I wasn’t sure what to expect, not being an aficionado of animated / cartoon shows, but I figured hey, what the heck – it’s Christmas! And as it happens I have lots of good things to say about Music Theatre Works’ “Shrek: The Musical.”

It fits the bill for a holiday spectacle; it’s definitely spectacular. The performances were uniformly fabulous – from Jordan DeBose as Shrek to every last member of the ensemble there were no weak links. The orchestra, conducted by Linda Madonia, provided flawless accompaniment without ever overshadowing the voices. Laura Savage’s choreography, led by Dance Captain (and White Rabbit) Liora Lahav, showcased the cast’s talents individually and collectively.

The costumes, designed by Rachel M. Sypniewskr, were absolutely lush. It’s no mean feat to deck out dozens of fairytale creatures: ogres and princesses, a donkey and Three Blind Mice, Pinocchio, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, Alice with White Rabbit and Mad Hatter … every cast member was onstage for the finale, “This is Our Story”, and they were a sight to behold!

“Shrek: The Musical” was a major production – there were 40 people in the production team and nearly 30 in the cast, so I obviously can’t praise everyone individually. You can find all the names at Music Theatre Works’ website but I’ll just discuss those who particularly stood out for me.

Jordan DeBose was wonderful as Shrek, their voice an appealing foil to Dani Pike as Fiona. Their best number was unquestionably “I Think I Got You Beat,” and their farting competition brought down the house. The message about the ubiquity of bad experiences and the pointlessness of competitive pain was made clear via the bathroom humor that appeals so strongly to kids. As I said, the entire ensemble was marvelous, but I particularly loved Michaela Shapiro as Pinocchio, and Brian Acker gave a special flair to Captain of the Guard.

The audience is always an integral part of the theater experience, and the kids, dressed up in their special holiday outfits, were great fun to watch. There weren’t many kids in the cast, but Omi Lichtenstein (young Fiona), Shaya Harris (teen Fiona), Teah Kiang Mirabelli as Young Shrek and Ugly Duckling, and Baby Bear Lea Biwer were terrific. The Tower princess trio of Pike, Lichtenstein, and Harris singing “I Know it’s Today” was marvelous, cleverly staged and perfectly performed. Michael Metcalf played a wonderfully tantrummy Lord Farquaad [more about Farquaad later but Metcalf’s performance was spot on!]. Maddison Denault captured my heart as Dragon, and the Dragon puppet, both its manufacture and its manipulation, was masterful.

If you’ve read other reviews by me you’ll know I unabashedly play favorites – there’s always one in every cast that takes my reason away (as Shirley DeVore would say), and in “Shrek”that one was Eustace J. Williams as Donkey. His character is the most unequivocally likable, but Williams went beyond Donkey’s innate charm with flawless comedic timing and potent use of space; his entire body – particularly his ears – perfectly expressed a full range of emotions.
“Shrek: The Musical” was a wonderful production with stunning performances. I do, however, have some procedural and production concerns. I’ll start at the top with Kyle Dougan, Music Theatre Works’ Producing Artistic Director, as I assume it was he who chose this play for MTW’s 2023 Holiday special.
“Shrek: The Musical” was Much.   Too.   Long.

Two acts plus intermission ran to nearly three hours – far too lengthy for a kids show! The actors came out to the lobby afterwards for photo ops, a lagniappe that lots of kids would probably have loved but relatively few took advantage of – by the time the aisles cleared it was pushing dinnertime and most parents just wanted to get their hungry cranky kids home, fed, and put to bed. What a shame! I’m sure lots of kids would have loved to show their friends a picture of themselves with Shrek and Fiona!

Going over the program afterwards my companion and I found at least an hour of material that the show would have been improved by cutting, bringing it down to 90 minutes running time with no intermission. Property rights may have restricted making cuts in the script; in that case the producer should have simply chosen another show, especially as length was by no means the only serious problem with “Shrek.”

For these problems responsibility lies with Director Johanna McKenzie Miller. In her Director’s Note she criticized the “strict casting” of the stories, citing the outdated gender message that a princess must sit in her tower and wait for a (male) prince to rescue her. I agree, that’s problematic, but then Miller went on to make casting decisions that actually raise far graver concerns.

Since Chicago theater’s recovery from the pandemic I’ve noticed an encouraging trend to focus on relevant social issues. In September 2022 I was blown away by Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s RICHARD III, produced as a collaborative project called Making Inclusive Theatre: Richard III as Disability Art. BWBTC is renowned for their gender-bending casting and exploration of previously unexplored voices, and in Richard III they focused on Ableism, featuring a blind actress in the title role, working with a deaf director.

“Shrek: The Musical” is – or should have been – a wonderful vehicle for bringing this issue before children. After all, the song “Freak Flag” in Act II is about everyone having a bit of freakiness in them. Unfortunately, not only did Miller fail to take advantage of the opportunity, she managed to portray an exactly opposite Moral of the Story.

I had been troubled from the start that Lord Farquaad, in the movie a very short man, was played by a full-size man acting on his knees; it was cleverly engineered but it just didn’t feel right to me. Then “The Ballad of Farquaad” informed us that Lord Farquaad was not simply a short man, he was a dwarf – and therefore a “freak.”

At that point this casting became not just troubling but actively offensive. Peter Dinklage showed us that a Little Person with acting talent need not – should not – limit his career to playing elves and fairies. I imagine Dinklage was already engaged when Miller was casting “Shrek: The Musical,” but Chicago’s actors certainly include multi-talented Little People, and Farquaad should absolutely have been played by one of them. The Broadway premier of “Shrek: The Musical” in 2008 cast a full-height actor as Farquaad. One might have hoped that 15 years later they would do better.

Miller’s ableism didn’t stop with Farquaad – incredibly, it got worse. Donkey’s song “Make a Move” featured backup by the Three Blind Mice, who at one point swing their white canes up to mimic microphones. The performance was truly funny – until Donkey snatched the cane away from the lead Mouse to use as a microphone himself.

NO.

Under no circumstances whatsoever is it OK to show kids that it’s funny to snatch away a disabled person’s mobility aid. Would people have laughed if Donkey had knocked a character out of a wheelchair and then done wheelies with it?

There is a really ugly history in this country of stage shows where majority demographic actors would dress and perform as caricatures of minority people with the intent of mocking or villainizing them. These shows, like SHREK, were seen at the time as good, wholesome family entertainment. But I never expected that in 2023 I'd be attending an ableist minstrel show.

"Shrek"could – should! – have sent a powerful inclusion message to kids: we all have our quirks and foibles and even a King may be a little freaky. This makes “freaks” normal. Instead, “Shrek: The Musical” showed kids that disabled peoples’ mobility devices are mere comic props, and Little People are true freaks who must be disguised behind Normal people in dwarfism blackface.

“Shrek: The Musical” is a well-performed show, but I advise you to think twice before letting your kids see it … and if you do decide to take them, make sure they’ve had an after-lunch nap! “Shrek: The Musical” plays at Northshore Center for Performing Arts in Skokie through December 31.