Leamington Shrek the Musical review - As downright lovable a show as you'll see all year

Beautiful ain’t always pretty, sings Shrek, as this modern fairytale reaches its end.

This show proves him right. It is not the prettiest musical: few tunes are particularly memorable, few lyrics are particularly poetic, and there is really quite a lot of flatulence. But, goodness, it’s beautiful.

Based on the beloved films and the book that inspired them, the show follows the green ogre Shrek and his sidekick Donkey on their quest to rescue Princess Fiona, vanquish a dragon and overcome the villainous Lord Farquaad. It may sound like standard fairytale fare, but much of the story’s appeal lies in how it affectionately subverts expectations: it is set in a land populated by characters from countless nursery rhymes and children’s stories, so we get to see what they are like away from the pages of the picture-books, and the tale constantly toys with conventions and stereotypes.

The show plants a smile on the face within seconds. It stays until the end. A prologue sets the tone, as Shrek’s parents send the boy-ogre out into the world with a song that sounds sentimental but tastes acidic. The showy Princess Fiona suddenly bursts out unbidden, threatening to hijack the spotlight, before we are back to something vaguely resembling order.

As we have come to expect from Leamington & Warwick Musical Society, there are performances here that would grace any stage, anywhere. This is a big show with big characters, yet subtlety abounds. We first see the adult Shrek as a curmudgeon, albeit an apparently contented one. He encounters the excitable Donkey, whom he finds most irksome. But they develop an odd-couple understanding, and their contrasting personalities cover a vast swathe of the comic spectrum, meaning that every theatregoer will find something to laugh about. Much of the show hangs on their relationship: so it is a good job that Matt Everitt is charmingly commanding as Shrek, the melting of whose stony heart is a delight to behold, and that Connor Clemons also shows a winning warmth beneath his clowning as Donkey.

Libby Lowe is something of a marvel as Fiona, growing from the gentle passivity of her fantasy Princess into a gloriously goofy foil for Shrek; their burgeoning romance is entirely believable, to the point where her supposedly shameful secret seems like an unnecessary plot device. And Kieran Corrigan gets laughs galore every moment he’s on stage: he is on his knees constantly as the diminutive, irascible and preposterous Lord Farquaad.

This show is a huge undertaking for the musical society. There are 38 in the cast, and the show demands fast changes of costume and make-up, as well as versatility in music and dance. So Alec Brown deserves great credit for holding it all together in his first show as director for the society, as does Matt Flint as musical director and Emily Lewis as choreographer. There is evidently a hive of work going on backstage, but it is conducted so expertly as to be unnoticeable, which is the greatest compliment it can be paid.

The story and songs may be unfamiliar to some, but this as downright lovable a show as you’ll see all year. It will make believers of everyone.

Until March 15. Call 01926 334418 or visit warwickdc.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173657310 to book.