A showing of “Shrek The Musical” was held at the Chester Fritz Performing Arts Center Wednesday, October 23, where audiences could watch an ogre’s quest to get his swamp back.
“Shrek The Musical” is adapted from the movie “Shrek” (2001). The film follows the antisocial Shrek, the ogre who the picture is named after, who occupies an isolated swamp. However, when a local lord decrees that all fairytale folk are exiled from his kingdom, these fairytale characters find themselves in Shrek’s swamp. Angered by the circumstances, Shrek, along with Donkey, leave to confront Lord Farquaad about his decree so that these fairytale folk may return to Duloc, thereby leaving Shrek alone in his swamp.
This DreamWorks animated film, “Shrek,” won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2002. During this time, Jeanine Tesori, who produced the music, and David Lindsay-Abaire, who created the lyrics and book, adapted “Shrek” into a musical. The musical debuted on Broadway in 2008 and received multiple Tony nominations, including a win in Best Costume Design.
However, Tesori and Lindsay-Abaire have reimagined their original production for “Shrek The Musical’s” 2024 U.S. Tour. Their approach consists of relying less on spectacular prosthetics and makeup design but more on the performer underneath.
“There is a framing device now, that they’re a group of people who have gathered together to present the story of Shrek,” Lindsay-Abaire, in an interview for Playbill, said. “And someone puts on a costume, and suddenly, they’re one of the three little pigs. And somebody else puts on a nose, and they’re the wolf, and so on. But you can still see the human underneath” (Hall, 2024).
The revised production of “Shrek The Musical” included all-new direction and choreography by Danny Mefford, the choreographer for the musical “Dear Evan Hansen.”
“I saw a production done by five-year-olds that I was so enamored with, and Danny has taken inspiration from that kind of story theatre,” Tesori, in an interview for Playbill, said. “This version is coming from the human beings themselves, as opposed to lots of latex and covering the human to make the fairytale” (Hall, 2024).
“Shrek The Musical” stopped at the University of North Dakota’s Chester Fritz Performing Arts Center Wednesday, October 23 at 7:30 p.m. for audiences to view the story “Shrek” made popular. Between the choreography, ventriloquy, acting, singing, dancing, and live music, members of the Grand Forks community got to partake in this experience for two and a half hours.
For more opportunities at the Chester Fritz Performing Arts Center, look out for “Cirque Dreams Holidaze,” the longest running cirque holiday theatrical event, coming November 26 and “Chicago the Musical,” a tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz, coming March 30. Tickets are available now.
Dylan Campbell is a Dakota Student General Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected].
