Review: SHREK THE MUSICAL at Artistry Theatre And Visual Arts

Ogres, Witches, and Puppets, oh my!

Yes, another production of Shrek the Musical has arrived on the Twin Cities stages. This time in the heart of Bloomington at Artistry.

It is always a nice treat when a family friendly show with such strong name recognition is performed in the community and this production proves (for the most part) that theatre can be fun, joyous and educational for all ages.

The story follows the same trajectory of the Dreamworks film/Broadway production. An ogre named Shrek's swamp is invaded by group of fairy tale creatures, Shrek goes to confront the man responsible (Farquad), meets a wise cracking Donkey, Shrek and Donkey get roped into saving a princess (Fiona) from a tower, they save the princess, Shrek falls in love with her, crap hits the fan, hearts are broken, friendships are mended and they (almost) all live happily ever after.

While the story may sound familiar, the script has gone through some minor changes to be more inclusive and remove some offense slang since the original production.

One noticeable change was putting Lord Farquaad, the short statured villain, in six inch thigh high boots instead of having the actor kneel to give the illusion of being short. A stylistic choice that proved to be fun for choreography reasons but negated the fact that Farquaad is supposed to be extremely short and thus all of the comedy within the script that was directed at Farquaad's height suddenly became throw away lines which didn't receive the laughs they deserved because we, the audience, never saw him as a small person. We only saw him in his boots.

Perhaps if some dialogue had been added to remark about his height and the necessity of the boots to make him seem "normal", it would have worked better but in this case, it fell short (no pun intended).

All of that aside, the performance of Jon Michael Stiff was fantastic and he sold every minute he was on stage. His vocals nailed all of the emotion needed. From his rousing, "What's Up, Duloc?" to his gruff hate driven, "The Ballad of Farquaad", Stiff never took his foot off the gas. To him I tip my hat and say, fantastic work!

Overall, the show is a smash. I have always had a special place for Shrek in my heart and seeing it brought to life by such a stunning cast of talented people, was truly a joy.

Notably, the four leads: Quinn Forrest Masterson (Shrek), Kevin Brown, Jr. (Donkey), Deidre Cochran (Fiona), and the previously mentioned Jon Michael Stiff (Farquaad) and the sensational Janely Rodriguez who played the Dragon.

Kevin Brown, Jr. as donkey may have one of the hardest jobs because he is such a beloved character with such a distinct voice, due to the hilarious Eddie Murphy voicing him in the film. Brown, Jr. doesn't miss a chance to have the audience rolling through his fantastic comic timing and top notch physicality.

Once we get to the Dragon Guarded Castle, they should just change the name of the show to Dragon the Concert because Janely Rodriguez steals the show with her rousing Forever. Rodriguez showed that she may be one of the best vocalists in town and the audience's applause seemed to echo that sentiment.

Another "character" that can not go without mention is the orchestra. This is a demanding show, with insanely fun but complex music and there wasn't a missed note. From the first down beat to the final crescendo, the audience at Artistry was enraptured the entire time.

So, if you are looking for a way to beat the summer heat and need some family entertainment, may I suggest taking a visit to the Big Bright Beautiful World of Shrek the Musical currently playing at Artistry through August 14, 2022.

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