| . | 12/20/2008
Shrek, The Musical
By: Eugene Paul
| Brian d'Arcy James and Daniel Breaker |
| photo by Joan Marcus |
Well, well, well, Right in the middle of the doom and gloom a musical opens on Broadway that does the impossible: it’s got highbrows swinging lowbrow and lowbrows swinging highbrow and its happy face is the face of Shrek, you should pardon the expression. Even more pleasurably complicated, its child appeal quotient is way up and its adult appeal is even higher because the show is a treasure trove of children’s’ fables overlaid with adult foibles. You cannot keep up with all the witty references so don’t try, just relax and enjoy. Only the inevitable coming cult could capture every nuance, every riff but the half you cotton to is quite more than enough to keep you smiling, beaming certain contentment. By Jiminy – and where is he – you’ve seen a show that surprises you again and again, tickles you more than that and touches you, tenderly. That’s almost more than enough, right? These days? That is more than enough, actually, because you would have to see Shrek, The Musical a couple more times to discover all its clever plays on other Broadway musical hits, its multiple layers of fun.
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Sutton Foster as Fiona
Photo by Joan Marcus |
“Shrek”, as you know, is a Yiddish word meaning “fright”, author William Steig’s original joke. Transmogrified into a huge hit cartoon film. And Shrek is, as you know, an ogre. Ogres frighten ordinary mortals as well as the folks of fairy tales. Shrek has lived in total, sheltered, homely misery all his life in his swamp having grown accustomed to his face until his parents, even more shreklich, toss him out into the cold, cruel world to experience life’s lumpish adventures fit for ogres. If you’re waiting for the kindly bathos such as that the movie bathed in, you’ve got a good, long wait, happily. This is a NEW show, a delightful riff on the film, that does not lose an iota of the impish charms of the movie and adds a whole world of sharp, tasty (as well as giddily untasteful) shtick plus layers of adult wit the movie didn’t come near. This is a very Broadway show in the best senses. So, then, Shrek (the simply marvelous Brian d’Arcy James) goes out into the world and meets a talking donkey. As you know. Who is funnier and more charming than any talking donkey you ever met before. (Stay with me if you’re one of the rare ones who never saw the movie.) And this donkey, known thereafter as Donkey (the also marvelous Daniel Breaker) insinuates himself into the well hidden good graces of Shrek, thus joining him on his quest for—well, first of all, the right to throw all those damn fairy tale folks off his property to which they were banished to by the ever so presumptuous Lord Farquaad, who wants to clean up the premises of his – he hopes – kingdom before he gets married. Marrying a princess will entitle him to then be king and then, oh, you know. So there’s this swamp full of fairy tale characters who really don’t want to be there and hope Shrek, who scared the bejasus out of them, will succeed in straightening out this mess with Farquaad and then, oh, you know. BUT—yes, you know there’s always a BUT—Shrek is tasked with bringing the Princess Fiona to Lord Farquaad for him to marry so he can be king? And Lord Farquaad (Christopher Sieber, pricelessly funny, oh, wait until you see!) will then give Shrek the deed to his swamp and he can live there happily ever after in misery.
Needless to say, there are perils and adventures and Shrek falls in love with Princess Fiona (the entirely lovable Sutton Foster) and this is impossible but of course nothing is impossible in a fairy tale especially a hip, Broadway fairy tale. David Lindsay-Abaire has written the devilish lyrics and the angelic book, with Jeanine Tesori providing the music and I wish there was a hit song or two but you can’t have everything, Tim Hatley has designed the endlessly in motion scenery and the funny, witty costumes, too, all lit and fogged and whatever by lighting designer Hugh Vanstone. There is deliberately, slyly referential choreography by Josh Prince and don’t let anyone tell you these sly references are “homages”; these takes are sassier than any “homage” you ever saw and it’s up to you to try to spot as many sasses as you can. Great fun. Happy endings to all and to all a good night.
Broadway Theater, Broadway and 53rd Street. Tickets: 212-239-6200 or telecharge.com. Tue-Thu $41.50-$111.50, Fri-Sun $51.50-$121.50. Tue 7 pm. Wed-Sat 8 pm. Mats Wed & Sat 2 pm, Sun 3 pm.
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