Review: Shrek

Shrek the Musical – Giants on Stage!

The “giant musical”, which is often used to describe the Helsinki City Theatre’s investments in musicals, is appropriate this time – after all, the title character of the highly anticipated premiere is a giant living alone in a swamp, whom everyone hates or fears.

Or at least Shrek, who lives in isolation, feels that “the world has something” against him – until he is caught up in an adventure with a donkey suffering from speech diarrhoea, meets all the classic fairy tale characters from Little Red Riding Hood the wolf to Pinocchio, ends up rescuing a princess locked in a tower guarded by the Dragon, and overthrows a treacherous little dictator.

The stage musical, adapted from an anarchist animation that appeals to people of all ages, is relatively recent, less than ten years old even in the world, but it has already been seen once as a domestic premiere in Jyväskylä, directed by Kari Arffman and translated into Finnish. Arffman also had time to direct “Shrek” on the temporary main stage of the Helsinki City Theatre at Peacock in Linnanmäki, before stepping into the shoes of Asko Sarkola at the turn of next year.

The stage adaptation follows the half-hearted line familiar from films, and in order to catch the throws, the viewer should have some knowledge of popular culture and the phenomena of the time. The text at the City Theatre has been updated with fresh topics starting with the Pokémon Go mobile game.

The fun and light “Shrek” offers even more touching surfaces, for example, in the title character’s growth story, when the ugly giant begins to learn to accept his own differences. And when Fiona, who finds pleasure in a princess-like tearing that is inappropriate for princesses, turns out to be a rather rough chick, the mismatched halves find each other – and eventually turn out to be more like each other than they ever thought!

Due to the tight pace of performances, the main roles of the City Theatre’s “Shrek” are double-cast, of which the premiere was brought home with top-notch interpretation and technique by Petrus Kähkönen (Shrek), Anna-Maija Tuokko (Fiona) and Antti Timonen (Farquaad). Last but not least, the main characters include the donkey, played by Matti Leino, who makes sure that there is plenty of fun with his throwing himself into it. The donkey, who is constantly penetrating the skin but sincere in his attitude, is lovable in his strenuousness, which Shrek himself eventually admits.

Once again, one cannot fail to praise the almost 30-member “choir” that secures the main roles, among which many of the main stars of previous and future major musicals are seen and heard. Therein lies the secret of the quality of the City Theatre: the desire and ability of all the performers to go all out.

Similarly, the orchestra led by Risto Kupiainen features the country’s most competent session musicians, whose mellow sound settles firmly on one foot around soul while the other treads the terrain between pop and emotional ballads. All the playing this time is lively breathing, no hard drive tracks are used, and hardly any clicks are used.

Already at the beginning of the performance, we experience one of the finest moments of the evening, when three Fionas of different ages, locked in a tower, start longing for a prince who just doesn’t want to be heard. In the second half, “Ticket to Freakland”, which rolls in the spirit of gospel, crystallizes something of the musical’s core message with the entire ensemble.

The sound of the band “Shrek” is full and the vocals stand out and are clearly localized, thanks to the mix by Kirsi Peter and Jori Tossavainen. Peacock is quite challenging, not only acoustically but also in terms of physical scenography, which elevates the lights to an important role as an intangible set element. The auditorium can also be bathed in lighting designer William Iles’ green colour wash from time to time.

The musical Shrek will be performed in a tight streak at a rate of five to six performances per week until mid-December.