Shrek the Musical

Saturday, December 21, Frank and I went to a matinee performance of Shrek the Musical at the Center for the Performing Arts in San Jose. 

We sat in Row 12, a bit off to the side in seats 45 and 47, but still able to enjoy an artistic impression of the swamp. Although our view was good, we had difficulty in understanding the lyrics of the songs. When we got home, I researched the words to the first song, 🎶Big Bright Beautiful World 🎶 and provided them in this post. The early background story to Shrek, that ogres are forced to leave their home and live away from the society that hates them and hunts them down, was new to me. How sad.

Big Bright Beautiful World (first song)

I was fascinated by the sets. They were not overly complicated, but were so creative. Fiona had been imprisoned in a tower since age seven and those 8,423 days were indicated by her hash marks on its stone walls. Lighted stars carried by cast members indicated night time. A huge yellow cloth circle was periodically raised and lowered to signify sunset and sunrise. Because of a witches curse, Fiona changed her form at different times of day so this distinction was critical. Flowers wilted at times, responding to the effects of Shrek's and Fiona's ogre-like bodily emissions. Puppetry was used as a very skilled and artistic representation of Fiona and Shrek in their younger lives.

The cast was extremely energetic and loud, their dancing a joy to watch; their singing was enthusiastic, great in tone and projection, but a bit lacking in enunciation of the words. In retrospect, I wish I had researched the song lyrics ahead of time. It is easier to understand verses and choruses when you half- know what to expect. The closing song is This Is Our Story.

This Is Our Story (final song)

This musical was upbeat with a tad of crude "middle school humor"... farting, belching, etc. I had never realized it is also a tale of acceptance. Many fairy tale characters that are initially segregated due to their features or actions are welcomed in the swamp, Shrek's original isolated home. The size of Pinocchio's nose does not matter, a cross dressing wolf is included, a heavy weight dragon lady is not rejected, a gingerbread man is viewed as more than just food, and the messiness of the three little pigs is no problem. This was my first time seeing this musical. Now that I know more, I will certainly attend another production of it in the future.