Thursday 5 February 2015

Shrek Delights Scottish Audiences

Tweet of the week goes to Chelsea Munro who saw the show yesterday and fell in love with the Shrek's beautiful and super talented Princess, Faye Brookes.

I think there must be a shortage of entertainment journalists in Northern Scotland because I haven't found too many reviews of Shrek the Musical since it landed at Her Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen.

However, those I have found loved the show and I thought I should feature at least one more and a few fans tweets before the swamp heads to Canterbury next week.

There are only 4 days left for Faye and the fairytale gang in Aberdeen but incredibly there are still 7 shows, with matinee performances on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

That means you've still got time to grab yourself a ticket before it leaves town.

Don't miss your opportunity to see the UK's most talented actress in this years must see show. *BOOK TICKETS FOR SHREK IN ABERDEEN*

Below is the review I mentioned above, it was written on opening night by Leanna MacLarty for the Aberdeen Daily Record.

The magical world’s most feared, and loved, ogre is terrifying and delighting audiences at Aberdeen, writes Leanna MacLarty


Shrek the Musical made its Scotland debut at Her Majesty’s Theatre, in Aberdeen, this week delighting audience members young and old.

The stage show is based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks animated film about a fearsome ogre who becomes an unlikely hero when his swamp is overrun with fairytale characters exiled from their homes by the evil Lord Farquaad.

To win his swamp back, Shrek is tasked with rescuing the fair Princess Fiona from a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. Setting out on the quest with best friend Donkey, Shrek finds adventure, new friends and maybe even love along the way.

The Shrek film is much loved by children but is also packed with enough humour, innuendo and suggestion to keep the adults amused all the way through. The musical takes that ability to appeal to all kinds of audiences and builds on it, creating a show which will keep children laughing all the way through but gives frequent cheeky winks to the older audience members.

The magic of Shrek’s fairytale world is impressively recreated for theatre, transforming the stage into a colourful land of magical creatures and beautiful backdrops.

A wide array of stage techniques are used to bring the story to life, including digital images projected onto the stage and particularly the clever use of puppetry and costuming to realise the kingdom’s band of magical misfits.

One of the most impressive sights to reach the stage was the fearsome dragon guarding Princess Fiona, brought to life at full, terrifying scale. The enormous puppet, mastered by three almost unseen puppeteers, takes up nearly the entire stage but glides around as if she actually were flying.

The clever techniques which transform actor Gerard Carey into pint-sized evil ruler Lord Farquaad kept the audience delighted for the whole show. Playing a character half his size, Carey’s brilliant movement, comedy lines and facial expressions make Farquaad one of the funniest and most risqué characters on stage.

Dean Chisnall brings Shrek to life and dominates the stage as the huge ogre, convinced his role in life it to be alone and unloved. Chisnall steps into Shrek’s mammoth shoes with style and humour, bringing large personality to the character, within an even larger costume.

The talented cast make up a host of recognisable fairytale beings, including Pinocchio with his extendable nose, Peter Pan, the Fairy Godmother and the Wicked Witch. When not playing children’s favourites, the cast hop in and out of multiple roles including witless soldiers and merry residents of Farquaad’s “perfect” Duloc.

As a movie adaptation, the musical does not have a host of already well-known songs to draw on, but has created some brilliant new songs and powerful duets. Ending on the classic Shrek high note of The Monkees “I’m a Believer” leaves the audience dancing out of the theatre.

Twenty-five years since Shrek was brought to life by American children’s author William Steig, the family favourite is now bringing joy to theatre audiences in Scotland.

The show is an absolute delight and will run in Aberdeen until February 8.

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