Fun with a capital F. Talent with a capital T. It’s Shrek: The Musical, with a capital S for special.
The Music Theater Works production of Shrek: The Musical at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie is top-notch entertainment for adults and children.
Almost everyone knows the plot. Lord Farquaad banishes all the fairy-tale characters in his kingdom to the swamp of ogre Shrek, who wants no one living around him. Shrek marches on the kingdom of Duloc to demand the characters be allowed back.
Lord Farquaad needs to marry the Princess Fiona in order to claim a royal position but he must rescue her from the tower where she is imprisoned. The task is too daunting for him. He challenges Shrek to do it with the promise to Shrek that if he succeeeds, Farquaad will allow the fairy-tale characters back into the kingdom and away from his swamp.
Twenty-nine characters are part of the journey. Twenty-nine performers on stage in a musical is almost unheard of now. Together, they make for quite an extravaganza with their changing costumes, their rambunctious dance scenes and their vocal performances. Twenty-five songs in the production, all of them captivating and all intermingled with energetic choreography.
Even the support cast, a talented ensemble, could together be considered one of the stars. And Shrek is full of stars, each one more appealing than the other.
Jordan DeBose (Shrek) has a booming voice and even with a green face and head with horns, DeBose has us rooting for the ogre.
Dani Pike (adult Fiona) has a secret life that she hints at with mannerisms that make us laugh and an entrancing voice that carries us through her dilemmas and choices.
Eustace J. Williams (Donkey) is the lesson about friendship and loyalty. Most of his songs are with other characters but his strong voice, with DeBose and Pike’s, make for moving moments. And how does he carry off being a donkey? Well, with a lot of exaggerated commitment.
So many other characters play a central role in this production.
Maddison Denault (Dragon) belts out her songs and her moves match those of the giant red puppet, scary but also inexplicably lovesick for Donkey.
Michael Metcalf (Lord Farquaad) is the only villain of a character, and even he is sympathetic with his feelings of inadequacy because of his stature. Metcalf dances and moves with little short artificial legs that almost seem real. His songs with the ensemble are a delight to hear, and he is amusing to watch.
Even the fairy-tale characters command the stage when it’s their turn.
As Pinocchio, Michaela Shapiro’s antics steal our hearts and our attention every time as the puppet boy pleads that he wants to be a real boy. Even the smallest details are taken care of in this production. Pinocchio’s wooden nose grows bigger each time he fabricates a story.
Shrek: The Musical is not just all fun. Lessons are learned from the characters and the story about not judging people by their looks and not stereotyping people by their positions in life. Friendship and loyalty win over loneliness and artificial social positions. Romance wins out. And all the messages are delivered with heartwarming and humorous antics in an array of song and dance with the most talented of performers.
When a performance works this well, credit for a terrific production also goes to the orchestra, the technical team and especially the director, Johanna McKenzie Miller.
Music Theater Works’ Shrek: The Musical is a hit. The show is playing through Dec. 31 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd. in Skokie. Special pricing for those under 25. For more information call the box office at 847-673-6300 or go online.