Interview: 'It's a Beast of a Role!': Actor Antony Lawrence on Touring, Acceptance and Falling in Love With SHREK THE MUSICAL

Shrek the Musical is roaring into London this summer at the Eventim Apollo. The award-winning musical, an adaptation of the iconic 2001 movie, “brings to life the world of Shrek live on stage in an unforgettable production to melt hearts of all ages.”

Recently, we had the chance to chat with Antony Lawrence, who plays the titular character of Shrek. We discussed how Shrek has been a part of his life, what it’s been like bringing the show on tour and how the show, just like ogres and onions, has some truly fascinating layers.

Starting with a general question, how did you first get involved in the world of theatre?

Rewind the clock! I've loved theatre since I was a kid. I grew up in Cornwall, right in the southwest of the UK. Plymouth was the biggest theatre near us at the time, so my parents would take me to see musicals and theatre there and I just absolutely fell in love with it. So I joined an amateur dramatics group and started doing lots of shows.

It’s all I've ever wanted to do. I know that's such a cliche answer, but it really was! I did very well at school and I got fantastic GCSEs. I remember having a meeting with the head of the school because I was going to go off to a college to do drama, to do theatre, and they were like, “Ooh, are you sure that's what you want to do? You could do so many academic things,” and I was like, “No, I really want to go and try and do this.” And I've just been very fortunate that it's worked out so far! [Laughs]

And what made you want to be a part of Shrek the Musical?

I have quite a long history with Shrek in the sense that it’s the very first show I saw on Broadway! I went to America for my sister's 21st birthday, so I was about eighteen. I went to New York and Shrek was going on, so as a family we went to see Shrek. I remember thinking, “Oh my goodness, this is just an amazing show! If I got to do that one day, that'd be amazing!” But I thought, “I'll never get to do something like that, ever.”

I fell in love with the song “Who I’d Be,” so when I was at drama school, I sang that song a lot - it was in my repertoire. For a lot of my auditions that I've done post-drama school, I've used “Who I’d Be” because I've always really connected with the song and it's got such a good story to it, so it's a great audition song. It's got me quite a few jobs! So it was really weird when I got pulled in for it and I was thinking, “Oh, I have to sing that song now, but as Shrek!” It was always a role I wanted to do and honestly, I've done it for the last year and I still can't believe I’m doing it!

What has it been like bringing the show on tour for the past year?

It's amazing! It's such a good show. It's like an explosion of happiness on the stage! The energy of the cast . . . It's almost overwhelming. The ensemble cast in the show is phenomenal. It's such a feel-good show, so many laughs, but also, to quote Shrek, “Ogres have layers like onions.” The show has loads of layers to it and that’s what I think makes it so beautiful. So many different ages can come and see it and, depending on where you are in your life's journey, you'll take something different from the show.

So you know the kids will see Donkey and they'll fall in love with Donkey - he's exactly what kids want and they'll find it funny. Or Shrek is farting or burping and they will find that funny. I mean, adults find that funny! It's very funny. But underneath all of that, there's the beautiful story which is so poignant for 2024, which is all about acceptance and being who you are, just as you are, and not being ashamed to say, “This is who I am. Accept me,” whether that be Shrek being an ogre, Pinocchio being a wooden puppet or the three pigs being three pigs. It's got such a beautiful message! There’s a song in Act Two called “Freak Flag.” Let your freak flag fly and let the world deal with it!

And how does it feel to be bringing the show to the Apollo in London?

Unbelievable! What a big venue. [Laughs] I’ved watched Live at the Apollo, a big stand-up comedy show which happens there, all my life. To think we’ll be on the same stage as such amazing, famous legends of the entertainment world . . .  That we get to play in that building is amazing. And to bring it to London over the summer holidays, it's going to be something really special! I can't wait for people to come down and see it.

What is it like taking on the iconic role of Shrek, especially with all the prosthetics and makeup?

It's a beast of a role! It's taken me to do the show to realise just the mammoth thing that it is. When I went to see the show on Broadway, or when I saw it in London, the curtain goes up and there’s Shrek and you go, “Oh, he looks fantastic,” but you don't really think about the process behind that thing. That person’s sat in a makeup chair for two hours before the show's begun, which is what I have to do! It's a very hard role to play for that. It's very physically demanding, mentally challenging.

On a matinee day, 2:30, I'd be in the theatre from 11, so three and a half hours before the show begins. I'm one of the first ones in the building. Most of the cast forget what I look like as a human because by the time they come in, I've already got the Shrek face on, and then they leave before I can get it off in the evening! [Laughs] You can't take it off all day, so I'm in it for about 10 hours. On a two-show day, I have to stay inside - I can't go outside! So that'll be interesting in the summer heat!

But it's such a beautiful role and I really connect with it. I'm an actor, and most actors, we're full of self-confidence issues, and that's why we pretend to be other people. In a sense, that's what Shrek’s doing in his life underneath this big shell of “Oh, I'm an ogre, and therefore I'll be big and scary because that's what I'm supposed to be,” whereas actually, he's just a sensitive person who wants to be loved for who he is. It's been really fun to play and find that vulnerability within him.

It's such a journey from where he starts and he's being this grumpy ogre. But actually, all along, he just wants a friend, someone to talk to him and not run away from him immediately. So it's quite ironic when Donkey stays with him. Yes, he finds Donkey annoying and irritating, but he's the first person that's not run a mile when they've seen him. At the end of Act One, just before the song “Who I'd Be,” there's a scene where Shrek says, “People take one look at me and I'm just a big, stupid, ugly ogre, and that's why I'm better off alone.” And Donkey says, “But when I first met you, I didn't think you were a big, stupid, ugly ogre.” And Shrek contemplates that and says, “I know you didn’t.” They have this real bond and it's such a beautiful moment where you see this friendship blossom.

There's so many moments like that in the show, which is so fun to play. It's fun being all big and scary and doing jokes, but there's a real human story underneath it all, which is what I've connected to the most in the show.

How have the rehearsals been going for this new version with the new cast members? 

It's been really good! It's always great. One of my favourite parts of any show is the rehearsal room because you get to look at the material again. The show was so fantastic on tour, but with any show, we know that we want to make changes, we want to improve. We see what's working, what's not been working. So we have time now to fix any little kinks, try new things and bring new ideas to the table. And obviously, we've got a new cast of people playing some of the roles, so they bring different energy to the room as well. It's good fun. And it's nice to not have a big green face glued to my own for a couple of weeks! [Laughs].

Do you have any favourite moments from the show that you love to perform? 

It changes all the time! One of the beautiful things about live theatre is it's a real skill to play the same story again and again and keep it fresh. Therefore, I find it really reflects my own life with what I sort of connect with more, in the sense if you've had a tough day, if Antony’s had a tough day, then in those moments where you get to shout and let a bit of anger out as a character, that feels nice. Or if you've had a sad, reflective day, those sad moments are easier to play.

One that's quite consistent, though, would be “When Words Fail,” which is a song in Act Two where Shrek is contemplating how to approach Fiona, to tell her that he likes her. The way I play it is I imagine I'm standing in front of a mirror and it's that thing like, “Oh, what should I say? Can I say this? No, that's terrible, I shouldn't say that.” And it's really good fun because we've all been in those moments in life where we've wanted to text someone that we fancy and we type it out and think, “No, no, I can't make that. What should I write?” And then you practice it in the bathroom mirror or in the shower, and you think, “Oh, no, I can't say that!” It's good fun to play. It's a real nice moment for him.

What is it about Shrek that you think has kept it relevant for over twenty years now?

It's a wonderful animated film that came out over 20 years ago and it was so ahead of its time with its themes! These things are so relevant in this day and age, all about not being afraid of saying, “Hey world, I’m different, and here I am, splinters and all,” which is a line from the show which Pinocchio says. I think that's such a beautiful message.

With Shrek, the great thing with it is there's so many layers to it. So when we watch it when we’re kids, we take something from it, and then you watch it as a teenager, you take something from it, and then when you watch it as an adult, you take something else from it. So it's timeless in that sense. We have adults coming to watch the show who watched the animation as a child and they see it in a completely different way. And they're bringing their children who are seeing it for the first time and they can see it in twenty years and see it differently. So there really is something for everyone within the show because of the layers within it that connect to people on a human level, depending on where you are in your own personal journey in life.

What do you hope audiences take away from this particular production of Shrek the Musical?

They're going to have been entertained, they're going to be transported for two and a bit hours of their night where they can just completely switch off from the outside world. They're going to have an explosion of fun and colour and laughter and joy. People will come and see the show and they'll hopefully reflect a little bit about the world and think, “Oh, what a great message behind that show! Gosh, we had such a wonderful, happy time watching it.” It'd be very hard to leave the theatre without smile on your face.

And finally, how would you describe Shrek the Musical in one word?

Beautiful. That's one of my song lyrics! It’s big, bright and beautiful.

Shrek the Musical runs from 19 July to 31 August at the Eventim Apollo.