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Regional Reviews: Phoenix Shrek the Musical Also see Gil's reviews of The TomKat Project, Pump Boys and Dinettes, and Buyer & Cellar
Set "once upon a time" in a fairy-tale land, Shrek tells the story of a scary green ogre who lives in quiet isolation in a swamp until a group of now homeless fairy-tale creatures evade his land, telling him they were forced out of their homes by Lord Farquaad. In order to get the creatures off his land and back into their homes, Shrek strikes a deal with Farquaad to go on a quest, with his new friend Donkey, to save the feisty Princess Fiona, whom Farquaad wants for his bride, though she is imprisoned in a dragon-guarded tower. If Shrek can bring Fiona back to Farquaad the fairy-tale creatures will get back their homes and Shrek can have some peace and quiet. However, things don't go exactly as planned. While Jeanine Tesori's music is fun and varied and Lindsay-Abaire's lyrics are creative, a few of the songs are a bit ho-hum and some of Lindsay-Abaire's jokes could be a better. Also, the bathroom humor, while appealing to kids, might turn some adults off, and the more serious adult themes, like the very mature focus on finding one's true love, might be boring to some kids. However, in the end, the fun characters and charming score outweigh the downsides and the end result is a joyful, upbeat show. Director Cambrian James has cast a large group of talented actors to bring the familiar characters to life. Geoffrey Goorin has strong, powerful vocals and the right balance of charm and menace as Shrek. He also effectively portrays the conflicted feelings Shrek has when he first meets Fiona, whom he then begins to warm to, giving a nice journey for the character to take. Likewise, Brandy Reed's Fiona is a combination of sweet, zany and feisty all rolled into one, and Reed also shows the clear determination Fiona has to marry a prince, only to question that idea when she finds her heart softening with her feelings for Shrek. Reed also has a lovely singing voice and fine dancing skills. Shrek's supporting cast actually get most of the best jokes in the show, and DST is lucky to have James D. Gish as Lord Farquaad and Reginald Graham as Donkey. Graham is perfect as the non-stop talking Donkey, with a wicked comic delivery, expert facial expressions, and a winning singing voice. Gish has an amazing strong and crystal clear voice and perfect comic timing; he turns the part of the extremely short Farquaad into a complete hoot. The fact that he performs almost the entire time on his knees only adds to the hilarity of the performance. In smaller parts, Sky Donovan as Pinocchio and Harley Barton as Gingy bring a nice amount of zing to their roles, and Sonia Rodriguez Wood's voice soars to the rafters as the voice of Dragon. Katie Brown and Madeline Alfano provide clear vocals as young and teen Fiona. James does a good job of staging the action in DST's in the round space. He also provides a good amount of fun, varied, and creative choreography and also manages to keep his extremely large cast moving fluidly in the scenes where they are all on stage together. However, as usual in this theatre, the lack of any real set pieces is a detriment, especially in a fantasy musical like Shrek that has a real need for the audience to see the imaginary settings of the show. Fortunately, the two center walls are all painted with various landscapes of the many locations in the show, which helps, and one corner is made to look like a large brick wall for Fiona's castle setting. Aurelie Flores' costume designs are a non-stop parade of color and fantasy and Stephanie Wright and Jennifer Brecker have crafted a spectacular puppet design for Dragon. While Shrek may not be a perfect musical, it has numerous comical moments, many that are utterly hilarious, some upbeat songs, and good lyrics. While the Desert Stages production may lack a bit of the fantasy elements needed for this show, due to their in-the-round stage, the closeness of the actors to the audience and a winning cast, good direction, and excellent costumes make this Shrek entertaining and completely enjoyable. The Desert Stages production of Shrek runs through May 10th, 2015, with performances at 4720 N. Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale. Tickets are available at www.DesertStages.org or by phone at (480) 483-1664. Director/Choreographer: Cambrian James Cast:
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