Shrek The Musical (The SOB Review) - Broadway Theatre, New York, NY
*** (out of ****)After just
now reading
Michael Riedel's grim assessment for
Shrek The Musical's box office, it dawned on me that I've been remiss in providing my own assessment for the show itself.
You know what? It's not that bad. In fact, it's actually pretty funny and quite often borderline brilliant. The show deserves a larger audience.
Aside from the wonderfully versatile
Daniel Breaker, whose take on the Donkey is nothing short of inspired lunacy, I realize I may just be about the only person on the planet who hadn't seen any of the wildly successful "
Shrek" films first. For some reason, I always resisted seeing the animated features, so I was surprised by how often I found myself laughing early and often at this fairy tale satire, aided by
Jason Moore's frequently ingenious direction and
Tim Hatley's magical flourishes.
In fact,
David Lindsay-Abaire's book offers a far superior and roundly satisfying first act. Not only does it completely engage with its sly skewering of
Disney and Broadway fare alike, but it becomes a ginormous gutbuster when
Christopher Sieber's hilarious Lord Farquaad lampoons both
Dreamgirls and Wicked in less than six deliciously delirious seconds. It's moments like those that
Jeanine Tesori and Lindsay-Abaire's score occasionally soars.
Shrek's top-drawer cast is led by the enormously talented
Brian d'Arcy James in the title role. I've often said that this is one criminally underused actor. He imbues his
Shrek with healthy doses of humor and heart. He's also fortunate to be supported by the aforementioned Breaker and Sieber, along with the absolutely fartastic
Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona, who manages to fly her freak flag quite well.
If you're looking for an escape from all of today's headlines that only an ogre could relish -- and let's face it, who isn't?! -- as well as a musical where you can see all your money up on the stage,
Shrek The Musical is just the ticket.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Brian d'Arcy James, Broadway, Christopher Sieber, Daniel Breaker, David Lindsay-Abaire, Film, Jason Moore, Jeanine Tesori, Musical, Shrek The Musical, Sutton Foster, The SOB Review
Broadway Preview: Shrek The MusicalI don't mean to be an ogre, but could it be that I'm the only living person who hasn't seen any of the
Shrek movies?
I'm not exactly sure why I never took them in, but the longer I've gone, the less interested I've become. Perhaps I've avoided them because I've been told that they're too smarmy for their own good, and I've never been able to shake that notion.
So it's against that backdrop that I find myself less than excited about the upcoming
Shrek The Musical, which already begins its
out-of-town tryout next month in Seattle at the city's 5th Avenue Theatre -- the very same venue that proudly launched
Hairspray six years ago.
The 5th Avenue Theatre describes their tryout:
This summer, the most beloved swamp-dwelling ogre of all time will make his theatrical debut in the World Premiere of Shrek The Musical, at The 5th Avenue Theatre. This all-new production is based on Shrek’s adventures in the classic William Steig book and Oscar-winning film. Joining Shrek on his journey from the swamp to the stage will be his wisecracking sidekick Donkey, Princess Fiona, Lord Farquaad and a chorus of everybody’s favorite fairytale creatures. With more layers than ever and a completely original new score, Shrek The Musical proves there’s more to the story than meets the ears.
Shrek The Musical is due to land at the Main Stem's
Broadway Theatre in time for previews starting November 11, with an opening night slated for December 14.
Now, if there
is anything to get excited about, it's that
Jeanine Tesori (
Caroline, Or Change) is writing the music for its score. The fact that Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright
David Lindsay-Abaire (
Rabbit Hole) is supplying the lyrics and book should also have me intrigued, but we all know what happend during his
previous musical effort. Knowing a thing or two about monsters is Tony nominated director
Jason Moore (
Avenue Q), who helms the show, yet the choreography comes from Broadway first-timer
Josh Prince. You see, everything I see as good is somehow tempered.
OK, another positive is that the criminally underused, Tony-nominated
Brian d'Arcy James returns to Broadway in the title role. Tony-winning actress
Sutton Foster will portray Princess Fiona; regular readers
will recall that it wasn't until my
fourth attempt to see her that she was actually performing in a show, but on the plus side, I thought she was incredibly talented when I finally saw her. Other cast members include the Tony-nominated
Christopher Sieber as Lord Farquaad,
Chester Gregory II as the Donkey,
Kecia Lewis-Evans as the Dragon and the Tony-nominated
John Tartaglia as Pinocchio.
Nevertheless, with the lackluster critical success of recent
film translations to the stage, along with some early
negative press already appearing in some important quarters, I'm left still feeling a bit like a bogeyman.
So, I ask you, dear readers. Should I bite the bullet and see the "Shrek" trilogy on film? Will it have me thirsting for the stage incarnation?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Shrek Seattle tickets.Click here for Shrek Broadway tickets.Related Stories:Is It Just Me, Or... (Part III) (January 22, 2008)
Labels: Brian d'Arcy James, Broadway, Chester Gregory II, Christopher Sieber, David Lindsay-Abaire, Film, Jason Moore, Jeanine Tesori, John Tartaglia, Musical, Seattle, Shrek The Musical, Sutton Foster
