Stage Dragon: Shrek the Musical Shivers the Rafters at the Yvonne Arnaud

Published on: 27 Mar, 2019
Updated on: 27 Mar, 2019

Aidan Cutler as Shrek photo Robert Workman

By Ferenc Hepp

Shrek The Musical is striding the stage at the Yvonne Arnaud this week, beautifully mounted by final-year musical theatre students from Guildford School of Acting and rewarded by an enthusiastic audience.

As many fans know, the loveable Ogre is on a mission with his steed, Donkey, to rescue Princess Fiona from her tower where she is guarded by a fearsome dragon, then to eventually attempt to drag her away from an outrageous Lord Farquaad who wants to marry her only so he can become king.

The show was written by David Lindsay-Abaire, with music by Jeanine Tesori and it is based on the Dreamworks animation picture by William Steig. This production is directed by Jenny Sawyer with musical direction by Michael Cotton and choreography by Amy Oxley.

There’s a hint of panto… photo Robert Workman

The hint of panto starts as we enter the theatre with some of the staff wearing the famous Shrek ears among panto-esque backdrops, but there is much more to this production than that.

In fact, a special mention must be given to Roger Ness as design supervisor for the well-constructed scenery, designed with care and attention to detail, and the wardrobe team of Juliette Craft, Vanessa Dean and Carina Wells, as well as their assistants, for a simply wonderful array of colourful costumes which have to withstand a lot of fast changes by the cast of 30.

Sawyer’s direction and Oxley’s choreography create a perfect blend of magic, energy and humour, evident from the start. The cast has clearly worked hard and they all bring their individual characteristics to their parts. Aidan Cutler as Shrek is a very busy man with hardly any off-stage time and a lot of challenging musical numbers, which he executes brilliantly with the help of a well-developed tenor voice. It could have been easy to exaggerate this part but his subtle and occasionally slightly sarcastic interpretation works well.

Bradley Walwyn as Donkey with Shrek photo Robert Workman

Bradley Walwyn as Donkey is reminiscent of Eddie Murphy who voiced the original character, and has a great physical presence with lovely facial expressions. Jessica Bates as Princess Fiona is very much a triple threat with a beautiful voice, plenty of humour and a skilful dance and tap number at the top of Act Two.

Jessica Bates as Princess Fiona photo Robert Workman

Laughs are plenty and a lot is provided by Matthew Rankcom’s vertically challenged Lord Farquaad. His knee pads must be worn out and very necessary, but thanks to his costume and well-rehearsed moves, the laugh-out-loud moments come from both his movements using his pretend legs and his mannerisms. Do also watch out for some very topical placards and references, including the name of Farquaad’s pony.

The music may have been a little too loud on occasion and the show itself is not one of the classic musicals, but these students both on and off stage have worked extremely hard to put on a production worthy of the West End, one much appreciated by an enthusiastic audience, especially during the finale which got everyone on their feet.

Shrek The Musical runs until Saturday 30 March and some tickets may still be available via www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk or by calling the box office on 01483 440000.