why did the critics hate SHREK the musical?! | a review roundup for the London return of Shrek

[@darrenbertram7289]

"Dress less than professionally"??? You're a theatre critic, you dress *appropriately* 😆

[@oldmomj5088]

The creators are determined to change the show, Not sure why. Part of Shrek is how Hypocritical Farquaad is. Plus most of the kids have seen the movies. But between this and the terrible US touring production, I am worried about what they have made Shrek become. Somehow the meaning of the show has been forgotten. My 10 year old hated the tour in US. We came home and watched original. Then he said... that was so good mom. I think they are underestimating children.

[@bethinabox1282]

Producers need to take the hint... Stop cheaping out on touring shows!!

[@rikuapologist]

admittedly i haven't seen the show but i feel like one way of handling the farquaad quandary would be to REALLY play up the insecurity of the character instead? cast him as a guy who's just Kind Of A Little Bit Short in a normal way, have him be weirdly insecure about it and go to really stupid lengths to look taller than he is like walking on stilts within really tall boots or something, then you get little comedy moments of him taking the boots off or people reacting to him just not actually being 7 foot tall. maybe his boots get a little bit taller and more stupid every time he comes onstage

[@bunji_beans]

I'm nostalgic for the days I could enjoy Toddrick Hall as a content creator and performer before he became better known for not paying his employees, etc

[@katiecashman922]

Along with outrightly supporting a certain ukulele apoligist I wont name names 😅

[@JayJay-17]

That was literally what was running through my mind whenever he was mentioned in the reviews

[@chuckoneill2023]

If they've removed the child parts from Shrek, they knee-capped Fiona's best song (the best in the show, in my opinion). I'm glad I got to enjoy a good touring production.

[@jonsampiro]

You dress like Mickey Jo Theatre. If they don't like it then they can start their own stagey KZbin channel and wear a monk's robe and a Dolly Parton wig if they want. Most of us love the outfits. And push back from the cast means you're getting more Popular, it's all about Pop-u-lar.

[@Pianoslave1]

Members of the cast trying to change your mind post-review is not a good look, that's for sure.

[@gilded_lady]

Best professional dress I've seen.

[@hannahgreen8999]

I really love the Shrek score and saw it orginally in the West End. It makes me sad that people watching it now are getting a bad experience of it. However, I agree with previous comments that some touring shows looks so cheap now, I'm always a bit wary about what I book.

[@jamesgeorgi6627]

The craziest thing about this is that sometimes it’s hard to get a new production of a show that’s done before right even if u don’t change the story and words with minor tweaks

[@Roadtripper5432]

The music is the best part of the show. The Act 1 Finale is perfection and didn’t need to go that hard. And the pro shot is incredible. In 2013 I was in my community theater's premiere production of that current touring version of it and it got mixed reviews. To keep the set cheap the director's concept was do it like it was from a coloring book. My parents left during intermission 😅. Our Farquuad did it on his knees and we used puppets. But kids liked it.

[@ChristopherButler-um2ko]

Ms. Tesori's new opera is opening The MET'S season this September.I can't wait to see it. Huzzah for new operas!

[@minirth.maggie]

I love your review roundups! ❤

[@jessicaebirch]

I’ve seen this show three times and it feels like every time I see it I enjoy it less. Particularly the production value seems to ever be decreasing. It’s a shame, as I find most of the songs to be bops.

[@SimplyErinful]

I haven’t seen this production but I have seen a previous UK tour. I loved the cast recording from Broadway so I was incredibly excited to see the show. I can’t remember specifics about how I felt except that I was ready to leave at the interval.

[@kristianward2232]

I hate the general trend of producers spending less and less on 'the production' - a classic example is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which was spectacular in London but terrible on tour.

[@jessicarachel5197]

Shrek was my first ever West End show and made me love theatre when it was back on Drury Lane (great film irony) at Theatre Royal. I got an understudy slip which I still have and fell in love with theatre and the production but over the years, it’s cheapened and it’s sad. Hearing that people involved in the show gave you pushback, it’s almost like they don’t want to know that people didn’t enjoy it. 8; they don’t want to know, don’t invite people and don’t put on a production at all. People will have opinions. Apparently it’s not just you though so at least you’re not alone. Keep doing you ❤

[@fara40000]

This score IS good. I watched this show for the first time in 12th grade--it is beyond just you seeing it in your formative years. I'm assuming so many say it's bad because these songs are not being shown off properly; the overall production hinders the songs' full enjoyment factor. I know for a fact that comparing one production of Phantom to another can lead to drastic differences in reception. Same with Sweeny, or any other critically acclaimed score. Shrek is genuinely good. They're just not handling it well enough.

[@shawnsegebarth6707]

Oh there's Phantom and then there's Phantom. The original production was so beautiful and opulent, the redesign just doesn't hit the same sadly. Also the tour I saw of Sweeney left a little to be desired with the costuming and sets :(

[@katiechambers1319]

Im so glad this show has a pro shot because I don’t think there’s been a good professional production of it in YEARS

[@WillHarrell]

I love the score. But I did realize that I skip around the soundtrack to the 5 songs I love

[@missaj5623]

The fart and burp "jokes" did get old really fast and felt just for cheap laughs. I and people round me did not laugh at these. Yes it was in the movie but not as overwhelming and in the movie it was mixed with lots of other more funny jokes. I saw it on tour at the Alexandra theatre in Birmingham which is quite small. The sound was not great though and missed most of the lyrics when the ensemble was singing their big number.

[@emergingmuses]

Best intro yet 😂

[@xantecarter6653]

Hi MickeyJo! Ive grown up loving Shrek (movie and musical) and would really love to go and see this show for myself! This isnt Shrek related but id really like to hear your thoughts on the new revival of A Chorus Line thats currently at Sadler's Wells, I'm about to see it tonight and am super excited!

[@CyberChicago2005]

I saw the show on tour up in Bradford, whose capacity is half that of the Apollo, at about 1300 ish, and I still felt like it was getting lost. I love Shrek, I basically know the show inside out upside down at this point, so when going to see the most recent production with the digital projections I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed. Obviously I went in knowing It was going to be smaller, but it felt more like a pantomime this time around, with just the costumes and props etc looking a little too cheap to be taken seriously. The acting was a little rough in places, and the whole second half of I Think I Got You Beat felt even longer this time than what it normally does, but it was clear there was something there. The actors were actively doing the best with what they had to work with, but it just got lost in the mixing of it all. Though maybe I'm just a jaded old lady who knows. But I think knowing how good of a show it could and has been in the past, for it to basically become the laughing stock it is at the moment just makes me a little sad if I think about it too long.

[@shawnsegebarth6707]

I don't even care that much about the film but the musical was SO GOOD! The original songs are so good (Build A Wall is an incredible piece of music and Freak Flag is pretty much my anthem).

[@TheTravellingGeek]

I saw the recent tour at the Royal and Derngate and kept thinking well thats different, thats different from when i saw the original tour

[@youtubewithrosie]

I saw this production on tour in Manchester and it might have been one of my least favourite theatrical experiences in a long time. I got cheap tickets and only went to check the show out because my theatre group were about to perform it, and I almost resolved not to even audition for it (and my partner was completely put off!) I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of the script/music generally, but this production diluted and confounded the messages to the point they became meaningless in their treatment of Farquaad particularly. While I get the history of queer-coding villains, if your show’s whole message is about accepting those society sees as “freaks”, you can’t then code your villain that way too. It feels totally antithetical to the show’s message. I enjoyed the performances and some of the technical aspects were good too, but I just came out of it feeling a bit flat. (And that’s not to mention it having the worst audience I’ve ever been in!)

[@amycarcaterra8177]

Saw it on Broadway with Sutton Foster. Did this production have the huge tap dancing during the morning ?.

[@lucyj8204]

A dodgy Scottish accent is surely *necessary* for Shrek. It's part of the character. A good Scottish accent - or, just imagine, an actual Scot - would be less authentic to the original.

[@natasha8966]

I love the pro shot of shrek from years ago it’s so good but hearing reviews of this with the ex strictly dancer I’m not surprised it ain’t good.

[@Thefantastic_mrJ]

Who id be is still an amazing song no matter what

[@HeyItsMaher]

Fair to say we won’t get a pro-shot of this one?

[@NewPHONE-t6s]

Personally, I think that shrek is more like a pantomime than a professional west end musical

[@ashleywilson5418]

Saw this tour in Liverpool and was so underwhelmed. I've seen an AmDram production at Sheffield Lyceum with higher production quality. A huge bulk of the humour is lost with the changes to Lord F. I found the character to be really annoying now as opposed to funny. The orchestra felt massively stripped back and just lacked punch IMO. The set just felt cheap. It's a real shame as I completely agree that the score and lib are actually pretty damn good. But this tour's choice to clearly strip things back ruins the experience

[@daviddelara7158]

My problem with reviews from critics in any field (not aimed at you I might add) is that they come across as like the ONLY OPINION and that we should be listened to and I pretty much on every occasion completely disagree with their take and become baffled at their takes Not to say critics aren’t important because they are but what I don’t like is that they are put on such a high pedestal that people just listen to those people/publications they people don’t want to make their own mind up on something (this is bigger than just theatre shows)

[@seanphillips9523]

Shrek the musical is basically the little shows you go see at a theme park like Six Flags. Absolutely painful sit...

[@la24828]

i saw this production of the show a while back on tour and it was honestly SO bad, everything about it felt lazy and almost amateur :/ such a shame as it’s such a dis-service to the excellent material

[@alwayssleeping2456]

I understand that this musical maybe is not for everyone but I personally love it and the songs 10/10

[@korzyca]

Got dragged to it last week to the Apollo Eventim by a friend who has a fond memory of the previous production.. I absolutely hated this (wasn't the only one as some of our group left at the interval and saw several people leave at various points during). Only positives for me were Donkey and dragon's singing voice (not the puppet dragon itself). Other than that the production felt cheap, unfunny, not greatly acted (Shrek's extremely dodgy Scottish accent which he would go in and out of several times within one sentence.. Unnecessarily angry and shouty Fiona - the character was thoroughly unlikable and Lord Farquad whose only bit was a hair flick..) and the mentions of "bipolar and a cross-dressing wolf" felt unnecessary. I do agree with most reviews that the songs were largely forgettable.. unless that's me wanting to forget the whole thing 🙈 nope, not a fan - spent £20 on a ticket, but feel that was worth £2,50.

[@cmoouk14]

It's 'err on the side of caution' NOT 'air'

[@ryebread9299]

King Mickey! ❤

[@comedyclaire]

I remember seeing the original WE Production and was blown away. I even got to see Alice Ferne (Amanda Holden's Understudy) as Fiona and she was phenomenal! This production is cheap, lazy and humourless. Frankly, it's being ruined.

[@stevielove4778]

Todrick Hall can save it until he starts paying his employees (and his debts-- like the house he rented but never paid for. While squandering money buying Broadway-replicas and other junk); he is a NIGHTMARE narcissist and a half.

[@palomafreitas3312]

Wait the shrek musical you didn’t like and the one everyone was talking about on tiktok aren’t the same production?!

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

Different Shreks, separate swamps.

[@clevermariobros8307]

I saw this UK Tour and found it underwhelming! Shame how the set relied almost entirely on video screens and it was tailored to children for me! Which with shrek the musical?! I know ironic right! 😂 it didn’t really click with me! Some good performances! But not one of my favourite things I’ve seen!

[@alihan130894]

100% agree. I had previously seen the filmed version of the Broadway production and while I went in expecting changes to have been made, sadly it felt something of a let down . The reliance on a digital backdrop was particularly irksome.

[@clevermariobros8307]

@@alihan130894in comparison to the filmed proshot with the amazing broadway production this new touring production looks terrible and the fact that the same production has gone into London and is charging so much money is beyond me! I won’t lie I’ve never been a full hardcore shrek the musical fan! But can admire nice set and costume design and decent songs! Unfortunately my first live experience of the show was this lesser production! A real shame in my eyes!

[@la24828]

totally agree, and even the screen animation was SO awful 😭

[@Pantofan]

I saw it at the curve in October it was not good at all.

[@PatrickJohn-u6v]

Are those ears, or are you happy to see me? :-)?

[@Tuckerz5d]

Isn’t the name enough?

[@reader2012]

To be fair to the critics for once, I only made it through one song in the proshot and then turned it off. It wasn't for me.

[@ReubenCornell]

I can tell it's school holidays. Tell those kids to shut the hell up 😅

[@jennybacon2429]

I watched the Shrek proshot during covid and honestly not even Sutton Foster could save it for me, I really didn't like it at all and have no interest in forking out money on a ticket to see it live.

[@naomifearon1100]

I saw Shrek in Blackpool at Christmas - it was nowhere near as good as the first time I saw it a few years back. Lacked the charm , humour and star quality of the first . The leads weren’t likeable and acting was poor . Wouldn’t see again .

[@michaeldenney6622]

howdy from texas how did you attain professional critic status? in particular im interested to know if you have some sort of advanced degree i ask because i amactively inprocess of applying to filmschoolmy interrsts lie in history and criticism live theater arent apples to applesbut not quite apples to oranges if you are familiar with the idiom

[@LynnHermione]

You become a "professional" when you make money off it and people invite you to places. Not and actual profession

[@michaeldenney6622]

thank you seems like youre having ablast

[@EasternStandardTim]

That first review almost got it, the “don’t judge a book by its cover” theme, is NOT the theme of the musical, it’s the theme of the movie, the musical just has everyone making fun of the villain, and cuz he’s the villain, it’s ok Add on all the annoying character voices,and without the only saving grace that is Sutton Foster, shrek the musical is painful to sit through

[@LynnHermione]

7:17 proving my point. those artists should be allowed to sue that piece of -"critic". that is HARASSMENT AND DEFAMATION.

[@Knuckleb0ne]

No it isn’t???? How old are you??

[@jeffthetheaterguy]

Me to anyone who criticizes your wardrobe in these videos: [Stares in Miranda Priestly] ..And you have no style or sense of fashion...

[@MsJaytee1975]

I don’t think you can separate ‘fantasy’ dwarfs and people with dwarfism. Ask people with dwarfism how often the seven dwarfs are mentioned by dickheads who think they’re funny. As someone who who doesn’t have dwarfism but is under 5ft tall, and is disabled; I compare short jokes to jokes made about disability, and unlike disability jokes, there’s no offence or harm caused. But I also don’t find them funny, it genuinely baffles me what the joke is supposed to be. So if the show was reliant on those then it doesn’t sound particularly well written. Schafrillas Productions channel has a video about why they think Shrek doesn’t work as a musical, maybe they have a point.

[@LynnHermione]

Look, I don't know if this show was actually bad but it is true that critics often put their subjective views as objective truth and that they hurt innocent artists. like if I didn't already knew the story of the who's Tommy and that your opinion on it was, pardon me, bullshit, I would have thought the musical was bad. I enjoy your channel because I see you not as a critic but as an audience member who gives his opinion, and I sincerely believe that art critics should stop existing as a profession. they do nothing but harm artists. let people decide by themselves if they think some art is bad

[@LynnHermione]

If you get paid by a newspaper and your "opinion" gets distributed to millions of people as fact it stops being an opinion. Your power over people is NOT comparable to an average audience member. Critics. Harm. Artists.

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

What about the examples of positive reviews that have platformed and celebrated artists and reinvigorated a box office?

[@44nobody]

What about the audience members who are harmed by wasting their money on a bad show, when they could have seen a good show. Artists are not harmed if theatre-goers simply see another show.

[@youtubewithrosie]

I saw this production on tour in Manchester and it might have been one of my least favourite theatrical experiences in a long time. I got cheap tickets and only went to check the show out because my theatre group were about to perform it, and I almost resolved not to even audition for it (and my partner was completely put off!) I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of the script/music generally, but this production diluted and confounded the messages to the point they became meaningless in their treatment of Farquaad particularly. While I get the history of queer-coding villains, if your show’s whole message is about accepting those society sees as “freaks”, you can’t then code your villain that way too. It feels totally antithetical to the show’s message. I enjoyed the performances and some of the technical aspects were good too, but I just came out of it feeling a bit flat. (And that’s not to mention it having the worst audience I’ve ever been in!)