Shrek the Musical review
5 / 10
Lord Farquaad, played by James Gillan, is stripped of his Napoleon complex here and of the prosthetic short legs of previous stagings. The removal of the ableist overtones is welcome – but instead, he’s lampooned as a camp, closeted gay man with a chorus of light-footed soldiers at his heels, a substitution that scarcely seems any more progressive. The production flounders on the Eventim Apollo’s huge stage, which brings all its problems into focus. The finale number, I’m a Believer, which should sum up the central themes of this show, feels like more of a last-gasp effort to get the audience on its feet. Drained of its theatrical magic, the whole thing lurches desperately from one song to the next, sapping the story of charm and humour.
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