Posts Tagged ‘shrek’

“Shrek” Entertains with Humor and Heart at the Muny

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Shrek: The Musical
Book & Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, Music by Jeanine Tesori
Directed by John Tartaglia
Choreographed by Patrick O’Neill
The Muny
June 26, 2026

Nik Walker (center) and Cast
Photo by Phillip Hamer
The Muny

Shrek has arrived in Forest Park, and he’s leading a lively, entertaining cast and crew. This is the second production of Shrek: The Musical at the Muny, with the previous production being in 2013. I saw that show and liked it, but this time, director John Tartaglia, choreographer Patrick O’Neill and company have pulled out all the stops to stage this vibrant, energetic ode to a gruff but likable ogre who is reluctantly pulled out of his swamp for a life-changing adventure.

This show basically tells the story of the first Shrek movie, but it adds a bit of backstory for Shrek (Nik Walker, with Young Shrek played by Solomon Rosenthal) and Princess Fiona (Kara Lindsay, played as a child by Lake Schultz and a teen by Amelie Lock). The basic story, though, is the same as the film–Shrek’s private swamp has been overrun by displaced fairy tale characters who have been banished there by the vain Lord Farquaad (Troy Iwata), who is trying to rid the land of Duloc from those he deems “freaks”. Farquaad also wants to marry a princess so he can become king, and so he sends Shrek on a quest to rescue Fiona from a dragon-guarded castle. Along the way, Shrek meets the relentlessly friendly Donkey (Marcus M. Martin) and forms a reluctant friendship. Through the course of the adventure, Shrek battles a dragon (a fantastic multi-person puppet voiced by Solome Smith) and his own personal demons while Fiona tries to hide a secret of her own. If you’ve seen the film, you know how this plays out, but here the songs add dimension to the story in intriguing ways, as well as a fun level of live theatre energy.

The cast is marvelous, led by the ideally cast Walker as the gruff, grumpy, but sensitive Shrek. Walker’s vocals are excellent on songs like “Who I’d Be” and “Build a Wall”, and he has excellent rapport and chemistry with Martin’s hilarious Donkey and Lindsay’s perky Fiona. Lindsay, for her part, also brings a lot of energy and stellar vocals to her role, and Martin’s comic timing is spot on. There’s also a delightfully comic, physical performance from Iwata as the gleefully self-absorbed Farquaad, and a vocally spectacular turn from Smith as the voice of the dragon, with “Forever” being among the highlights of the show. The leads are well-supported by an excellent ensemble and youth ensemble, with standout performances by Tyler Joseph Ellis as Pinocchio, and Aymee Garcia as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Gingy. It’s an energetic company all around, singing well and performing Patrick O’Neill’s vibrant choreography with energy and style. 

The show also looks and sounds great. Adam Koch’s multi-level set is colorful and versatile, and is well-supported by Kylee Loera’s vibrant video design. There are also eye-catching costumes by Robin L. McGee based on the original costume design by Tim Hatley; and memorable wigs by Jeff Knaggs. The costumes are clearly inspired by the film, but they go their own way in a few places, as well. There’s also excellent lighting by Jason Lyons and sound by Joshua Hummel. Also, the puppets in the show are especially notable, including some excellent rat puppets by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and the truly spectacular, colossal dragon puppet by James W. Wojtal, Jr. There’s also an excellent Muny orchestra led by music director Ben Whitely, doing justice to Jeanine Tesori’s memorable score. 

Shrek: the Musical still may not be as great as the film in my mind, but it holds its own as a vibrant, energetic show with humor and heart. It’s a treat for all ages, and I noticed the large number of families with children in the audience. This is a broad-appeal show that brings wonder, delight, and laugh-out-loud comedy to Forest Park with undeniable charm. 

Marcus M. Martin and Cast
Photo by Phillip Hamer
The Muny

The Muny is presenting Shrek: The Musical in Forest Park until July 2, 2026

 

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Ogres, Adventures and Expectations

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 26, 2013| 1 Comment »

Shrek the Musical
Book and Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, Music by Jeanine Tesori
Directed by John Tartaglia
Choreographed by Vince Pesce
The Muny, St. Louis
June 24, 2013

Shrek Muny

The Muny’s 2013 season got off to a promising start with last week’s rousing, hilarious production of Monty Python’s Spamalot. This week’s production of this adaptation of the popular Dreamworks film Shrek, however, was more of a mixed bag. Although I had been expecting a little more from the newly revitalized Muny, overall, I thought this production provided for an entertaining evening of theatre

The story here follows the plot of the film fairly closely, as Shrek the Ogre goes on an unlikely quest to rescue a princess and discover his true sense of worth, with a few extra elements (such as more backstory for Shrek and Princess Fiona) added to expand the story. I found the film pleasantly surprising and endearingly complex, but the musical kind of flattens the story out and has something of a “by-the-numbers” feel, and seems at least 20 minutes too long. Still, there were some great moments and some very good songs.

First, I will say that this production had a lot of good things going for it, most notably the fine cast. Stephen Wallem brings a lot of warmth to Shrek, and seems better with the serious moments of the show (such as the songs “When Words Fail” and “Build a Wall) than the comedic ones, although his comic skills are fine as well. He plays particularly well against Michael James Scott as Shrek’s unwelcome (at first) traveling companion Donkey, and Julia Murney as the disillusioned but stubbornly optimistic Princess Fiona. Scott in particular gives an impressive comic performance. The real stand-outs in this cast, however, are Rob McClure as the diminutive villain Lord Farquaad, who steals every scene he is in and impresses with the sheer physicality of his performance, and Natalie Venetia Belcon as the voice of the Dragon, displaying a powerful voice and lots of infectious attitude in the song “Forever” with Scott and a group of captured knights. This, to my mind, is the best scene in the whole show, with lots of spectacle and impressive performances all around.

Other highlights of this production included all the ensemble numbers in Farquaad’s Castle (“What’s Up, Duloc” is a gem), and the “dare to be different” anthem “Freak Flag”, sung by the outcast Fairy Tale characters. Murney as Fiona had some good moments with “I Know It’s Today” (sung as a trio with Maria Knasel and Allsion Broadhurst as two younger versions of the Princess) and “Morning Person”. The finale and curtain call performance of “I’m a Believer” were also a lot of fun.

Technically, I found the production to be uneven. There were quite a few noticeable issues with the sound, with audible crackling of microphones and inadequate amplification in places. The costumes were very basic and had an amateurish feel, especially in terms of Shrek (his headpiece even came off at one point in the show) and the Fairy Tale characters. I thought Lord Farquaad’s costume was well done, though, and the colorful larger-than-life Dragon puppet was very impressive. The sets, designed by Steve Giliam, filled out the large Muny stage well, and I thought the electronic scenery wall was put to excellent use in setting the atmosphere, particularly in Shrek’s swamp and on his journey with Donkey and Fiona back to Farquaad’s castle.

I have one issue in regard to the audience and I realize this will be a bit of a rant, but it’s a very big deal to me. I think it is extremely rude to the actors onstage and the rest of the audience when large groups of people get up to leave during the finale. OK, so some people may have to drive a long way to get home, but if you come to a show, is it really too much of a hardship to stay for the whole performance? Do people even realize that the actors can see them? I don’t see this at the Muny every performance, but I’ve seen it a few times before and it always bothers me. I would advise people to think about whether they are able to stay for the whole performance and if they can’t, maybe they should just stay home. There is a page about “Theatre Etiquette” in every Muny program, but I wonder how many people actually read it.

OK, rant over. For the most part, I would say Shrek at the Muny is an entertaining performance of a somewhat underwhelming show that doesn’t quite live up to its source material. It’s an enjoyable evening with some excellent moments and good performances, but knowing what the Muny is capable of, I do find myself wishing it had been better.

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