Shrek the Musical (2013) User Reviews

Why can't they do this with more Broadway shows?

[OrinP · 6/10 · 7 December 2013]

Shrek only ran on Broadway from 2008 to 2010, but in that small time frame producer Jeffrey Katzenberg apparently saw fit to create a DVD of the show. If not made for any other reason than to cash in on the Shrek film franchise, this is an immensely entertaining and hysterically funny show. I for one am very glad they made it available for home viewing. It's the next best thing to seeing a show live.

THE CAST

SHREK played by Brian d'Arcy James. Mr. James is perfect for the role and makes it his own while still calling to mind the film character. His voice is also terrific, and he gives us the show- stopping number "Who I'd Be", which is definitely the best song in the show.

Fiona played by Sutton Foster. Oh, how I love this woman. Her voice is beautiful! She can go from being ridiculously goofy and then suddenly convey genuine emotion in her songs. I love the song "I Know It's Today" and her antics in "Morning Person" are hilarious.

DONKEY played by Daniel Breaker. Donkey is one of the favorite characters. Breaker brings a sassier edge to Donkey but he's still that ass that simultaneously annoys us and makes us fall in love with him.

LORD FARQUAAD played by Christopher Sieber. To me, Sieber stole much of the show. He is on his knees the entire time with little legs dangling in front of him, which is quite amusing. As painful as that could have been, he makes it look effortless.

PINOCCHIO played by John Tartaglia. You may recognize him from the Playhouse Disney show "Johnny and the Sprites." I suppose playing a puppet is referencing the fact that he does all the puppeteering for the show.

THE MUSIC

The music, unfortunately, never reaches the heights of "The Lion King" or "Wicked." However, there is still something to recommend here. Several standout songs, including the already mentioned "Who I'd Be" and "I Know It's Today" are particularly good. The opening song, "Big Bright Beautiful World" is a good start, and Donkey's first song "Don't Let Me Go" is outrageously funny. The catchiest song is probably "Freak Flag" which is also very humorous. While these songs probably won't be considered classics anytime soon, they are cleverly written and are highly suitable for this show.

The show is probably suitable for ages 10 and up. There is some off-color humor here and there, but most of it would probably go over the kid's heads. (The transvestite wolf.) The gassy humor is obviously aimed at them. I, for one, could have gone without the fart/belch sequence. However, even I admit it was a little amusing. Donkey says 'damn' and 'hell' once each, but I think that was the extent of the language.

I very much wish that this DVD would be the start of a new trend. Having Broadway on demand in our living room would be fantastic. Will someone please film the "Pippin" revival next?

As good as the Movie

[cnycitylady · 8/10 · 7 November 2015]

Shrek the Musical does its absolute best to best the original movie, the film that won the very first Academy Award for Animated feature, and the movie that all around the world kids and adults love--and it damn near succeeds.

This Broadway show keeps everything you love about the movie--The jokes, the quirks, the heartbreak and the love and adds fun, funny songs that only improve and enhance the story. The production team stitched together their musical enthusiasm and a narrative that absolutely everyone loves. With such a beloved movie as fodder for Broadway inspiration this could've been a disaster. It is clear that they cradled this movie close to their hearts and put their souls into every part of it. Shrek and Fiona fall in love and make you laugh and cry, but the side characters such as Pinocchio get a say in their fates too. Sutton Foster and Brian d'Aarcy James embody the two leads and you cannot wait for them to fall in love and take you on their wacky, fairy- tale adventure.

It's a bonus that Broadway allowed this production to be wide released in DVD format, because it is a treasure that everyone should experience. 8.5/10

Shrek: The Meh Musical

[nicholaskutzin · 6/10 · 14 August 2020]

It's entertaining. That's the most I can say. The first fifteen minutes are so bad and cringy, but it gets better once Donkey is introduced. All the songs are okay. There are no songs I would never listen to unless I was watching the whole show. The big thing the saves this musical for me is Donkey. He is the only character that I actually found funny. While Shrek and Fiona are entertaining, Donkey was the only one that I truly enjoyed watching. Some of the singing sounded very nasally. I don't know if it was because of the audio or because of the singers, but it did not sound particularly good. Over all, this ain't my least favorite musical, but it's no where close to my favorite.

A Nice Adaptation

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 25 June 2014]

It's nice when the producers of these musical gems see fit to do a nicely cinematic rendition of such lays. After watching "Phantom" at the Royal Albert Hall and then this one as a presentation on Netflix, I'm hoping that more will be saved for always. This is not the world's greatest musical, but it is full of life, wonderful characters, and a nice edge to it. It has two or three very good songs and lots of topical material. The two leads in particular capture the Disney original and are able to poke fun at themselves. If there is a downside, it does go on a bit long and the fairy tale characters aren't used quite as much as they could be. I remember seeing Prince Farquhar on the Tony Awards and was amazed at his dexterity, playing the entire part on his knees. I would imagine that most of the theater goers already know the plot but the magic still gets us from the get go.

Worth viewing in spite of faults

[PhantomPimpernel · 9 January 2014]

I found this show/recording to be a really mixed bag. It was pretty much 50/50 for me, but because what was good worked so well, I'm willing to bump the rating up from a 5 to a 6 or maybe 7 out of 10.

What worked:

The more humanoid of the movie mains. Shrek and Fiona were absolutely wonderful. They had fantastic songs written for them that fleshed out their characters ("Who I'd Be", "I Know It's Today", and "When Words Fail" being my favorites). Plus, having them being played by Broadway greats, Brian D'Arcy James and Sutton Foster definitely didn't hurt. Farquaad was also a treat. Christopher Sieber was able to consistently ham it up just the right amount whenever he was on stage.

The musical referencing. This was a really nice touch to the show since the Shrek franchise is known for referencing pop culture. Not only does the musical theater world move a little slower than the pop world, making for a bit of a safety net for the jokes over the next decade, but it's fitting for the musical version of Shrek, to in fact, joke about it's own genre.

The costumes and makeup. Of course, if you're doing a full-blown fairy tale musical attached to the Shrek franchise, you have to go big or go home. In a Broadway show, budget is especially important. It was clear that a lot of effort was put into transforming the actors from human to creature, and occasionally, back again.

What could have worked better:

Donkey. I just didn't see a whole lot of reason for his existence in the musical. Not a whole lot was added and he seemed to be around solely for the purpose of fan service. But then, I've never been totally won over by Donkey in the movies, so this could just be negative bias.

The scenery. I felt that the sets were often much darker (without light) than needed. Unless they really had to cover up machinery, I could find little justification for the darkness on stage. Some scenes, especially the lava bridge scene, could have really done with some more light. For example, the lava bridge scene had smoke effects and decent coloring on the backdrop, but the floor was completely black. I would have liked seeming some lava representation.

What didn't work:

Almost anything to do with the peripheral fairy tale characters. These guys were all such fun in the movies, but were turned into nothing but excuses for lame jokes and annoying voices. I had a mild sense of dread every time these guys appeared on stage. Their song "Story of My Life" is annoying and forgettable, while the song the musical tries to peddle as an individuality anthem, "Freak Flag," is bland and feels like an undeserved spectacle.

Pinocchio becoming the spokesman of the fairy tale creatures was also irksome. While the actor did a very good impersonation of the character, the character's voice is far too shrill to be featured so often.

Still, as stated previously, what worked, whenever it worked, was really wonderful and fun. Other strong parts of the show include "Big, Bright, Beautiful World", and "Things Are Looking Up in Duloc." In spite of it's weaknesses, I would definitely recommend this show to fans of Shrek and musical theater alike.

Enjoyable fare, I'm a believer

[safenoe · 7/10 · 11 March 2016]

I saw this on a flight and it brought back fond memories of the movie.

I don't often see the musicals so it was great to see it on screen, although the magic may not be the same, but still. I was amazed by how Princess Fiona could transform so quickly into the Shrek-like character at the end. Maybe this is revealed in the DVD extras.

The ending...I would have liked to have seen all the cast members being presented to the audience, as we only saw clips of the main five. Also, Sutton Foster made a funny face the end, and I'm not sure why she did, but it was funny.

The end song "I'm a believer" was very rousing, especially seeing all the cast perform it.

Very good

[simonericsson · 10/10 · 13 October 2018]

I thunk shrek is love shrek is life. I cant wait til shrek 5.

Ignore the Nay Sayers

[krgoldman-56448 · 10/10 · 14 August 2021]

Those people that complained it wasn't like the movie have apparently never been to a Broadway show that a movie was adapted from. It is hardly ever the same. I actually like this version better than the movie and I like the movie. They went into the past more and to me that made the story make more sense.

Sound of Music stage production- different than the movie

Grease stage production (original) - different than the movie

Frozen stage production- different than the movie and in a different order

Shall I go on? Take a hint nay sayers - this is the exact reason I ignore the reviews - I like to make up my in mind and think for myself!

Almost unbearable

[crazyorconfused · 4/10 · 13 June 2020]

I'm sure this is a fun musical for some people but the only thing that got through this was Sutton Foster and figuring out how lord farquaads legs work. The 4 stars are for Sutton Foster.

Amazing, peak theatre

[IOwnASharpBlade · 10/10 · 3 February 2022]

I can't put words to how amazing this story is. This is almost as good as shrek two. I can't stress this enough. THIS IS AMAZING! If you want to know what I mean just watch it. It is available on youtube for free. WATCH IT. The story is so good I even named my child after the three main characters. Shrek, Donkey and Fiona.

Gave me nightmares

[flykeri · 3/10 · 3 September 2020]

Some movies especially animated movies just so should not be musicals

Swamp-tastic!

[sini-200 · 10/10 · 31 October 2020]

Great musical for kids and adults (the inskde jokes are fantastic), the costumes, set design and absolutely love the songs, thet really stuck in my head for days. I have seen this couple of times and now found in Netflix again and its really fun, cheerful musical to cheer you up. It is sending great message of not fitting in and being different. Also great to notice small details they put in you don't notice on first watch.

Super good!!!

[cejvr-26019 · 10/10 · 30 November 2020]

Oh my, I haven't laughed so much in a long time. These actors did a fantastic job. Old lord Farquaard is so annoying. He reminds me so much of Lockhart from Harry Potter. I'm going to pull a Hermione and say: What. An. Idiot!!!!! Good inside jokes about dear old Farquaard. I haven't know there was a musical out of Shrek. But its great. The guy playing Donkey is just as good as Eddie Murphy.

shrek the musical more like shrek the masterpiece

[kreameekreamer · 10/10 · 16 May 2019]

Kreamer approves.



that's creamy

When shrek sang the song that was epic

Love the Ogre but the music is hideous!!

[k-kininmonth · 3/10 · 23 November 2021]

This is a horrible ! The songs are terrible the acting is average the longer it goes on the bigger your headache.

Totally understand why the show was cancelled just wish it had never been suggested in the first place.

I struggle to understand when the songs in the movie were so good.

Avoid at all costs!

great

[legobrody · 10/10 · 7 March 2017]

my personal favorite anime of all time. the betrayal in it (no spoilers) was very sad. number 1 saddest anime betrayal. get out of my swamp! ha ha ha. very good, top 10 material. I really enjoyed this anime. I would watch 5000 times over. actually 9999 times over. actually 1000000 times over.

Is this supposed to be a parody?!

[daisyisabaker · 3/10 · 13 April 2021]

R. I. P SHREK.

None of the soundtrack is used, so all of the songs are new and bad. Very unimaginative lyrics.. rhyming "World" with "World" and then rhyming it with "World" again.. Wow. GENIUS.

All of the "actors" accents are terrible. The whole story is set in Europe, yet none of "actors" can actually pronounce words properly. Shrek's pronunciation of "Route" made me cringe so much.

Costume design is hideous and nightmarish. The only plus is that Pinocchio is the only character who remained "in character". I liked that they had an effect to make his nose grow, whenever he lied.

I can't believe I waited so long to watch this, for such a huge disappointment. I watched it on Netflix, so I feel bad to whoever paid to watch this Live.

If you truly believe that Shrek is Love, Shrek is Life. Please DO NOT WATCH THIS.

It will break your heart.

Shrek live!

[Bored_Dragon · 8/10 · 14 May 2019]

Already cult animated film by DreamWorks company and, in my opinion, one of the best cartoons of all time, "Shrek", has been adapted into a Broadway musical. I do not need to comment on the story itself, because it is almost the same as in the original, with the addition of pretty good music and dance numbers. While the cartoon from 2001 was designed as a witty and amusing parody of the Disney Princesses, the musical version also parodies some famous musicals. The acting is good, some of the performers really have great voices, and the atmosphere of the entire show is casual and cheerful. Even if you are not a fan of musicals, if you liked the cartoon you'll probably enjoy this adaptation too. It made my day.

8/10

Love it

[rastlinie · 10/10 · 4 February 2020]

My kids favorite thing to watch when home sick. Adds so much to the movie. This got us to look into a BroadwayHD subscription so we can see more like this.

Ah-May-Zing

[susanduggin · 10/10 · 25 June 2019]

Absolutely Amazing!!! Love every minute of it! The songs are so catchy!

Can't believe ppl actually paid to go see this...

[keepmeposted-07031 · 2/10 · 22 November 2018]

I thought I'd try this out since it was on Netflix. I gave it the benefit of the doubt, but it's really it's just... no good.

They do very little to extend the backstory on either Shrek or Fiona. All you really learn is Shrek was abandoned at the age of 7 (way of the ogres, I guess) and that Fiona's been trapped in that tower for 20 years.

They use a LOT of dialog directly from the movie, but try to DISGUISE that fact by saying each quote differently or "in their own way". And all I can say to that is... nice try. We 90s kids have been quoting this movie word for word ever since we first saw it. We know what you're doing and we don't like it.

The only thing that could make up for a movie basically being reanimated onto stage would be clever, fun songs placed in between... which this does not have. I liked Fiona's first song and the "I Got You Beat" duet between Shrek and Fiona was fun... until it got weird at the end, when they started relishing in each other's bodily functions...

The romance between Shrek and Fiona is pretty much passed over in this, like it's not the most important part, for some reason. I know these characters, I know they love each other, and yet when they got to the end, I couldn't care less who Fiona ended up with.

And if you're looking for a play where second-rate fairytale creatures get MORE THAN ONE musical number, look no further. We never asked for it, but they made it happen anyway.

I will give this musical an extra star simply for the "Grumpy is Lord Farquad's dad" side storyline. I'll admit, it gave me a little chuckle. Plus the guy who played Farquad deserves an extra star for all the pain he goes through walking on his knees all day.

Really good

[doomedmac · 8/10 · 18 September 2020]

This is a really cool musical! The songs are solid and the stage design is great. Fun for the whole family!

UNBEARABLE!

[Beedgehog · 1/10 · 15 April 2021]

I had to watch this for school, and the WHOLE class said it is the worst thing ever! WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA!?

The greatest musical spoof ever!!!!!!!

[stephenchase-63504 · 10/10 · 16 March 2021]

The funniest segment is the wedding finale where Shrek and Fiona kiss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Fantastic Show with Tons of Talent.

[ncohen73 · 8/10 · 8 January 2024]

Before I begin my review of "Shrek: The Musical", I have a confession to make: I've never seen a "Shrek" movie from start to finish. Just not my type of movie.

I went to see the show, almost begrudgingly, with a much younger relative & his parents. My only interest in this show was that Sutton Foster was playing "Fiona". I love Sutton Foster, and I've seen her in many things. Obviously, she was brilliant. Brian D'Arcy James, as "Shrek" was also fantastic. Their scenes together were excellent.

What I really wanted to talk about was the characters of "Donkey" & "Lord Farquad". Daniel Breaker, as "Donkey", was a joy to watch. He was hysterical & has a great singing voice. I think I saw him in one other thing, years ago, where he wasn't a main character, and he was great! I enjoyed watching him "ham it up".

Christopher Sieber plays "Lord Farquad", and he is such a comedic genius. The way this show creates "Lord Farquad", is so unique & brilliant, and Mr. Sieber handles the extremely challenging choreography with ease. I don't know how he sustained that while doing the show eight times a week.

I liked this show very much. Sure, there are parts that aren't as good or interesting as other parts, but overall it's such a good, fun, entertaining show. It's highly recommended.