Anyone fall for that? No, I didn't think so but it has actually been Princess Fiona week as you can see from the tweet below. That much at least is true.
@ShrekUKTour ·
This week's FAIRYTALE CHARACTER OF THE WEEK is PRINCESS FIONA
Played by @Faye_Brookes #FairytaleThursday #swamplife
Moving on, I thought it was about time I featured another of the countless positve reviews of Shrek the Muscials first UK tour.
I must have read over twenty now and they ALL love the show and Faye's sensational performance as Princess Fiona.
This next review is from The Stage.co.uk and was written by Lisa Martland.
THE STAGE SHREK TOUR REVIEW
BY LISA MARTLAND (31ST JULY 2014)
Shrek the Musical is the latest in a line of large-scale West End
productions (The Lion King and Wicked are others) to tour the UK and
Ireland, and on the evidence of this opening in Leeds, it has a pretty
good chance of equalling the success of those shows that have preceded
it.
The result is a fast-paced, tightly directed romp that exaggerates the farcical elements of the alternative fairy tale, but doesn’t undermine the sweetness of its message (that what makes us special makes us strong).
David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori’s score isn’t the strongest in the world, and yet it constantly delivers, boosted by Harman’s attention to detail and Josh Prince’s clever choreography. The updates (mention of William and Kate’s castle, for example) and musical theatre in-jokes are fun to spot too, with Lord Farquaad’s nod to Wicked’s Defying Gravity a favourite.
Brilliantly embodying both the fun and charm of the piece is Dean Chisnall in the title role, appearing just as at home burping and farting as he does delivering a tender reprise of Big Bright Beautiful World.
It may be the tour’s early stages, but there is already a convincing chemistry between Chisnall’s Shrek and Faye Brookes’ Princess Fiona. Brookes adds a quirky feistiness to the part and proves her worth in the song and dance departments too. She also impresses when coolly dealing with a costume malfunction at the top of Act II.
Gerard Carey is nothing less than excellent as the vertically challenged Farquaad, who delivers his big numbers with aplomb and relishes every second of silly campery.
It was only five years ago that Idriss Kargbo, who plays Donkey, won a Stage/Sylvia Young scholarship when he was 13 years old. The maturity of his performance is therefore particularly impressive, and though he seemed a tad tentative at the beginning of press night, his growing confidence was evident as he strut his stuff in numbers such as Make a Move.
Within a fine ensemble of actors playing a multitude of roles, Nikki Bentley, Candace Furbert and Will Haswell also stand out.
Thanks to Tim Hatley’s vibrant set, dragon and costume design, accompanied by Hugh Vanstone and Matt Daw’s lighting, fans of the Shrek movies will not be disappointed. In fact, there is plenty to satisfy both young and old, not least some of the bawdy humour that, one hopes, will go over the little ones’ heads.
VERDICT: Big, bold and brassy touring version of the DreamWorks favourite is likely to please all ages.
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