Review of Shrek the Musical at Mastercard Theatre - good cast, strong staging

The adults would enjoy this musical.

Shrek the Musical, based on the successful animation film, opened at the Marina Bay Sand last week. A fairy tale with a lot of familiar characters, there are enough highlights to keep the adults engaged, and the children entertained.  It features a book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole, Good People), music by Olivier Award-winner Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Caroline, or Change).  While the storyline is simple, the 4 key protagonists, Shrek the ogre, Princess Fiona, the Donkey and Lord Farquaad, are well developed.

I particularly enjoyed the lead cast of this musical.  Looking through the actors’ bio, they are generally young actors but are enthusiastic and committed to the roles.  Kyle Timson’s Shrek adopted a strange accent for the title character, but he was believable in the role.  Lindsay Estelle Dunn managed to capture the audience’s attention as Princess Fiona. Jared Howelton’s Donkey was rather camp, but he did have good chemistry with Shrek.  Christian Marriner provided the laughs as Lord Farquaad.  While several fairy tale characters were featured, it was mainly Tony Johnson’s Pinoccio who was more memorable.

The staging was strong, with choreography by Chris Bailey and directed by Stephen Sposito.  There was good use of multimedia, set design and puppetry, without overshadowing the storyline and acting.

I did not have too high expectation from this musical, but I was impressed with the cast and the staging. It may not be a great musical, but definitely would be a great evening at the theatre.

PERFORMANCE TIMES:  (from 8 June 2016)
Wednesday - Friday 7:30pm
Saturday: 2:00pm and 7:30pm
Sunday: 1:00pm and 6:00pm

TICKET PRICE:  
From S$65