Do you think maybe he’s compensating for something?

…..Shrek says to Donkey, while looking at Lord Farquaad’s castle.

Isn’t adult humor blended seamlessly into children’s entertainment brilliant.  This is why Shrek The Musical, based completely on the Oscar®-winning DreamWorks film, is marvelous for all ages.

Last Wednesday my crew and I got dressed up to have a jolly good time at the theater.  We weren’t disappointed.  I’m very happy to report, Shrek The Musical is not a far departure from one of my most favorite DreamWorks films.  It’s still based in a faraway kingdom ruled by a silly little man, with a few adaptations here and there for a stage performance, but that is all.  In addition to a great script, all the characters were casted stupendously and gave praise-worthy performances. Here are a few examples:

Shrek: It takes two hours to transform the actor into Shrek and 45 minutes to turn him back into a human.  He has a voice like Mike Meyers, including the British/Scottish accent, making for an entertaining Shrek all around.  His holler gives quite the fright when he is angry. A few of my little ones had to cover their ears.

Donkey: I lost myself a few times actually thinking it WAS THE ACTUAL Eddie Murphy playing the role. His voice, with its precise Eddie Murphy inflections, especially when he is discussing layers of a Par fee, had me tilting my head to the side.  Wait could it be? Well done.

Fiona: She sings like an angel and her mannerism are Disney Perfect.  Come to find out, she played Belle in the National Tour of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.  The feisty Princess roll played by Cameron Diaz, she nails it.

Lord Faraquadd: Okay, the actor Merrit James must have the best pair of knee pads ever made.  Please go see for yourself.  I don’t want any spoilers here. My favorite exchange both in the movie and the play,

Gingerbread Man: Okay, I’ll tell you… Do you know… the Muffin Man?
Lord Farquaad: The Muffin Man?
Gingerbread Man: The Muffin Man.
Lord Farquaad: Yes, I know the Muffin Man. W-who lives down on Drury Lane?
Gingerbread Man: Well, she’s married to the Muffin Man…
Lord Farquaad: The Muffin Man?!!!!

Terrific stuff.

Dragon: She has the vocal range.  She is a huge puppet Dragon, operated by a crew of four. One controls the head and eyes, one flaps the wings, one moves the body and one moves the tail. The mouth, along with the batting eyes were in excellent unison to the activity on-stage. Good Job Puppeteers – so impressive. Especially when she flies.

Fairy tale misfits: Can’t forget them.  I loved the three pigs and the three bear. By the way, the character Pinocchio is played by Luke Yellin who is from Orange County (born in Newport Beach and raised in Costa Mesa.)  What a homecoming performance Luke!  My favorite line of yours as your nose grows: “What? I’m not a wooden boy.  I have a glandular condition.”

The play features a terrific score of 19 all-new songs, big laughs, great dancing and breathtaking scenery. Shrek The Musical delivers.

You can check out their website for dates when Shrek The Musical will be performing near you.

Here in the OC, Shrek is playing until October 16th. Hope your able to see it friends, you won’t be disappointed.

{Disclosure: We received Shrek tickets through Segerstrom Center for the Arts social media’s team. With that being said, this is not a compensated post.  All the opinions are my honest observations. We LOVED Shrek the Musical and hope you will too.}