically!
His ecstatic energy and impeccable characterization had me in fits of laughter throughout the show.
Another talented member of the cast who stood out to me was Jonathan David Dudley for his superb multi-roling. He played the Captain of the Guard, Pied Piper and the Priest, all of which had totally different character qualities and to be able to switch between these roles throughout this show is a real talent when these are completely different types of characters. From his clear diction to his bold character choices Jonathan is a very versatile performer who I couldn’t take my eyes off of, even when not speaking in a scene.
I was also mind blown with Cherece Richards performance as the Dragon. It was a powerful but mellifluous performance that gave me shivers when watching. Cherece also plays the Wicked Witch but it was her performance in ‘Donkeys Pot Pie’ that really raised the roof for me.
To conclude the characters Fiona (Joanne Clifton) and Shrek (Antony Lawrence) in their duet of ‘I think I got you beat’ bounced off each other and gave a very fun, joyful performance. Joanne nailed Fiona’s split personality of a pretty, innocent princess, who also has tomboy mannerisms.
Anthony’s performance as Shrek throughout was solid and truthful.
The whole set of Shrek was very unique and true to the story, however a personal opinion of mine would be that in certain scenes the projector ruined some of the authenticity. In previous productions of Shrek there was a real bridge to the dragon’s castle which in my opinion made it more authentic but nevertheless the excellent timing that Shrek and Donkey had with the screen made up for it.
The lighting patterning and the costumes in this show really complemented the magical fairytale creatures. The way all of the costumes were vibrantly glitzed up just made the whole magical fantasy land even more life-like.
This was an extremely entertaining show that was casted very cleverly. It’s a show that brings back the magical childhood memories and is a must watch for all families!