Modern-day heroes come in all shapes, sizes and colours as a giant green ogre showed to a sold-out theatre in Norwich.
Shrek the Musical, based on the animated DreamWorks film of 2001 which has so far spawned three sequels, has splashed down in a swamp near the city’s Theatre Royal.
Norwich Theatre Royal (Image: Newsquest)
Families flocked to see the Samuel Holmes and Nick Winston-directed fantasy adventure which sees unlikely allies Shrek (Antony Lawrence) and Donkey (Brandon Lee Sears) team up to defeat the dragon and save Princess Fiona.
The production beautifully brings to life an array of fairy-tale favourites like Pinocchio (Mark D’arcy), the Pied Piper (Jonathan David Dudley), Peter Pan (Nathan Ryles), the Big Bad Wolf (Scotty Armstrong), the Wicked Witch (Cherece Richards) and the Gingerbread Man (Georgie Buckland).
These much-loved characters help bring this modern fairy-tale to life and provide a charming backdrop to the main events unfolding on stage.
Lawrence and Sears ably support one another as two strangers from different worlds who become firm friends as they join forces to save the damsel in distress.
Shrek the Musical (Image: Supplied by Norwich Theatre Royal)Sears as Donkey wonderfully honed his inner Eddie Murphy – who provided the voice of the animated Donkey in the DreamWorks films – making him a fabulously funny sidekick to Lawrence as Shrek.
Donkey and Shrek (Image: Supplied by Norwich Theatre Royal)Although he was not quite the dashing rescuer the princess had in mind Lawrence, as Shrek, won her over by being himself and not trying to be someone or something he was not.
It was an important lesson for all, particularly younger members of the audience, to take away with them.
Special mention needs to go to Imogen Bailey who shone brightly as stand-in for Joanne Clifton, a dancer on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing show, in her sassy performance as Princess Fiona.
Bailey did not look of place as leading lady and not only sang sensationally but also brought some laugh out-loud moments to the role, perhaps most notably in the windy exchanges she shared with Shrek as their love for each other blossomed.
Add to that James Gillan as a comically camp Lord Farquaad and a rousing rendition of I’m A Believer at the end and you had all the ingredients for an ogre-ly anticipated thrill of a show for the young as well as old.
Shrek runs at Norwich Theatre Royal until Saturday (March 30).
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