Review: SHREK, THE MUSICAL - Entertains at the Woodlawn Theatre in San Antonio

As a not-so-typical boy meets girl love story, SHREK, THE MUSICAL is a great adaptation of the original Dreamworks animated movie. With a cast of characters including Pinocchio, the Three Little Pigs, Donkey and Lord Farquaad, this show is bound to entertain a variety of audiences.

As the Woodlawn Theatre in San Antonio opened its run of SHREK, THE MUSICAL this past week, the theater was packed with an eclectic audience including mothers, fathers, children and grandparents. It was clear to see that many were looking for a show that resembled the original but they were surprised to see many changes from the animated version. They may have been surprised, but they were not disappointed. The actors brought their A game to make this show a non-stop adventure for everyone to enjoy.

Joshua Goldberg was cast as Shrek and by all appearances, it seemed as if this role was made just for him. Not sure if he would take his character a different way, Goldberg surely thrilled the audience by using his best Mike Myers impersonation as he sang the opening song, "Big Bright Beautiful World." He belted it out with confidence and humor as he did other songs throughout the remainder of the show. Goldberg gave a topnotch performance and played into the audience reactions of Shrek.

Morgan Clyde as Fiona was no shrinking violet as she hit the stage and played the challenging role of Fiona. As many know, Fiona is not your typical princess being rescued by the handsome prince. In fact, Fiona is anything but typical. In steps Clyde as Fiona and you have a match made in heaven, As Goldberg seemed perfect for the role of Shrek, Clyde was a true match for the role of Fiona. She proved time and time again throughout the performance that she had what it took to be the best Fiona onstage as she could. Her voice was strong as she sang "I Know It's Today" and "This is How My Dream Comes True" and it never wavered. And putting Goldberg and Clyde together was casting genius as it was easy to see the connection the two had as Shrek and Fiona but also connecting as actors performing onstage together.

The role of Donkey was played by Alejandro Pesina and he had the audience in stitches. The laughter from his little remarks was loudest from the littlest audience members. Pesina did a great job playing up the role of Donkey and Shrek's sidekick. While Pesina was entertaining, the role of Lord Farquaad played by Joshua Buce was equally entertaining. The illusion of his shortness was genius and you mostly forgot that Buce was a tall man playing the role of this short leader. Buce's comedic timing and exaggerated humor made the audience laugh and howl. But, let's not forget the softer side of Farquaad as Buce sang "The Ballad of Farquaad." There was great strength and emotion in Buce's voice.

All and all, SHREK, THE MUSICAL was entertaining from start to finish. Although long (the show ran 2.5 hours with a 15 minute break in between), the musical numbers, comedic timing as well as touching moments in the show, made it pure entertainment.. It is definitely worth it to see this entertaining show.

SHREK, THE MUSICAL" plays at the Woodlawn from June 30-July 30. Get your tickets at the Woodlawn Theatre's website or calling the Woodlwan Theatre.

To post a comment, you must register and login.