Reverend's Reviews: Shrek Isn't Dreck

I notoriously (according to many who read my original review) referred to the 2001 animated movie Shrek oh-so-poetically as "dreck." While it became an enormous hit and spawned three sequels (Shrek 2 being, in my opinion, a vast improvement over the first), I found the original an obnoxious fairy tale farce that relied almost solely on potty humor and Disney-bashing for its raison d'etre.

Subsequently, I was far from enthused when I heard DreamWorks was turning its cash cow into a Broadway musical, hoping to follow in the footsteps of rival Disney's über-successful stage adaptations of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. Then I saw the original cast perform Lord Farquaad's showstopper "What's Up, Duloc?" on the 2009 Tony Awards broadcast. I was impressed. Then I bought the original cast recording, which proved to be filled with witty, inventive songs by David Lindsay-Abaire (an unexpected follow-up to his very serious, Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Rabbit Hole) and the gifted Jeanine Tesori (Caroline, or Change). I was even more impressed.

This past week, I was able to attend the Los Angeles opening of Shrek The Musical and see the complete work for the first time. Color me totally impressed! I highly recommend it — now playing through July 31 at the famed Pantages Theatre — to theatergoers young and old. There are still a few fart jokes and jabs at Disney, but the more-subtle musical benefits from a decidedly more lyrical, romantic approach. That and having human beings rather than computer-generated images fill the key roles give Shrek The Musical a massive advantage over its celluloid roots (although the film and musical are ostensibly based on stories written by the late William Steig).

Shrek, for the two people on the planet who haven't heard of the character, is a solitary, swamp-dwelling ogre who suddenly finds his muddy home overrun by fairy tale creatures including Pinocchio, the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs and others evicted from the nearby kingdom of Duloc by the diminutive, perfection-obsessed despot, Farquaad (played, predominantly on his knees, by the hilarious David F.M. Vaughn). Shrek (beautifully portrayed and voiced by Eric Petersen) sets out for Duloc, with a talking Donkey (a great-in-small-doses Alan Mingo, Jr.) at his side. Confronting Farquaad, Shrek is promised the deed to his property if he first rescues the long-imprisoned Princess Fiona (the hilarious Haven Burton) and delivers her to Duloc so Farquaad can marry her and make himself a legitimate king.

Splendid stagecraft ensues, with one visual delight after another. In addition to the great costume designs (by Tim Hatley) that enable Farquaad to appear only a few feet tall, the show features a talking Gingerbread Man, a flying dragon, a horde of tap-dancing rats, and a cameo by the Shrek movies' Puss in Boots. The touring production is co-directed by the clever Jason Moore, who previously supervised the puppet-based Avenue Q, and Rob Ashford of the recent Broadway revival of Promises, Promises among other credits. Superb if fairly minimal choreography is provided by Josh Prince.

Tesori's and Lindsay-Abaire's more than serviceable score is comprised of several gems, most noticeably Shrek's delightfully cynical opening number "Big Bright Beautiful World"; Fiona's wistful "I Know It's Today" (performed by the character at three different ages) and energetic Act II opener, "Morning Person"; any of Lord Farquaad's songs; the dragon's R&B tuner "Forever" (which replaces her previous song "Donkey Pot Pie," heard on the Broadway cast recording); the toe-tapping, GLBT instant anthem "Freak Flag"; and the climactic, proscenium-crossing "This Is Our Story." And for fans of the original movie, an encore cover of the Monkees' "I'm a Believer" performed by the show's vocally gifted cast is included.

Shrek The Musical will be touring extensively over the next year. Wherever it plays, I encourage locals to check it out, whether or not you are fans of the movie. You'll have a good time either way. Tour information may be found at the musical's official site.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Blade California.

Reverend's Preview: Let Your Freak Flag Fly at Shrek The Musical

DreamWorks Animation Studios has created such hit movies over the years as The Prince of Egypt, How to Train Your Dragon and the current blockbuster Kung Fu Panda 2. But as Dreamworks' CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg recently told a group of journalists (including myself) specially invited to his lavish studio compound for a private sneak peek at Shrek The Musical, a Broadway smash making its Southern California premiere in July, "Welcome to the house that Shrek built."

The first Shrek film, inspired by William Steig's classic storybook, was released in 2001 and inspired three sequels. Shrek The Musical premiered in New York in 2009 and was subsequently nominated for several Tony Awards. It will be performed at San Diego's Civic Theatre from July 5-10 and at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles July 12-31.

"There is no more defining character or story for DreamWorks than Shrek," Katzenberg said. It took a diverse group of artists to transfer the film to the stage. These include Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, who directed 1999's Best Picture American Beauty for DreamWorks and first proposed the idea of a Shrek musical; author and lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his play Rabbit Hole (which was made last year into an Oscar-nominated movie); Jeanine Tesori, who also composed the music for gay playwright Tony Kushner's Caroline, or Change; and co-directors Jason Moore (Avenue Q) and Rob Ashford (the recent Broadway revival of Promises Promises, among other credits).

Shrek The Musical adheres closely to the first movie's plot about an initially disgruntled, ultimately heroic ogre who falls in love with the seemingly human Princess Fiona. Along the way, he befriends a chatty Donkey and squares off against the villainous Lord Farquad. An assortment of classic fairy tale characters (including Pinocchio, the Three Little Pigs, Humpty Dumpty and the Gingerbread Man) round out the cast.

"We could make all sorts of changes in telling the story," according to DreamWorks Theatricals President Bill Damaschke, "but in the end Shrek has to be Shrek, Fiona has to be Fiona, Farquad has to be Farquad, and Donkey has to be Donkey." Damaschke, who is currently preparing the first London production of Shrek The Musical, also said, "It's a big show, necessitating many logistical challenges" in transferring it from Broadway to the tour. It also entailed several artistic challenges. Some things that didn't work as well in the generally well-received New York production were "too literal," says Damaschke, so the tour has simplified them and is more successful as a result.

Eric Petersen, a 29-year old actor who performed in Shrek The Musical on Broadway, will play the title role in Los Angeles and San Diego. He was on hand at the press event to sing a show-stopping song from the production, "Who I'd Be," and discuss his participation.

"This is such a big, huge character but I approach it honestly," Petersen said of his take on the iconic, green-skinned ogre. The married father of a baby girl shared about how he recalls his crush on a 6th-grade classmate during the scene where Shrek removes his knight's helmet for the first time before the lovely Fiona.

It takes 90 minutes and two make-up artists to prepare Petersen before each performance. He recounted how he "enjoyed" the process of developing the tour after being in the Broadway production, with Lindsay-Abaire and Tesori on hand "every day" to re-work songs and dialogue. The touring production includes a new song, "Forever," sung by a massive puppet of the dragon that protects Princess Fiona's tower.

Petersen also elaborated on the "definite" GLBT appeal to be found in Shrek The Musical. "Shrek and Fiona both ultimately realize 'I'm OK with who I am' despite their differences," he said. The star cites the show's production number "Freak Flag," in which all the fairy tale creatures sing of the culture-changing power they can draw from their uniqueness, as being particularly relevant to GLBT theatergoers.

Finally, DreamWorks Animation production designer Guillaume Aretos spoke about his consultative role in adapting the original film for the stage. "The design is at the service of the story," Aretos said, whether working in film or theatre. He is currently hard at work on the Shrek prequel, Puss in Boots. Antonio Banderas will reprise his vocal performance as the feline hero in the movie, which is scheduled for theatrical release on November 4, 2011.

Be sure to see Shrek The Musical and "Let your freak flag wave!" For additional information or to purchase tickets for the tour's limited runs in San Diego or Los Angeles, visit the show's official website.

Preview by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Blade California.