An Earnest Performance of ‘Shrek the Musical’

Move over brat summer, there’s a new green god on the scene. At Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre, “Shrek the Musical” begins with blazing striking green lights to the audience, promising a production that is nothing if not green. What follows is roughly two hours of talented actors performing an earnest rendition of the iconic ogre’s tale that many know and love. Once the green lights fade from the audiences’ eyes, however, the show is more subdued, never reaching that level of pizzazz again.

Unlike many other productions, this show, directed and choreographed by Danny Mefford, opted to represent the young Shrek as a puppet. In fact, many of the characters came with strings attached. The puppets were well made and well-managed, and the voice actors demonstrated their talent without taking center stage. In a memorable moment, puppets of Young Fiona (voiced by Ally Choe) and Teen Fiona (voiced by Katherine Paladichuk) were joined by Kelly Prendergast, who portrayed Fiona. The trio delivered “I Know It’s Today,” a heartfelt harmony about Fiona’s childhood. With strong vocals all around, the song struck a chord with the audience.

With such outstanding puppetry, it came as a surprise that Dragon (Tori Kocher) lacked spectacle, wearing only a shimmery cloak. The puppets were a bold choice that paid off in the long run, providing an opportunity to showcase talented vocalists in multiple roles, but without a towering dragon, which has been a hallmark of many productions of “Shrek the Musical,” the limitations of this rendition, whether monetary or otherwise, were acutely noticeable.

The subdued dragon puppetry would have been less noticeable if Mefford and the show had not taken such a trite approach in conveying the musical’s main themes. Shrek is, at its core, an absurdist rendition of a classic fairytale trope. There is a dashing prince (with egomania), a beautiful sequestered princess (who can keep up in a flatulence contest), and an intrepid hero with his gleaming steed (an ogre and his donkey). Though the show lands on the well-worn value of self-acceptance through true love — a worthy albeit saccharine moral — it is the spectacle and humor that make the script shine. The performance on Sept. 15 lacked the bravado and campiness that Shrek fans have come to expect.

For instance, during one of the show’s most memorable numbers, “Freak Flag,” the cast belted with their best vibrato, and the one-liners in the show gave each member a moment to impress in the spotlight. This talent, however, seemed purely dedicated to the overly sincere messaging that teetered on an anti-bullying campaign. Because the moral of the story was so heavy-handed, there was not much to laugh about, despite the inherently goofy song title and comic costuming.

Despite this, Donkey (Naphtali Yaakov Curry) impressed the audience with his falsetto, and many of the actors in this production exhibited stunning vocal abilities. Curry commanded the humor of the show with his physical comedy, saving moments that were almost too serious. When Shrek first sings Donkey’s jingle about friendship on the imaginary bridge over burning lava, the scene almost loses its energy, but Donkey’s skillful miming brought the crowd to laughter.

Overall, the show seemed to lack tonal cohesion, with lighting effects and puppetry that suggested a production that was self-aware of its source material but lacking the bravado and showmanship that would have made the show spectacular. “Shrek the Musical” was still an enjoyable show with some memorable high points, but the audience left wishing they had laughed more.

Shrek ran at the Emerson Colonial Theatre from Sept. 13 to Sept. 15.

—Staff writer Serena Jampel can be reached at serena.jampel@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Ollie J. Marinaccio can be reached at ollie.marinaccio@thecrimson.com.