Shrek The Musical Reviews

Mark t from Uk

JUST GREAT

Best west end show I have ever seen will recommend it to everyone I know

Carrie Milton from Upminster, Essex

SHREK

Fantastic performances from all the cast, but especially Lord Farquart, Shrek and Fiona. Everytime Farquart entered the stage he had the whole theatre in fits of laughter, Shrek's accent and overall performance was spot on and Fiona was fantastic. Could not believe how strong the singing voices were (especially the dragon's). The dragon was superb and after a few seconds did not even notice the people beneath her!! This is a must see for all ages, I went with three adults and 3 kids and all of us enjoyed it tremendously. By far one of the best West End shows I have seen.

Fernando from Surrey

FANTASTIC

I took my 4th old last night her face just lit up every scene she was roaring with laughter and so were we - just brilliantly adapted for stage. Go and see it if u have children

Belle from London UK

GREAT SHOW

Two (semi-reluctant!) adults and three children saw Shrek and we all thought it was a great show. Couldn't fault any performances, particularly liked Lord Farquaart and Pinnochio. All the chorus were excellent. We would all recommend this show as a "must see".

Fay from Swindon UK

SHREK THE MUSICAL 07/05/11

Was not sure what 4 adults were going to make of this!We managed to get Box Seats which were Fab.. We all loved it,had us laughing all the way through,Shrek, Donkey and Fiona were great but the real star of the show was Lord Farquaad, you will enjoy this show what ever your age

Claire from Leeds

EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE

We found shrek the muscial fantastic !! I went with my husband and my 4 year old daughter, both of them absolutely loved it. All of the lead roles where excellent, as for some of the negative comments from others regarding singing voices we found most unfounded. Will definitely go and see it again !!!

Debbie from london

WOW WHAT A NIGHT

I have seen many shows and I would rate this as one of the very best, Amanda Holden was brilliant, and very talented, Nigel Harman OMG, he is excellent in this I would highly advise everyone to go see this, not sure where the poor reveiws came from, maybe they were watching a different show, myself and my husband had a brilliant night, and going by the reaction of everyone else there, their veiws would be the same as ours - Brilliant show well done to you all :) Go book your tickets now

IGGY from Kent UK

GREAT NIGHT OUT

Ignore all negative comments - I took my 9 year old daughter and we had a marvellous eveing. Great entertainment and I had no problems with the casts acting skills - they made us laugh and knowing what Amanda Holden has been through recently she really pulled it off

Richard from Kent UK

RICHARD HULLAND FROM KENT

we saw shrek on the 21st may the stage set was fantastic and the show was funny from the opening song to last, well worth going to see, i read the criticism of Amanda Holden and Nigel Harman's singing ability's before we went which made me listen more carfully to them than i would have normally and there was nothing wrong at all with their singing, ok Amanda is not Elaine Page and Nigel Harman is not Michael Ball but this is SHREK A COMEDY MUSICAL and not the opera it is not about the singing this seams to have washed over the heads of some people,the whole show is a hoot and in my opinion better than the film

Claire Shuttleworth from UK

FANTASTIC

Went to see Shrek last week when on a weekend break in London. We were three rows from the front so had a brilliant view. I have to say that Nigel Harman was hilarious as Lord Farquaad and I will not look at Amanda Holden in the same light again after the "farting sceen" so funny I was crying.

Heather Glasscoe from England

SHREK - BRILLIANT!

My daughter of 19 and myself 46 took ourselves off to see Shrek on 13 June. I expected a good show but to my surprise it was brilliant. The whole cast , the scenery, the costumes were all brilliant. Nigel Harman does not get enough praise for his role as Lord Farquaat, he was so funny and you cannot believe it is him at all under all the costume and plastic legs. I highly recommend you go as you will come out of there feeling great.

Sheena from London, UK

SHREK IS BACK AND LONDON'S GOT HIM!

Most of us loved the animated film, in spite of ourselves, and the musical version is lots of fun too! It also has great acting, (come on folks, comedy is difficult) songs and singing, dancing, costumes, sets, you name it! When we saw it, everyone in the audience was laughing and clapping like mad. Great show - 5 stars plus! Can't remember when I've liked a 21st Century musical more! Great night out - get your tickets while you can! Sheena

Sheena from London, UK

SHREK IS BACK AND LONDON'S GOT HIM!

Most of us loved the animated film, in spite of ourselves, and the musical version is lots of fun too! It also has great acting, (come on folks, comedy is difficult) songs and singing, dancing, costumes, sets, you name it! When we saw it, everyone in the audience was laughing and clapping like mad. Great show - 5 stars plus! Can't remember when I've liked a 21st Century musical more! Great night out - get your tickets while you can! Sheena

Rachel Lloyd from Tolworth

FUN FUN FUN

How can anyone with a sense of fun not love this show? It is such a feel good musical and the audience were on their feet at the end, when I saw it. Hilarious...... and moving in places. Superb!

Rachel Whatling from UK

BRILLIANT

Saw Shrek on Fri and thought it was superb. Amanda Hiolden was excellent. Everyone was. And the tiny Fiona at the end made me smilie. Nice touches throughout. Go see!

Sammy from uk

ACE

Amazing show

Becky Stewart from Peterborough UK

BRILLIANT 100% OCTOBER 2011 HALF TERM

First time my 5 and 8 year old have seen a show other than locally. OUT OF THIS WORLD :))) and they are still talking about it. Thank you very much for the laughter which was constant. ALL ACTORS AND ACTRESSES were stars. Stage and scenery were well planned and put together especially the bridge and dragon. Kids loved the dragon swooping as well as the confetti (although the hotel cleaners were probably not amused lol). Well done- highly recommend. Thank you for making us laugh so much :)

Anonymous from Anytown, AT 55555

42 YEAR OLD PLUS KIDS ALL LOVED IT!!

Absolutely fantastic,, all the characters were there and myself and the kids laughed throughout. Amanda Holden surprised me with her singing and played the part brilliantly, ive seen better stage props but the dragon made up for this by a long way.The chorus were all amazing, brightly coloured and very busy, If you love Shrek i strongly recommend you get yourself tickets, you will not be dissappointed. Excellent night out for everyone.

Tracey from Wollaston, Northants

AWESOME FAMILY SHOW!!

My son and I thoroughly enjoyed the slow. Costumes and set were fantastic. Characters were very good, Nigel Harman was particularly good with an amazing portrayal of Lord Farquar!! All the main characters were good, but can see great things happening for the young Fiona - what a voice!!!

Ginaling from uk

AMAZING

I just came back from seeing the show it was amazing everything was so entertaining especially the costume and the actors where excellent really enjoyed lord farquaad he was exceptional. This was a must see show!!! don't listen to any negatives view until you see it yourself. Go see it you wont be disappointed.

J. BROWN from LONDON

SHREK THE MUSICAL LONDON

Saw it with my daughter Sunday 15 May matinee. We had brilliant seats in the stalls - have had tickets 6 months so was really looking forward to it. Thought it was worth every penny Nigel Harman stole the show so very funny and Amanda Holden and Richard Blackwood were brilliant too, thought for a second the Wicked Witch's boobs were going to pop out of her very low cut bodice tho - well she tried hard anyway.

Rich from UK

A GREAT NIGHT OUT

I was somewhat dubious how this would work as a stage show, but I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only weak link being Richard Blackwood as Donkey, but even he wasn't bad enough to ruin the overall spectacle. The star of the show is definitely Nigel Harman-a camp comic genius !

Rita zetter from essex uk

GREAT SHOW

took our 4 grandchildren age 10 to 15 to see the show last night(13 june)we all loved it ,it was so funny the costumes, make-up and music were great all had a very good time thankyou rita

Anonymous from Surrey, England

GREAT SHOW

We went to the matinee yesterday and it was a fantastic show! The only let down was that Richard Blackwood was very weak both singing and acting! The rest of the cast were excellent! I was dubious to see Amanda Holden in it but personally thought she was great in the role and more talented than I had ever given her credit for before! Nigel Harman was amazing!!! There were scenes of absolute brilliance and then a couple of scenes (just before the interval) which were dull but the second half made up for it! Although I was upset they missed out the Robin Hood part of the story! ;-) Overall great show!

Elsie Clarke from Kent, UK

MARVELLOUS SHOW- A GREAT UPLIFTING SHOW

May 21st Matinee show- WOW, what a spectical. I took 2 8 year old girls and my 65 year old mother and I've never seen them ( and I of course) laugh so much, be amazed and entertained so much. I would recommend anyone who gets a chance to go. The singing, acting and dancing are all wonderful. And the dragon- well! Only a shame that more Shrek songs from the film weren't in it.

The Moore family from London

GREAT!

I went to see Shrek with my two sons, aged 7 and 10 yesterday afternoon. We have a great time! Whilst I agree with other reviewers that some of the main parts, particularly that of 'Donkey', were a bit weak (though my kids still enjoyed him), we thoroughly enjoyed the show. The support cast were FANTASTIC. The roles of the pinnoccio and the gingerbread man and the voice of the dragon were superb. Don't follow the negative reviewers - go and see the show for yourself. It is well worth a trip.

T McColl from South Yorkshire, England

STAR OF THE SHOW

went to see this show on mon 22.8.11. I only booked the tickets 1 week before. When we arrived we noted that Amanda Holden wasnt in the show that night! very very disappointed as no reason given or announcement made, just a note on the wall!!!! Would have loved to see her as the princess. However I must say the star of the show was Nigel harman, Amazing and so funny.

Anonymous from Anytown, AT 55555

SUCCESS FOR SHREK!

I thoroughly enjoyed the matinee performance of Shrek I was lucky enough to attend. My only complaint would be that on a few occasions I found it difficult to hear some of what the actors were saying, but apart from that I think it was very much worth the cost of a ticket. I do feel sorry for Neil McDermott having to crawl around on his knees for most of the performance, and I found Richard Blackwell as Donkey very funny.

Carmel park from faversham kent england

FLASHES OF GENIUS

I went last night with my 12 year old son. Lord Farequhar fabulous, fiona and shrek great...donkey had a big act to follow but good...the dragon wow....the chorus wow...but some of the words music and direction let it down. Flashes of genius...and some were extended flashes....then some scenes very mediocre.....overall a great night

Anonymous from Anytown, AT 55555

SHREK OPENING NIGHT

It was with much anticipation that we took our seats last night for the much publicised musical Shrek. Unfortunately it was a very mixed bag- Amanda Holden as Princess Fiona failed to sparkle in the role and her singing ability left much to be desired. Shrek himself was mediocre and Donkey seemed to still be in rehearsal mode! However the chorus were fantastic- and Dragon was brilliant- both the singing and the puppetry skills. Lord Farquaar was also extremely good, with excellent comic timing. There were some technical hitches which can be forgiven but overall it was a lacklustre performance by the three "stars"

Aldo from Glasgow, Scotland

RUINED BY RICHARD B!!

Travelled down from Glasgow to see the Sun 15th May matinee (given tickets as a birthday present) and were all really looking forward to it. I have to agree with the majority of reviewers - Nigel Lindsay was fine, he's obviously a terrific actor who sings rather than a musical theatre performer, Amanda Holden was much better than I'd expected, Nigel Harman was superb - stole the show for me but RICHARD BLACKWOOD IS SERIOUSLY OUT OF HIS DEPTH. He's not even a 'name' anymore, so why the producers thought casting him would put bums on seats I'll never know. Can't act, can't sing, no energy, has no rapport with the audience or the other characters round about him. He actually looked as though he knew he shouldn't be there at times! However, the chorus were all superb. 'Freak Flag' was the highlight for me - super-talented (properly trained!) musical theatre performers doing what they do best. Like some1 on here has said before, my advice is wait 'til Blackwood's gone b4 going!

Mr Wibble from Farnborough, UK

ENTERTAINING - AS A PANTOMIME

Saw this on the evening of 2nd June (Preview night). Entertaining, fun, and with a pantomime feel to it. Amanda was doing BGT so we got Alice Fearn as Fiona. She was excellent - strong acting and singing performance. Nigel Harman (Lord Farquaad) was also strong in the singing department and as others have said his comedic timing was excellent. Nigel Lindsay as Shrek - good acting, so-so singing. Richard Blackwood - weak all round. Dragon - singing superb, effects superb. Ensemble - superb. If you treat it as fun, it's fun. It's not Les Mis. I suspect it will get better after 1st cast change . . .

Anonymous from London,

GOOD BUT RICHARD BLACKWOOD LOOKED BORED!

We went to watch Shrek this Feb 2013 half term. Although the children enjoyed most of the show (Dragon and lord farquaad - amazingly funny - saved the show) Richard Blackwood as Donkey was not great. we thought that for most of the time he looked like he was either grumpy, bored or just simply was disinterested. It was a shame because the role is so funny! He didn't do it justice.

Uk MT fan from Uk

DISAPPOINTING

Just been to see Shrek and after waiting for it to open with much anticipation sadly I was left disappointed. Shrek is okay but I don't think his voice was strong enough for the ballads. Richard Blackwoods singing is terrible and he has no comic timing, there was no chemistry between shrek and donkey just wasn't there and a lot of their scenes together were boring. Amanda Holden is good as Princess Fiona and although it's perhaps unfair to compare her voice is not a patch on Sutton Fosters. However the best part of the show for me personally was Nigel Harman, he nailed the part and owned the stage I found myself laughing out loud at him several times. The ensemble were very strong and great choreography. It does seem to dip before the end of the first half! In general good show kids will enjoy it, but I personally left feeling glad I hadn't paid for full price tickets.

CRAIG from Scotland

SOME BETTER THAN OTHERS

I went to see Shrek on Friday after it was a recommendation from friends, luckily I think our friendship will survive this bocus information ive been fed. As per usual with these star packed musicals the real stars are the ensemble- some fantastic performances- hopefully if you go to see it, they might be playing the leads. To the "stars" everyone pulled of their performances, nothing special but not awful either. That is all except two- Lord F was stunning, the performance of comical genius- and if it were not for Nigel then I would not have been so generous with my star rating. The other who deserves a mention is Richard Blackwood who seems to be getting a real rough ride from others who have left their feed back- and I have to put hand on heart and say it is all deserved, his performance lacked energy, passion and any respect or understanding to the vital part that he is playing. I would only recommend this if you have kids, they will love it and the dragon will make their day.

Annoyed Disappointed Anonymous from UK

SOME CELEBRITIES ONCE WASHED UP NEED TO STAY OUT OF THE LIME

We to watch Shrek The Musical recently and was exoecting a 5star perfomance. Shrek came across as the character should be and had a very strong singing voice,Fiona (Kimberley Walsh) apart from the accent did her best to try and depict the character as it should be. As for Donkey he was a real let down,waste of time and should be replaced! His voice was croaky,he seemed distracted and instead of coming across as 'Eddie Murphy' he was more 'Chris Tucker' and in scenes where paired up with Shrek he didn't seem as funny as he should have been let alone hitting the right singing notes. If anything this is a show for those with children and I personally would'nt recommend it to any adults. Richard Blackwood needs to stick to what he knows best stand-up or whatever he's into these days.

Annoyed Disappointed Anonymous from UK

SHREK THE MUSICAL DID'NT MEET EXPECTATIONS

Went to watch Shrek The Musical recently and was expecting a 5star perfomance. Shrek came across as the character should be and had a very strong singing voice,Fiona (Kimberley Walsh) apart from the terrible accent did her best to try and depict the character as it should be. As for Donkey he was a real let down,waste of time and should be replaced! His voice was croaky,he seemed distracted and instead of coming across as 'Eddie Murphy' he was more 'Chris Tucker' and in scenes where paired up with Shrek he didn't seem as funny as he should have been let alone hitting the right singing notes. If anything this is a show for those with children and I personally would'nt recommend it to any adults. Richard Blackwood needs to stick to what he knows best stand-up or whatever he's into these days.

Theatre Junkie from UK

VERY DISAPPOINTING

I have been listening to the Broadway recording for the last 2 years so couldn't wait to see it. The music is brilliant, the ensemble are very entertaining, costumes fantastic and the set and tech are a joy. Unfortunatly that's pretty much where it ends. Lyndsay's performance as Shrek is dull and his voice really isn't up to the task of the bigger numbers, Holden is frankly too old to play the role of Fiona as her vibrato is too heavy and she has an irritating lisp. Neither of these performances however are as bad as Blackwood who is reducing the whole thing to an unrehearsed bad panto with a very dubious accent. The only shining performance is that of Harmon as Lord Farquart, who is nothing short of genuis and had a voice that was far superior to the rest of the cast (with the exception of Dragon who is also excellent.) In short, give it a year and go when they are employing real performers rather than cashing in on celebrities who aren't up to the job.

Lydia from London

GOOD FOR KIDS, NOT SO MUCH FOR THE ADULTS...

I went to see Shrek last night with my 7 year old niece at the Theatre Royal and have to say that it didn't really live up to my expectations...as a few others have said most of the cast didn't really fill the roles like they should. I have no idea why Richard Blackwood is chosen for anything these days, is he actually popular?? But he certainly ruined the role of Donkey with his overacting and average voice. Amanda Holden is rather old to be a convincing Fiona and as a lead, Nigel Lindsay was a flat version of Shrek. That said, my niece loved it and couldn't stop giggling at the silly jokes, and the dragon had her transfixed! Nigel Harman also brought just the right amount of caricature to Lord F. I got an alright deal on tickets so didn't mind the bum notes too much, but I think I'll leave it for the kids next time!

Disappointed Duo from Buckinghamshire UK

VERY VERY AVERAGE !

We went to see the matinee on 14th May . For us Lord Farquaad stole the show . Amanda Holden as Princess Fiona was average at best . Shrek was average bordering on boring and for me Richard Blackwood who played Donkey needs to go back to acting school ( a shocking amateurish performance ). When both Shrek and Donkey were on stage together, which happens quite alot it was snooze time !!!! we actually dozed off a few times . At West End prices this show is a last resort to see. Lets hope the powers that be use this preview period to make drastic changes ! Dont book until you read reviews after the show has been open proper for a few weeks. Taxi for Donkey , boot up the butt for Shrek !!!!!

Jade. from essex

THANK GOD FOR THE CHORUS

amanda holden is no princess fiona , shaky vocals from her and even worse vocals from richard blackman as donkey . shrek isnt too bad but nigel harman steals the show aswel as the dragon.awesome set and costumes and special effects. amazing chorus which really boosts the show.... it could be amazing with different leads !!!!

Anonymous from LONDON

NAMES OVER TALENT IS SURE TO FAIL

how dissapointing. i was so excited about seeing the broadway transfered to the west end but alas, the standard pailed in comparison. amanda holden is, in my eyes, too old for the role of a young romantic princess. i would have been able to ignore this fact were her talent astonishing but unfortunately it isnt. her singing is strangled and inconsistant. her mumsey-ness made me cringe and her eyes lacked sparkle through the big finale. nigel as shrek was alright. his acting was strong enough but his singing was average at best. as for the donkey. well, with so many talented actors out there why give it to a c list celeb with little talent or charisma. he did his best to mimic eddie murphy in dialogue but his singing was so poor it was impossible to look past. songs sung by shrek and donkey should have been dynamic, they should have created fireworks and complemented one another but everytime the two characters were together. it died. thank god for nigel and the ensemble. AMAZING

Iainc from uk

DISAPPOINTING LEADS

Well, went to see Shrek for my birthday. First the Good - it's a bright lively show, and fairly fast paced. The music grew on me a lot from the rather shouty cast album (although it's still I'm a believer which you end up singing rather than any of the songs from the show). The trained cast are great, set is good, and the dragon is fantastic. However, the show is badly let down by a Shrek who has no dramatic range vocally, a donkey that can neither act, sing or be funny. As this is a key pairing, it kills the show. Richard Blackwood should not be on stage. He clearly has no idea of characterisation, or timing. His voice was wrecked. He looked uncomfortable and didn't appear to know what he was doing. We didn't see Amanda Holden, but saw the understudy, Alice, who was fantastic. I did see Holden on BGT and she was frankly dreadful vocally (I notice they cut the bits that donkey sings from the tv show. Best was Nigel Harman who stole the show. Rename it Farquad the musical!

Paul from Isle of Man

DISAPPOINTING ROMP

Saw the show early June . The chorus were skilful and worked hard. The dragon's voice was excellent and the pupeteers made a good job of operating it. Some of the scenery was interesting and Lord Farquaard made the most of his role, pitching the comedy just right for small children. The younger versions of Fiona sang very well, particularly the teenage one. The principal performers ranged from the mediocre (Shrek), to the vocally inadequate (Fiona). The Donkey achieved a toe-curling embarrassment rarely seen at these prices. There were cheers, but they came before anyone had done anything other than enter. I would recommend this as suitable for masochists or those who enjoy BGT - if those are different constituencies. The music made one hope for a Tony Hatch revival,and the whole enterprise smacked of a bland lack of ambition.One to miss.

James from London

THE REASON WHY CELEBRITIES SHOULD STAY OUT OF MUSICALS

Saw shrek this evening and I have rated it a 1 star and for good reason because only 1 of the 4 stars pulled it out of the bag! Nigel Harman was fantastic as Lord Farquuad but as for the rest well Nigel Lindsay was awful he sang like a radio dj, Richard Blackwood is a comedian with no comic timing and don't get me started on his singing voice! Amanda well she was average but as when she was in Millie she just is not Sutton foster! I saw shrek on broadway and it was amazing and the west end was a let down! A cheap set not worthy of it's 80 foot deep stage and a shrek and donkey who ruined the show single handed! The ensemble were incredible and would be as they are all trained in musical theatre! Why did they need to put so called celebrities in this show shrek as a franchise would have sole seats! If you are gonna see this show pray for an under study of shrek or donkey as they just made this one of the worst things I've seen. Such a disappointing night out!

Annoynomous from London

SHREK

Unfortunately, this show was a disappointment! It is the only musical that I have seen in London to date that I have not enjoyed. The set and costumes were average (nothing compared to the Lion King), and the acting and singing left much to be desired from leading characters "Shrek, Princess Fiona, and Donkey". The singing of younger Princess Fiona, Dragon and the acting of Prince Farquaad resulted in the musical not being a complete flop.

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