Written by David Lindsay-Abaire
Music by Jeanine Tesori
Choreography by Josh Prince
Directed by Jason Moore
Synopsis:
Shrek The Musical is based on the story and characters from William Steig's book Shrek!, as well as the DreamWorks Animation film Shrek, the first chapter of the popular movie series.
NEW YORK TIMES:
"Aside from a few jolly sequences (nearly all featuring the hypertalented Ms. Foster), this cavalcade of storybook effigies feels like 40 blocks’ worth of a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, accompanied by an exhaustingly jokey running commentary. "
Read the whole review HERE.
NEW YORK POST:
"Until then, Jason Moore's staging seems like a blueprint for some "DreamWorks on Ice" version, with its by-the-numbers readings from the 2001 film and greenery that looks left over from "Tarzan.""
Read the whole review HERE.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS:
"Turning cartoons into Broadway shows ranks below root canal on my list of favorite things. Yet "Shrek the Musical" certainly has things to like, even if it's sometimes ungainly. "
Read the whole review HERE.
THEATERMANIA:
"Julie Taymor may have made adapting a blockbuster animated feature as a musical for the Broadway stage look like a piece of cake, but it ain't -- a fact proven by librettist-lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire, composer Jeanine Tesori, and director Jason Moore, who have gotten it very wrong with Shrek the Musical. "
Read the whole review HERE.
VARIETY:
" If the storytelling is bumpy in patches and the songs don't quite soar, the show never stints on spectacle or laughs, making it a viable contender for a slice of the Disney market on Broadway. "
Read the whole review HERE.
NEWSDAY:
""Shrek the Musical" is sweet and busy, nice and big, and, every so often, extremely lovable. "
Read the whole review HERE.
NEW YORK MAGAZINE:
"Shrek is a fine family-friendly musical, with the gargantuan sets (the Magic Mirror dwarfs any flat-screen you’ve seen this side of a Jumbotron; the dragon is even bigger), sprawling production numbers, and witty asides necessary to deliver the Big Broadway $120 Experience. "
Read the whole review HERE.
NY1:
"What should be a towering blockbuster, falls a little short I'm afraid. Still, kids love it and there's no denying some of its parts are splendid enough to turn "Shrek" into a big green money making machine."
Read the whole review HERE.
BACKSTAGE:
"After a decade of somber snoozes, trinket factories, and Disney's family-friendly frauds, the mega-musical has been rescued by the most unlikely of heroes: an ogre in shining armor. Like the popular film that inspired it, Shrek: The Musical is an honest-to-god, across-the-board crowd pleaser. "
Read the whole review HERE.
TIME OUT NY:
"There’s a lot to enjoy in this lavish production, the best musical for younger audiences since The Lion King. So much of the show is good, in fact, that you can’t help wishing it were just a bit better. "
Read the whole review HERE.
amNY:
"Its biggest problem involves the generic, lightweight pop score of composer Jeanine Tesori and lyricist-writer David Lindsay-Abaire. Their work is occasionally cute, but not funny or memorable. It’s pretty telling that the musical must close to the tune of Neil Diamond’s “I’m a Believer,” imported from the film’s soundtrack. "
Read the whole review HERE.
