The iconic green ogre Shrek and his four-legged sidekick Donkey will hit the Brisbane Arts Theatre stage again, from July-September.
'Shrek The Musical' is the story known and loved around the world, plus some extra camp, and musical numbers. It features the songs from the Broadway production which are sure to get toes tapping, and is a tale of friendship, bravery and self-acceptance.
Here, one of the 'Shrek The Musical' choreographers Steph O'Shea lists her top five moments from the show.
“My name is Steph O’Shea, and I am one of the choreographers for Brisbane Arts Theatre’s 2022 production of 'Shrek The Musical'.
This isn’t the first time I have visited Shrek’s swamp – I was also a choreographer for the Arts Theatre’s 2017/2018 production. During my two runs of this show, both as a creative and as a cast member, I have developed a deep love and appreciation for this show and for the theatre as a whole.
I have always been a performer in some capacity, doing various styles of dance growing up, but it wasn’t until I turned 18 and did my first acting lesson at Brisbane Arts Theatre that I got the chance to explore and develop my love of acting and theatre in general. The community at Brisbane Arts Theatre truly is like a family, and they welcomed a young, inexperienced me into their fold with open arms, offering me so many amazing opportunities to utilise my skills and develop new ones. I am thrilled to be back for my second production of 'Shrek The Musical', and I want to list some of my top five moments from the show (with as few spoilers as possible)!”
Image from the 2018 production of 'Shrek The Musical'
One
The Duloc sequence. Look, I may be biased, but this whole dance and scene is just so upbeat, comedic and for lack of a better word – flashy. We get to see some AMAZING (if I do say so myself) dancers, as well as some of Farquaad’s hilarious dance moves. It is always a crowd favourite, and is a favourite of mine and the featured dancers too.Two
'Who I’d Be' – the Act 1 closer. This ballad number, sung by Shrek, Donkey and Fiona, is just so devastating and hauntingly beautiful, and it never fails to bring a tear to my eye. As such a comedic show, it can be easy to forget the deeper message within the story, and this song just really pulls you into the emotions of these characters, and what it truly means to have hope.Three
'Morning Person'. To those of you who haven’t seen the musical (yet), this is when Fiona sings to that bird and it explodes. However, what you may not expect is the horde of tap dancing, hat wearing rats who join Fiona for her song. Need I say more?
Image from the 2018 production of 'Shrek The Musical'
Four
The wedding scene. This absolutely chaotic scene features our massive host of fairy tale characters, Farquaad in his wedding finery, Fiona’s ogre transformation, and Shrek being vulnerable and sincere. It is equal parts hilarious and touching, and is one of my favourite scenes to be a part of.Five
'Freak Flag'. My fellow creatives and castmates may be surprised to see this one on my list, as I have been known to refer to it as “my Vietnam”. However, for all the hours I have spent developing choreography for this song, I love its beautiful upbeat nature, and its powerful message of loving yourself, exactly as you are. If there was one word I could use to describe this whole number, it would be joy. Pure, unadulterated joy at being alive and being who you are.
Image from the 2018 production of 'Shrek The Musical'
“This production of 'Shrek The Musical' is such a beautiful medley of humour, hope, sadness and joy. It is an absolute must-see for anybody already fans of the movie, or anybody who just wants to see a great show. It has been such a pleasure to work on this show again with such an amazing cast and supportive group of creatives, who have worked together to bring the creative vision for this show to life. A special shout-out goes to my fellow choreographer and close friend, Michelle Radu – I absolutely would not have been able to do it without you. And to John Boyce, our director – your vision for moments of comedy and poignancy that may not exist within the script is what has made this show so fantastic.
I cannot recommend seeing this show highly enough.”
'Shrek The Musical' plays Brisbane Arts Theatre 9 July-3 September.
