Review: 'Shrek' Has Moments Of Fun, But The Fairy Tale Goes Long
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David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
“Shrek, the Musical” is best when it just lets it freak fly. Moments that actually attempt to develop characters or move the story along seem almost like filler until the next fart joke. And some of those moments seemed really drawn out Wednesday during opening night of the musical at the Wagon Wheel Theatre. Not only were the many children getting restless in their seats at times during the nearly three-hour ordeal, but some were yawning or dozing off. I found myself sometimes yawning right along with them, even though I did get a good night’s rest the night before. Certainly, there were many funny and surprising lines, characters and action sequences. The actors did remarkable jobs with their performances, and the puppetry helped bring the show to life. But the musical seemed too much longer than the movie. “Shrek, the Musical” stays pretty much true to the 2001 movie, minus the songs written for it. Yet, the songs – most of which you’ll forget as soon as they are over – are what burden the musical. If you’re going to take an animated hit movie like “Shrek” and make it into a musical – less is more as far as the number of songs go. However, as stated, there is plenty to love in Wagon Wheel’s production, specifically the actors’ performances and the puppetry. Briefly, “Shrek” is about an ogre who goes off on a quest with his unsolicited friend Donkey to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona in order to take ownership of the swamp Lord Faquaad banished fairy tale characters to. Shrek, who initially thinks he wants to be left alone, falls in love with Fiona, but she’s supposed to marry Lord Faquaad. Unbeknownst to everyone, Fiona has her own secret. There’s also a giant dragon who falls in love with Donkey. Playing the lead role of Shrek is Matthew Janisse. Audiences may remember him from his brooding role last year in “Carousel.” In that musical, he showcased his immense acting talent. Though covered in costume and mask as Shrek for this show, Janisse still delivers a great performance. Janisse’s Scottish brogue remains intact 97 percent of the time, and he takes Shrek from angry to hurt to joyful without it feeling forced. Janisse could play a turnip and you’d accept him as that vegetable. David Schlumpf has given so many great performances at the theater, from “Chicago” to “Blithe Spirit,” that audiences come to expect great things from him. As Lord Faquaad, he doesn’t disappoint. Schlumpf is around 6 foot tall, but joyfully plays a character half his size. Watching him move quickly around on his knees is hilarious enough, but when you also take in his facial expressions and mannerisms, Schlumpf just adds another three feet of comedy to the role. Of course, at times the performance and Farquaad’s wardrobe made me think of a short version of Liberace, but not in a bad way. More like a celebration of fabulousness. Donkey definitely drew many laughs and caught all the children’s attention. He was loud, crazy, silly but also served as a conscience to Shrek and Fiona. Jared Howelton did an amazing performance playing Donkey like Eddie Murphy (who voiced Donkey for all four “Shrek” movies). However, the Donkey character also was the most controversial for me and friends who discussed him before and after the production. “Shrek, the Musical” attempts to celebrate diversity, no matter what that may be. Yet – and this has been discussed before about “Shrek” – Donkey plays up a lot of stereotypes about black men in order to get laughs. Though Donkey obviously is an animal, the story does not hide that Donkey is a black character, who exists just to support the other characters. His race is portrayed through his stereotypical speech, mannerisms and the song genre in which he sings. And then for this show, the only black actor on the stage is playing the Donkey. Howelton’s a great actor, but in a show about celebrating everyone’s differences, the Donkey does the most disservice to it. Some may see my observations as being “too heavy handed,” “playing the race card” or “reading too much into a kid’s show.” Yet, to not discuss what is obviously right in front of your eyes is pretending that everything’s fair and right with the world. Pretending that racism is dead. It is not. And by no means am I saying that anyone at the theater or involved in this production is racist by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, the theater goes out of its way to be accepting of people of all walks of life. I just couldn’t walk away from this show and pretend that I didn’t see the stereotypes being played right in front of me. In this free country, however, you are free to make up your own mind. The third “main” character in “Shrek,” Fiona, is wonderfully played by Alexandria Howley, who also has a great singing voice. Two other actresses play Fiona at different ages, wearing the same outfit as the grown Fiona. Rachel Boyle plays a young Fiona, while Audrey Rich plays a teen Fiona. During the song “I Know It’s Today,” audiences get to see Fiona “age” from young to adult. The three actresses make the transition easily and believeable. Of course, part of the fun of this show are the many fairy tale characters. Pinocchio, whose nose actually grows when he lies, is played effectively by Kevin Clay. The Wicked Witch is devilishly performed by Stephanie Cowan, and then there’s characters like the Three Little Pigs, Big Bad Wolf, The Three Bears, etc. All are well done and every kid will delight in seeing them appear on stage. Two characters in the show are puppets. The Gingerbread Man is handled and voiced by the ever-talented Jennifer Dow. She has figured out how to do her voice so you believe it’s the same voice as from the movie. Then there’s one of my favorite characters, the dragon. Though the dragon doesn’t speak in the “Shrek” films, in the musical she’s voiced by Sarah Jackson, but about five or six different guys make her move around the stage. At times, the mouth operator couldn’t get her mouth to move, but it worked enough that it didn’t distract from the show. I wasn’t sure how they were going to fit the dragon into the show – if at all – but Artistic Director Scott Michaels and his crew figured it out, and it works. When it first appears on the stage, you’ll be impressed. What you won’t be impressed with is the theater’s sound system. The performers’ voices almost seemed muffled at times, and I wasn’t the only one to notice. Since Wagon Wheel is in its second year of being a non-profit, it would be nice if someone would donate a nice, fancy new sound system so the audience isn’t left wondering occassionally, “What did he say?” There’s a line in the show that goes, “The things that make us special are the things that make us strong.” Each actor, orchestra member and stage crew in this production definitely brought their strengths with them. And that will make the show special for the hundreds of children that will certainly see this live adaptation of a hit animated film. My rating of the show (out of four): 2.25. Tickets for “Shrek, the Musical” range from $18 to $36. Discounts are available for college students and on designated performances for seniors. For more information, visit wagonwheeltheatre.org or call 574-267-8041.
