Welcome back to Musical Monday! Today’s edition features a musical that I crowdsourced from many of my co-workers. It also happens to be a musical I was especially fond of as a child. What that says about me, I will let you decide. Without further ado, I give you Musical Monday: “Shrek the Musical.”
Plot
As most can likely guess, “Shrek the Musical” is a stage adaptation of the 2001 DreamWorks film “Shrek.” It follows an ogre named Shrek as he sets out to rid his swamp home from hosts of other fairytale characters. Along the way, he picks up his unlikely best friend Donkey and the cursed Princess Fiona. The musical follows the plot of the movie, but also includes elements of “Shrek 2” and “Shrek Forever After.” It also includes information from the 1990 picture book the movie was based on.
Show History
Ideas for “Shrek the Musical” began back in 2002, soon after the movie was released. Book writer and lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire initially worked with director Jason Moore, but composer Jeanine Tesori joined the project in 2004. A reading took place in 2007, but the musical did not fully premiere until its Seattle tryout in 2008. The Seattle production opened on Sept. 10, 2008 (which was coincidentally my sixth birthday), and received positive reviews. Many changes were made in the following months, including bringing in actor Daniel Breaker to play Donkey. The rest of the principal cast carried over from the Seattle tryout, including seven-time Tony nominee Sutton Foster as Fiona and five-time nominee Brian d’Arcy James as Shrek.
“Shrek” opened on Broadway on Nov. 8, 2008 at the Broadway Theatre — one of the few Broadway theatres to actually be on Broadway. “Shrek” was nominated for eight Tony Awards — winning Best Costume Design, but ultimately closed on Jan. 3, 2010 after 441 performances. Though the show had received good reviews, it was incredibly expensive to produce and did not recoup its investment.
“Shrek” then embarked on a national tour that featured many changes from the Broadway production. These changes carried through the West End production, which ran from May 6, 2011 to Feb. 24, 2013 — having lasted almost 300 performances longer than the Broadway production.
On Oct. 15, 2013, a pro-shot of the Original Broadway production was released on DVD, before making way to streaming services two months later.
Personal History
I first saw “Shrek the Musical” in elementary school, when my older cousin Cassidy was in a community theatre production of it, playing Humpty Dumpty. My elementary school-aged brain immediately loved the show, and I soon listened to the Original Broadway Cast Recording many times. I distinctly remember watching the pro-shot at one of my birthday parties — much to the chagrin of my staunchly non-theatre kid best friend — though I do not remember how old I was turning.
After this, I worked on the run crew for another community theatre production of the show, assisting with the transportation of set pieces and props throughout the show.
Favorite Songs
My favorite song from “Shrek the Musical” is easily “Who I’d Be,” the Act One closer of the show. In the number, Shrek, Fiona and Donkey all reflect on their goals and ambitions. It also serves as the show’s reveal that Fiona’s curse turns her into an ogre after the sun sets. It’s a surprisingly serious song for such a silly show, and is the one I most often find myself listening to if I am going to listen to a song from “Shrek.”
Favorite Fact
My favorite fact about “Shrek the Musical” is less a fact about the history of the production, and more of an observation I have made about the show over the years. This observation is that “Shrek the Musical” seems to be cursed. Every production of it that I have seen or worked on had something go wrong within the process.
In the production of the show that I first saw my cousin in, there was a mistake with her costume, and the emergency replacement prevented her from being able to see. This meant that she had to be led around the stage by a castmate the entire show.
The production I worked on had various scenic issues, including a performance in which the set completely fell down mid-scene. Myself and the other middle school-aged stagehand were at a loss for what to do about it.
Finally, I attended a production of “Shrek the Musical” that one of my friends was an ensemble member in. From my seat in the front row, I clearly remember him locking eyes with me as his pants fell down on stage in the midst of a big musical number. I had noticed them slipping earlier in the song, as had he, but due to the large foam gloves he was wearing, there was nothing he could do to prevent them from falling down completely.
I have yet to experience a production of “Shrek the Musical” that has gone off without a hitch, though I hope I do someday.
Author: Tessa Cheshire
Photos courtesy of Joan Marcus and Andrew Eccles
Editor: Anna Mower
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