‘Shrek the Musical’ is fun for all ages

Shrek the Musical” has finally arrived in Macau, debuting last Friday evening at the Venetian Theatre. The Macau season will run until August 7 with 21 stage performances (one per day).
The world-class production is based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film that started the “Shrek saga.” It is a live adaptation with new features, the tour manager for Macau, Justin Scholl, told the Times.
“We picked up from the 90-minute animation movie and extended it with more details and interactivity,” he said, adding that the show will entertain people from all ages. “I think this show has something for anyone from the ages of 4 to 99. It has elements of adult humor, it has the perfect kids theme and [above all] has really good moments that connects a family,” Scholl said.
According to Scholl, this is a family entertainment show and everyone will find something that will catch their attention: “a dad will see a Farquaad joke and a dad is going to like that, as a mum is going to love the love story and the kids are going to love the whole story and it creates a great conversation between the family, which I think is the great thing about the show,” Scholl said.
The idea of “fun for all ages” is also shared by the cast members. Playing the role of “Princess Fiona,” actress Lindsay Estelle Dunn, told the Times that “Shrek the Musical” brings joy to spectators. “The audience can except to really love it and have a great time,” she said.
Dunn commented on the responsibility to play “Fiona,” one of “Shrek’s” main characters: “It is definitely high stakes. I have to make sure I’m paying homage to the women that already played Princess Fiona such as Cameron Diaz [in the movie version] and Sutton Foster who originated it on Broadway. I kind of have to take what they have given to the role and mix it with what I bring to it,” the actress said, concluding with “I think it is a little bit different and ‘quirkier’ resembling more the movie version.”
Jared Howelton who plays “Donkey” on the stage, complemented Dunn’s remarks:
“For those who have seen the movie this is an opportunity to see a little bit in depth as [this show] goes further into what the characters bring from the movie. There is a lot of singing, a lot of dancing and I think will be really fun. It is not just for kids, adults be able to enjoy it. It’s an ‘everybody’ show.” He added that the show is “very interactive and the audience has all the freedom to cheer and clap and laugh,” which adds a more relaxing element to the show.
As for the “Donkey” character, Howelton acknowledged that “it is really a fun to play him and get all the feedback from the audience, it is cool! […] It is also a very very active role, a very demanding role, one of the hardest roles beside ‘Shrek’ to do because you are constantly moving and talking, Donkey has the most lines in the show and it is exhausting by the end of the show, but it’s still fun.”
“Vocally you have to be able to sell that vocalization that Eddie Murphy brought to the character in the movie as well as embody that on stage,” he concluded.
The show is produced by Broadway Entertainment Group FZ LLC and NETworks Presentations, LLC., and supported by the Cultural Affairs Bureau.