Shrek the Musical is a Broadway musical comedy that is created by DreamWorks Theatricals in 2008. It is adapted from Shrek, a 2001 DreamWorks Animation movie, as well as a 1990 children’s literature Shrek! written by William Steig. The original musical is directed by Jason Moore with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori. After watching the recording version of Shrek the Musical, I consider that it is a successful production if the purpose of this musical is to amuse audiences and bring them an enduring audio-visual feast. As a musical that is created based on a blockbuster, the basic story framework is without novelty – an ugly but kind-hearted ogre experiences lots of dangers with a friend, saves the princess like a hero and wins her heart in the end. However, I have to admit that Shrek the Musical does a fantastic job to convert a movie into a Broadway show, considering the high level of complexity and difficulty for a team to humanize animated characters and imitate scenes. There are a lot of details, including Pinocchio’s growing nose, in the musical that show off the elaboration. Undoubtedly, the scenery is one of the brightest spot in this musical. The stage, as a whole, is exquisite. The woods, the castle, and the cave that dragon lives, those settings …show more content…
The dialogue and lyrics are straightforward and full of ironic elements, which bring a lot of fun to enjoy. The transition from lines into a song is pretty smooth. For example, when Shrek is “hurt” by what Fiona says and his anger reaches a climax, he naturally starts to sing to express his emotion. In addition, the music, which embraces several styles such as pop, rock and jazz, also add dynamics into the show. So in sum, the writing of the show is appealing. Nevertheless, I cannot appreciate the part that Shrek and Fiona fart and burp against each other. I think it is a bit vulgar, even for the purpose to get the audience