– By Cate Marquis –
The Muny’s “Shrek: The Musical” is sure to delight kiddos and fans alike, with a fun and cute musical version of the favorite animated movie. While all the Muny shows are family-friendly, this is the one most aimed at the younger audience, and sure to please them. Although rainy weather did in the planned opening night, the second evening performance had only a little sprinkle at the start, which did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the big crowd.
The musical generally follows the plot of the Shrek movie but adds a little more backstory and, of course, songs. The Broadway hit has book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori. The Muny show is directed brilliantly bu John Tartaglia.
The show opens with both grown Shrek and grown Fiona separately recounting their Grimm fairytale original story, his as a seven-year-old young ogre (Solomon Rosenthal) sent out into an unfriendly world of pitchfork-wielding villagers until he finds his very own swamp, and hers as a seven-year-old princess (Lake Schultz) walled up in a tower alone to await a prince to rescue her, with the opening song “Big Bright Beautiful World.”
Nik Walker plays the Scottish-accented green ogre, with a bit of snark and a remarkably good voice, which he shows off in that opening song “Big Bright Beautiful World,” while Kara Lindsay plays Fiona with humor and a bit of sass.
But trouble is headed to Shrek’s swamp, in the form of a pack of fairytale characters who have been exiled by the ruler of the neighboring realm of Duloc, Lord Farquaad (a hilarious Troy Iwata). Homeless, they head for Shrek’s swamp, singing “Story of My Life,” and when they arrive are confronted by angry ogre Shrek. Unable to scare them off, upset Shrek heads for the woods, where he encounters a bunch of Farquaad’s soldiers and a talkative Donkey (Marcus M. Martin). Encouraged by the Donkey, Shrek sets out for Lord Farquaad’s castle.
Plenty of scenes are hilarious and some are silly and goofy, including one kids will particularly enjoy, a burping and farting contest between Shrek and Fiona. The absurd but egotistical Lord Farquaad has some of the best comedic song and dance bits, which Troy Iwata pulls off amazingly well.
The choreography, by Patrick O’Neill, is plentiful and fun, often suggesting a 1940s musical style, which was unexpected but delightful.
The songs are smart, often slightly snarky, like Farquaad’s “What’s Up Duloc?” and “I Think I Got You Beat” where Shrek and Fiona try to top each other with who has the worse childhood. There are some touching ones as well, like “I Know It’s Today” sung by Fiona as she grows up in her tower, and Fiona’s “More to the Story.” Everything is geared to please Shrek fans and kids alike, with humor and heart.
The cast is terrific, with Nik Walker as Shrek and Kara Lindsay as Fiona both funny and appealing, and wonderful together. Marcus M. Martin is more sweet and supportive as Donkey, steadying Shrek and encouraging him more that driving him crazy. The scene stealer – maybe show-stealer – is Troy Iwata as the hilariously crazy and egotistical Lord Farquaad, which Iwata plays on his knees while wearing protective gear and a really long cloak. Iwata is lively and extremely funny while deftly dealing with the physical challenges of being on his knees with the contraptions attached and managing his awkward (but magnificent) costume.
This is a technically impressive show, not just with Iwata’s complicated costume and gear. There is also a large puppet dragon, operated by a team of performers and voiced by Salome Smith. This splendidly-staged Muny production features a two-level movable set, flats and video projections that support the humor-packed tale well. There are impressive bits of stagecraft and effects throughout, including a talkative, complaining Pinocchio (Tyler Joseph Ellis, who also plays the Pied Piper and a knight) who sports a nice growing nose,which add greatly to the fun. Technically, this show has a lot of moving parts, including huge flats and screens slide on and off stage, and a big turntable on which the big two-level structure sits. All went off with very few problems, which was pretty impressive in itself.
The costumes, by Robin L. McGee, and makeup all matched the same high standard and enhanced the effect, as did the lighting and sound design. Combined with the impressive puppetry, the delightful performances and a big set, the Many’s “Shrek the Musical” delivered everything fans, especially kids, could want.
“Shrek: The Musical” is on the Muny stage in Forest Park through July 2, 2026.
© Cate Marquis
