It is a successful comedy, and therefore undoubtedly an audience pleaser, but it is also unique, not only from the rest of Shakespeare’s comedies, but from his entire collection of dramatic works. The People's Party: BIPOC Affinity NightsĪ Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the most commonly performed works of the Bard, and for good reason.INFO:Patrons must provide their own seating, and the height of a chair-back cannot exceed 40 inches visit playsinthepark. on the evenings of all performances $7 adults, $5 seniors (60 and older) free for ages 12 and under Capestro Amphitheater, 1 Pine Drive in Roosevelt Park, Edison WHERE:Presented by Plays-in-the Park at the Stephen J. Capestro Amphitheater, 1 Pine Drive in Roosevelt Park, Edison. nightly except Sundays through July 19 at the Stephen J. “Shrek: The Musical’’ continues performances at 8:30 p.m. Warren Helms serves as musical director and conducts the full and very competent orchestra we’ve come to expect at Middlesex PIP. Between acts, take a look at the photos of the cast in the program: you’ll barely recognize them in their human form.Ĭhoreographer Michele Mosey keeps everyone moving while Mike D’Arcy has designed a sophisticated set complete with runway. He’s also a real trooper, performing most of the show on his knees. But the real casting coup is Dan Thomas Cook, who strikes just the right note of campy petulance as the insecure Lord Farquaad. Timothy Walton, more Cab Calloway than Eddie Murphy as Donkey, and Bill Geltzeiler as the high-pitched, anxiety-prone Pinocchio both offer hilarious support. Katherine LeFevre’s princess nicely balances beauty and spunkiness. Michael McEntee, under heavy pea-green make-up, sings strongly in the title role. If you missed “Shrek” on Broadway, this cast does well enough as a reasonable substitute. For the stage version, Disney is still a target (watch for refugee characters from “The Lion King”) but there are also references to other popular family-friendly musicals stuffed into the narrative including “Wicked” and “Les Miserable.” The PIP company even kids itself, inserting jokes about their other productions for this season.Īll in all, it’s a jolly affair, well sung and well performed. The filmed “Shrek” was a sly satire of Disney. In fact, very little proceeds without a little twist, a little tweak to our expectations. Needless to say, the princess and the ogre fall for each other, but in this fractured fairy tale, the transformative power of love doesn’t quite operate the way we might imagine. ![]() His only weapon is a wise-cracking donkey who serves as buddy material and aggressive comedy relief. In order to get his swamp back, Shrek must rescue a princess trapped, Rapunzel-like, in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. In order to create the most perfect place on earth, Farquaad evicts all the maladjusted fairy folk, including the three very German little pigs and their friend, the cross-dressing wolf a 34-year-old Peter Pan a sarcastic witch a fairy godmother with a broken wand, and Pinocchio, who acts as leader of the group and is in heavy denial that he is a wooden puppet and not a real live boy. Duloc is ruled by a tyrannical - and very short - Lord Farquaad. Shrek is a cranky ogre with a Scottish accent who lives in a swamp (complete with smelly outhouse) just outside of Duloc, a magical fairy tale kingdom that bears a suspicious resemblance to Disneyland. The musical stage version follows closely the story of the original animated film. And you have to hand it to director Moggie Davis and the PIP folks for even attempting such show. Sometimes there are slip-ups in timing or a scramble to manage the elaborate make-up, but no doubt that will smooth out as the run continues. ![]() Even though PIP obviously doesn’t have anywhere near a Broadway budget, this “Shrek” comes complete with a colorful swamp, a castle, a tower, a magic mirror, a talking Gingy, the gingerbread boy, and a 20-foot puppet dragon. It’s also a complicated show to do, filled with elaborate costumes and special effects, and the gung-ho cast and crew at Middlesex County Plays-in-the-Park (PIP) are certainly working hard to deliver this second production of the season. It’s a fun show: hip and sassy, with humor that can be rude and even a little crude (competitive flatulence, anyone?) which is probably why audiences-especially younger ones - enjoy it so much. It earned decent reviews and received eight Tony nominations, winning for Best Costume Design.įortunately, “Shrek: The Musical” has found a new, vigorous and well-deserved second life in community, regional and high school theaters. ![]() ![]() It hard to say why: the show had a first rate cast including Brian D’Arcy James and Sutton Foster in the leads. “Shrek: The Musical” based on the highly successful 2001 animated film from DreamWorks, barely survived a year on Broadway.
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