What's big, green and farts a lot?
Can a movie escape its celluloid bonds and morph into a stage play? Long story short, yes.
The musical adaptation of Dreamwork's animated masterpiece has already conquered the West End. And why not? The movie franchise is already stamped on the public consciousness, thanks to Mike Myers' voice talents and a script stuffed with irreverent, bawdy humour. The movie's USP is to take the fairytales we all know backwards, and give them a cheeky, modern slant. The Big Bad Wolf is a cross-dresser. Peter Pan needs a shave. Prince Charming is a narcissistic ninny and so on. But the role reversal goes deeper. The good guy is the grumpy ogre. The beautiful princess is actually...well no spoilers, in case you're the one-in-a-million who doesn't already know the twist. The movie pulls off that old Hollywood trick of seeming to be counter-cultural when really it affirms family values. You may be a freak, but love brings acceptance. And everyone loves that message.
So we know the plot before the curtain rises. Our enjoyment is in the delivery. And this musical ticks all the boxes. The fairyland costumes are stunning. The sets magical. Inventive use of props brings Gingerbread Man to life. The lovelorn dragon is puppetry on an epic scale, dwarfing the stage. The script serves up some of our favourite lines (do you know the muffin man?) along with plenty of new jokes and funny special effects.
However clever the effects, any play needs a good cast to work. Box ticked. Shrek (Dean Chisnall) is superb as the grouch whose cynicism hides a wounded soul. Of course, no sassanach can do a Glaswegian accent like Mike Myers, but that's splitting hairs. Princess Fiona (Faye Brookes) is the right mix of feisty and vulnerable and can belt out a song. Lord Farquaad (Gerard Carey) deserves a medal for spending the evening on his knees. His facial expressions have the audience hooting with laughter. Donkey (Idriss Kargbo) is frenetic and endearing, even if the character's dialogue has lost a little of the sharp humour from the film.
Some of the song and dance routines are spellbinding. The large cast dances their shoes off. Every performer seems to love what they're doing and this is infectious. The packed audience of the young and young-at-heart clearly loved every scene. And yes, there are plenty of fart jokes.
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