Theater Review: Ogden Musical Theatre’s ‘Shrek! The Musical’
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- Opening night of “Shrek The Musical.”
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- Ogden Musical Theatre is currently performing “Shrek the Musical” at Peery’s Egyptian Theater.
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- Ogden Musical Theatre is currently performing “Shrek the Musical” at Peery’s Egyptian Theater.
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- Ogden Musical Theatre is currently performing “Shrek the Musical” at Peery’s Egyptian Theater.
Ogden Musical Theatre is putting on “Shrek the Musical” at Peery’s Egyptian Theater. The cast is made up of people with impressive theater backgrounds and of all different ages. I went opening night to see the show and it turned out to be one of my favorite events of the summer.
The movie “Shrek” was extremely popular and influential in the world of animated film. It was comedic for any age group, an impressive leap in the world of computer-generated imagery and has somehow remained relevant through generations since its release. “Shrek The Musical” holds that same legacy, but instead with live performance and a remarkable production. It was true to the original Shrek storyline and featured all the quotable lines from the movie but was personalized to include more timely references, jokes specific to the region and, of course, fun music.
From the beginning of the show, I was impressed by the set design. The props were beautiful, the lighting was impactful and there was an illusionary use of layers (like an onion) in the opening scene, making the acting members look like holograms, even though they were physically on the stage. I don’t understand how they did it, but it looked awesome. The songs were catchy, and all the performers had beautiful voices. I especially loved the coordinated dance numbers.
If you’ve ever seen the movie “Shrek,” you know the song “Welcome to Duloc” is a master at getting stuck in your head. If you haven’t seen the movie and the musical is your first experience with it, be ready to be humming “Duloc is a perfect place” for the rest of the week. However, I’m glad to have it playing in the back of my brain throughout the day now, because that was one of my favorite parts of the performance. The dance was great, the costumes were fun and Lord Farquaad, played by Andrew Reeser, somehow managed to maintain the illusion of being incredibly short.
Each character had a distinct personality, all of which were great to watch and laugh with. Each one stayed in character at every point during the show, so watching the whole stage, even when a main character was speaking, just added to the experience.
The dragon was well constructed, the costumes were gorgeous and Ogden Musical Theatre cast the perfect performers for each role.
“Shrek The Musical” was interactive, with parts of the show including the audience in the conversation. There were tons of pop culture and fairy tale references from all different time periods. Part of the fun is seeing how many of those references you can understand, so listen and watch closely.
Whether you consider yourself a fan of musical theater or not, you will enjoy this show. The whole audience was laughing and having a good time, from the youngest children to the oldest adults.
Follow Ogden Musical Theatre on Instagram (@ogdenmusicaltheatre) for more information about the cast and to see behind the scenes footage.
Purchase tickets by calling 801-689-8700 or visiting ogdenpet.com/events/omt.