Physically, this production of Shrek the Musical is as handsome as all get-out — and there’s a lot of talent on the stage. That said, on opening night, it took quite a while before I was emotionally engaged. Let’s get into all that.
But first, a quick synopsis in case you don’t know the story. Shrek is an ogre whose parents kicked him out when he was seven and told him he’d never have friends. Sure enough, he’s green and he’s stinky so people would run screaming when they saw him coming — or attack him with pitchforks. So Shrek has made a home — alone — in a swamp. But his privacy is invaded when the evil Lord Farquaad banishes all the fairytale creatures from his royal seat, and they descend on Shrek’s sanctuary. Striking a deal that would allow him to get his swamp back, Shrek agrees to rescue Princess Fiona, who has been held in a tower guarded by a dragon, so that she can marry Farquaad.
The musical is all about being an outcast, but it wasn’t until Fiona’s song “I Know It’s Today” that I cared about any of the outcasts — and that’s song number eight of 13 in Act 1. Several well-staged numbers come before that, but “I Know It’s Today” was the first time I had access to a character’s internal world and its challenges. Finally, there was somebody to root for! (Early on, the score gives us very little access to Shrek’s heart.) It helped, of course, that “I Know It’s Today” is sung by a trio of Fionas who document their incarceration over a period of several years — and that the voices of this production’s trio (Madison Simms as grown-up Fiona, Alicia Malelang as the teen version, and Nora Cowan as the child) blend beautifully. As sung here, this song is a jewel.
Before that, too many numbers document Farquaad’s nastiness, which should be a pretty simple given. And, on opening night at least, the lyrics to a lot of these songs were hard to hear. When I saw the show, there was a boom during Act 1 and, at intermission, sound designer Rick Calhoun told me that there had been a technical malfunction and several cues were lost. I suspect there were also problems with articulation: several actors who are playing fairytale characters are using extreme character voices that make them difficult to understand, so lyrics get lost.
One more thing before I get to more of the good stuff. Farquaad, whose father is Grumpy, of the Seven Dwarves, is short, and this musical, whose raison d’être is the celebration of difference, just can’t stop ridiculing Farquaad’s stature: the character is always played, for laughs, by a normatively sized actor on his knees. This convention is mean and, thematically, it makes zero sense.
Alright, good stuff. Director Chris Adams has made the fiscally prudent and artistically rewarding decision of renting the majority of the set from Delta Youth Theatre. (Emily Dotson has done additional set design and painting.) It all looks great; just wait for the cathedral backdrop and the rotating scenery in the charming “Travel Song”, in which Shrek and his pal Donkey head off in search of Fiona. The entire evening is beautifully lit by Robert Sondergaard. Royal City Musical Theatre also rented about fifty percent of the costumes from Delta Youth Theatre, with Caitlyn Baird designing and building the rest. So many costumes, mostly looking spankin’. I loved the matching yellow wigs on the citizens of Farquaad’s royal seat. With its haunches and hooves, Donkey’s costume is crazy good.
And the performances are strong. I appreciate the restraint of Tanner Zerr’s work as Shrek. Yes, the character is green and his fluted ears protrude from the tops of his temples, but Zerr makes him a regular — albeit lonely and embittered — guy, and that pays off, especially in Act 2, notably during “When Words Fail”, in which Shrek stumbles as he tries to imagine telling Fiona that he has fallen for her.
Vocally, Zerr is pitch perfect, and so is Madison Simms as Fiona. Simms also nails Fiona’s assertiveness, which is distinctly green-tinged, if you know what I mean. As always, the richness and range of Kamyar Pazandeh’s voice makes him a vocal standout as Farquaad, and he’s having a good time with the character’s narcissism.
Playing Donkey, Chris Francisque does solid work. And Alexis Hope rocks out as the Dragon who’s guarding Fiona.
Among the supporting players, I particularly enjoyed the loose comedic confidence Spencer Swift is bringing to his role as the Captain of Farquaad’s guard, the evangelical zaniness of Troy Bank’s Bishop, and the playfulness of Sarah Houghton’s Gingy, the gingerbread person.
As the positive elements accrued, and the storytelling deepened in Act 2, I found it impossible to resist Shrek the Musical’s exhortation to let our freak flags fly.
Director Adams has just taken over as RCMT’s artistic director, and this is an excellent first outing for him in that role. Yes, there are caveats, but I left the Massey Theatre thinking that, if this is the standard being set in semi-professional productions in the Lower Mainland, we’re in good shape.
SHREK THE MUSICAL Book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. Music by Jeanine Tesori. Based on the DreamWorks animation motion picture and the book by William Steig. Directed by Chris Adams. A Royal City Musical Theatre production running at the Massey Theatre until May 3. Tickets and information.
PHOTO CREDIT: Shrek (Tanner Zerr) and Donkey (Chris Francisque) share some guy time. (Lighting by Robert Sondergaard. Photo by Moonrider Productions.)
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