Once upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek…”
Kenton Theatre, Henley-on-Thames, 24-27th Nov 2021
Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, Shrek, The Musical is a Tony Award-winning fairy tale adventure featuring all new songs from Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Caroline or Change) and a side-splitting book by David Lindsay-Abaire. Shrek brings all the beloved characters you know from the film to life on stage and proves there is more to the story than meets the ears.
What a show this was. A talented cast of 22 brought to life the film to a great reception from the audiences. Tickets sold at a rate not seen for an amateur show in the Kenton Theatre for a number of years leading to nearly 90% of tickets being sold for the entire run, including the final 3 shows selling out in their entirety. Expectations were high for only the second amateur production of the hit musical. Going on the reviews it would appear that we did not disappoint.
Personally, being cast in such a well-known role was relatively daunting, but the opportunity was too great to pass and the challenge was readily accepted. Donkey is a fan favorite in the film and is a wonderful comical sidekick to Shrek, providing a brilliant contrast to the outwardly intimidating but internally sensitive main character, played in this production by Charlie Thomas.
Donkey is an intensely high-energy role who remains front and centre alongside Shrek for the majority of the production. With 3 major musical numbers (Don’t Let Me Go, Travel Song, and Make a Move) and featuring in others, there is very little rest for this character. Add into the mix the padded, fur costume and, whilst massively enjoyable, the physical demands of playing Donkey become apparent.
The 22 strong cast, even though that is a push for the size of the Kenton stage, was barely enough to cover the scripted characters and I cannot give everyone enough credit for managing to keep the show rolling with the rapid costume and set changes all handled by the cast themselves. Personally, I must give a shout-out to Abi, Alex, and Vicky for coming on board later in the rehearsal period to fill roles that hadn’t been filled yet. And a Massive thank you to Kim Leyendekers (Princess Fiona) for helping every day with the makeup for Shrek and Donkey amongst a multitude of other things, and Phil Couch for stepping in and seemingly doing everything he was asked, from Crew to Costumes.
However, casting a show with so many characters did prove to be somewhat troublesome. While the dreaded Covid-19 situation did everything in its power to prevent us from putting on a show, including removing 4 people from rehearsals (and the musical director) in the run-up to show week until the dress rehearsal, the show went ahead and wowed the keen audiences.
Despite a slick performance for the audiences, however, not everything always went to plan in the run-up. Covid delays amongst other things made the rehearsal process difficult, initially postponing the show by a whole year. But of all the shows I’ve ever had the pleasure of participating in, the attitude of the whole cast, and as such the resulting show embodied the old adage - “It’ll be alright on the night”
Obvious thanks go to all of the production team, Jake Turnell-Willett (Director/Choreographer), Jane Southern (Musical Director), David Parsons (Stage Manager), David Riley (Lighting and Sound).
What People Are Saying
“Full credit goes to the lead actors. Charlie Thomas as Shrek commands a brilliant singing voice and brings a laconic air to his portrayal of the ogre with a heart. Jerome Ifill is charismatic and exuberant as the talking donkey.”
— Henley Standard
“You can tell when a show is a winner, it just shines at you and SHREK did that. I can't see NODA coming up with anything to beat it in the awards this coming spring. Best actor must be a fight between Donkey and Princess Fiona, best costumes, best direction, best musical direction - remarkable for the not only the quality but the eyewatering quantity. I've been involved in quite a few NODA-nominated/winning shows and Shrek bears all the hallmarks of a race ahead winner.”
— Michael J Rowbottom
“I know it's cold, bitter even, but if you're anywhere near Henley tonight and can get to the Kenton then I strongly advise you to take a dose of Shrek the Musical. It's one of the best amateur shows I've seen. It is exceptional in every aspect and could easily be mistaken for a professional production. Top-level singing, movement, direction, musical direction, lighting and storytelling; truly great. I'm so glad I went.”