Shrek is arguably one of the most iconic and well known non-Disney animated franchises of all time, and it made sense for it to get the musical treatment back in 2008. With a book and lyrics done by David Lindsay-Abaire, and music by Jeanine Tesori, the show has been a smash hit and is a lot of fun. I was therefore delighted to see it being performed by the Attleborough Players!
For those unfamiliar, the show follows the plot of the original Shrek movie. Our titular hero, Shrek (Joseph Reed) goes on an adventure with Donkey (Ryan Young), as they aim to rescue Princess Fiona (Kayleigh Poacher) where she’s trapped in a dragon-guarded tower, awaiting her true love to rescue her. This mission is all at the behest of the evil Lord Farquaad (Martin Godfrey) who wants a queen to cement his place as king, and will rid Shrek’s swamp of fairy tale creatures – which he put there in the first place!
Right away you can see a lot of passion has been put into this show. Everyone looked like they were having a lot of fun and you could feel that in the audience. The set and lighting was very impressive and it worked well within the confines of the stage. The puppetry of Dragon was brilliant and made me double take.
The ensemble had lots of energy, embodying the many fairy tale creatures featured in the show. Dragon’s vocals were on fire, and Lord Farquaad was suitably devious and mustache twirly.
Fiona was charismatic and comedy gold. Her tap number, ‘Morning Person’, was a great way to start Act 2! Donkey was a lot of fun, and Young gave a showstopping rendition of ‘Make A Move’ alongside the Three Blind Mice! His relationship with Shrek was also really sweet.
Speaking of Shrek, Reed gave the character a lot of heart and had very powerful vocals. ‘Who I’d Be!’ was very touching and a great end to Act 1. Reed understood his character and embodied what we all love in Shrek!
All in all, the cast and crew did a great job with this production and should be proud. Shrek continues until Saturday 18th so book your tickets now!
Chris
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