Shrek, The Musical

The All-City musical was fantastic! Everybody in the cast was incredibly talented, and one of the most amazing things about this show is that it is completely run by high school students. These kids are such professionals, it's so impressive!

The show itself, Shrek, The Musical had a lot of heart and was overall pretty great! It was pretty true to the plot of the original movie, although there were many plot holes. Who knows though, those holes could've been there in the beginning; it's been so long since I've seen the film that I wouldn't know any better anyways! The music was great- a lot of fun, energetic songs, some ballads, a love song- you know, the typical makings of a solid musical theater soundtrack.

The talent behind the show, from the principal actors to the extras, was unparalleled. Each and every person on that stage managed to steal the scene, even if for only a second. In addition to that, it was very clear that every actor there was ecstatic to be there and genuinely loved putting on that show. That's something that cannot be taken for granted in a cast! Like in my school's most recent musical (Hello, Dolly!) nobody in the cast looked like they were happy and enjoying themselves. It didn't help that the show they were putting on was a hard to follow "romp" set in the 1890's that can only be made enjoyable through the presence of Barbara Streisand, but still! 

Several of the actors shone in particular. Obviously, there were the four principal roles- Shrek, Princess Fiona, Donkey, and Lord Farquaad. Each person brought something great to the part. The actor behind Shrek had strong vocals and the perfect comedic and dramatic pacing for delivering his lines. He really brought Shrek's "layers" to life. Lord Farquaad stole all of his scenes- he played up the audience, was incredibly animated, and really managed to create the subtle nuances needed when portraying a character of such magnitude. Donkey not only was a vocal powerhouse, but had excellent comedic skills. He would have made Eddie Murphy proud, to say the least. Finally, the leading lady behind Fiona was perfect. She was an incredible, gifted vocalist, an amazing dancer, and played the character as perfectly as could be- a true triple threat. Those big four were an unstoppable force on the stage.

Some of the supporting cast members who stood out included Pinocchio, a girl who played "the sugar plum fairy" and voiced the Gingerbread Man (a puppet), a girl who played the Dragon (a giant puppet controlled by multiple people, the young lady looked like something straight out of Dreamgirls), a boy who played multiple comedic characters in the Ensemble, and the two girls who played the younger versions of Princess Fiona.

The only parts of the show that weren't so great were really things that couldn't have been controlled. The sound during the show was having many issues, oftentimes cutting off the microphones for the characters who only had one or two lines. If I was one of those actors, I probably would have been slightly annoyed because if those are my only moments to shine, I don't want them being taken away from a faulty sound system! The only other issue was the fact that there was essentially an army of small children at the theater creating disturbances and noise all over the place. That once again reinforced my plans to never have children.

Overall, the All-City Musical was a fantastic experience, well worth the trip and the money paid! Hopefully next year, they will perform yet another fantastic show, because I'd definitely love to see it!