Shrek The Musical

We joined Shrek (Dean Chisnall), an unlikely hero, and his loyal steed Donkey (Richard Blackwood) as they set off on a quest to rescue the beautiful (if slightly temperamental) Princess Fiona (Carley Stenson) from her tower guarded by a fire breathing love-sick dragon. Add the diminutive Lord Farquaad (Neil McDermott), a gang of fairytale misfits, and a biscuit with attitude, it is the must see musical comedy – Shrek The Musical!

Featuring all new songs as well as cult Shrek anthem I’m a Believer, Shrek The Musical brings the well loved characters to life, in a hilarious and spectacular production based on the story and characters from the Oscar®-winning DreamWorks Animation film. The world of fairytales is turned upside down in an all singing, all dancing, irresistible mix of adventure, laughter and romance.

http://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk offer Dreamworks experiences aboard a selection of their ships and we were invited to be their special guests of the evening. As we arrived at The Theatre Royal in London, the children were incredibly excited and there was a real buzz of enthusiasm as we made our way inside.

The theatre is a short distance from Waterloo and is a beautiful inside with grand ceilings and plenty of room for visitors to move around in. As we made our way inside, we stopped to have our photo taken at the Royal Caribbean booth and were very impressed with the images. The children selected to have their photos taken with different Shrek characters and liked the backgrounds which made them appear to be onboard a Royal Caribbean ship.

As we took our seats and the lights went down, the audience erupted as Shrek appeared on stage. The show follows the story of the first Shrek film and it is impressive how they move from one scene to the next with great effects and props. The show is incredibly well cast and we laughed our way throughout the show. Lord Farquaad was our favorite character. With some great staging, he appeared to be a very small man with a very large character. The whole audience clapped and cheered as the show came to an end.

There are underlying jokes for the adults and the children which I found very amusing and all of the children, aged from 6-12years were completely focused and didn’t take their eyes off the stage throughout the performance. Children can often be the hardest audience to keep engaged.

If you are looking for a family show to see in the lead up to Christmas, I would certainly recommend Shrek. It is a great night out and experience for the whole family.