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Regional Reviews: Connecticut and the Berkshires Regional Reviews by Zander Opper Shrek the Musical
One of the main assets of this show is that the entire cast is uniformly fine. Playing the title character, Ryan O'Neill, even under all that green makeup and the outsized costume, manages to endear himself to the audience, and his singing of both "Who I'd Be" and "Build a Wall" is quite powerful. As Princess Fiona, Arielle Boutin is all you could ask for in terms of beauty, charm, and lovely voice, and she manages to rival memories of Sutton Foster, who created this role in the original Broadway production. In supporting roles, John Stegmaier is a riot as Lord Farquaad, especially in his two big numbers, and Jason Parry shines as Pinocchio, leading the band of fairytale creatures. If I've waited to mention Matthew James Sherrod as the Donkey, it is because he is a real scene-stealer, mining all the sly humor out of his role, and he looks great in his grey Donkey costume, to boot. Finally, even though she remains unseen, Maggie Pangrazio brings powerhouse vocals to the show as she provides the voice of the Dragon. One of the things that I've always liked about Shrek the Musical, beyond its tuneful score and fairytale atmosphere, is that it manages to include funny references to other musicals as in-jokes. For example, Lord Farquaad's first number ends with an amusing paean to the power anthems of Wicked and there are cute sight gags that spotlight such shows as The Lion King. My favorite of all the show business references is the Dragon's summoning up of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls, particularly since the Bridgeport Theatre Company did such a wonderful job with that show earlier this season. This production looks and sounds pretty remarkable throughout, especially in the re-creation of the original costumes (the wonderful costume designer is Jessica Camarero) and the marvelous set design by Kevin Pelkey, which truly transforms the stage into the fairytale world of these characters. Maggie Pangrazio deserves a lot of credit for getting the makeup design precisely correct and there are nifty projections provided by Damon Testani. Musical director Eli Newsom does fine work leading the crackerjack offstage band. The Bridgeport Theatre Company's production of Shrek the Musical offers a great deal of onstage delights, including terrific choreography by Abigail Root, and director Frank Root has maintained the tongue-in-cheek sense of humor throughout, as well as providing moments that can truly pull an audience's heartstrings. This is a perfect musical for families and, when it is presented with as much flair as this production provides, it is simply a delight and highly recommended. Shrek the Musical continues at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre in Bridgeport, Connecticut through May 11th. For tickets, please visit www.BridgeportTheatre.org or call the box office at 203-576-1636.
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