CheekyChicago

We all have within us that little kid who used to delight and marvel at the world and who could laugh unabashedly at the slightest provocation. Unfortunately, the pressures and responsibilities of adulthood make it less and less easy to stay connected to the young ones we used to be. Every once in a while, though, an event comes along that can bring out our so-called inner child, and that can allow us to cast away our worries and cares giving us the ability to simply enjoy what is before us. Shrek the Musical is one such event – a cartoon movie adapted for the stage, full of humor, spectacle and fairy tale lessons. It’s a night at the theater specifically designed to bring out the kid in you!

The plot of Shrek the Musical (I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn) is the exact same plot we saw in the original Shrek movie in 2001. The good news, though, is that the musical delves deeper into some of the character’s backgrounds giving those of us who have seen the movie something new and interesting to watch. We learn about Shrek and Fiona’s abandonment issues as well as Farquaad’s hilarious daddy hang-ups. But I get ahead of myself. I am assuming that everyone has seen the movie. For those of you who haven’t, the story of Shrek is the tale of an ugly, green ogre named, yes, Shrek. Like all ogres, he lives alone in a secluded place – in this case, a swamp – where he leads a happy, albeit, lonely life. That is until suddenly a whole slew of story book characters – Peter Pan, The Big Bad Wolf, the Wicked Witch and the like – show up in Shrek’s swamp, having been evicted from their homes by the fastidious and vertically challenged ruler of the land: Lord Farquaad. He has deemed them all “freaks” because of their magical powers and – for lack of a better word – differentness. They, therefore, don’t belong in the Land of Dulac – Farquaad’s “Perfect Place.”  With Shrek’s solitude and home disrupted, he sets out, along with a very talkative Donkey, to persuade Lord Farquaad to give him his swamp back which Farquaad agrees to do…but only if Shrek goes and rescues a princess named Fiona from a dragon-guarded castle. You see, Farquaad desperately wants to become a king, and the only way to do that is to marry a princess, but he is, of course, unwilling to do the dirty work of rescuing one himself. What follows is an action/adventure tale, a love story and a fable all rolled into one. And…oh yeah…there is a lot of singing and dancing.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure how well an animated film was going to translate to the stage. How do you, after all, make humans look like cartoon characters without having them look stupid?  Thanks to some ingenious costumes and sets, though, I had no problem believing that an ogre was talking to a donkey, or that Lord Farquaad was actually four feet tall (one of the most amazing theatrical tricks I have ever witnessed). Even when Shrek fights the Dragon to rescue Princess Fiona (another miraculous and jaw dropping spectacle), I believed every moment. The whole show is such a visual delight that it will turn even the stodgiest adult into a grinning fool.

Another delightful aspect to the show is its’ clever and unique humor. Like the fovie version, Shrek the Musical hilariously spoofs all of the classic fairy tale stories. But then, as an added bonus, it also spoofs other musicals! When Lord Farquaad riffs like Elphaba singing “Defying Gravity” in Wicked, I almost bust a gut with delight. But don’t worry. You don’t have to be a die-hard musical fan like me to have a good time. There is plenty of fun dialogue, witty lyrics and bodily function jokes to keep everyone laughing.

And, of course, what’s not to love about the overall lesson learned in the Shrek story? Amongst all the fart jokes and musical lampooning lies a story about not being afraid to be yourself. Shrek and the fairy tale characters that are forced into his swamp are all labeled “freaks” and ostracized from society simply because they are different than the majority. It is not until they step out of their comfort zones, take a stand and pronounce their pride for who they inherently are, that they discover that the ones who persecute them are themselves a little freaky. We all have a little something something that makes us different, but our differences are also what make us unique. This lesson is obviously a great one for the kids in the audience, but as a grown up, I found myself affected by it as well. There is a song in the show called “Let Your Freak Flag Fly” and I think this is something that we adults could all use a reminding of every now and again.

Shrek the Musical, in a word, is a delight! It will have you laughing and smiling and singing along no matter what your age. So give that cooped up kid in you a chance to break loose and then give yourself permission to hoist your freak flag. I promise you will have a great time.