“Ogres are like onions. We both have layers”, explains the titular character of Young People’s Theatre’s (YPT) Shrek the Musical early in the show. And this memorable self-assessment applies more broadly to the irresistibly big-hearted production itself, which is a tightly-paced, 80-minute burst of colour, comedy, and joy. In it, director Herbie Barnes and his creative team immerse us in a vivid storybook world and lean with verve and exuberance into the layers beneath it: specifically, the story’s substantial and timely themes of individuality, community and acceptance.
Shrek the Musical follows a solitary ogre whose swamp is suddenly overrun by fairytale creatures exiled by the grasping Lord Farquaad. Hoping to reclaim his home, Shrek sets off for Duloc and is joined — reluctantly at first — by a talkative Donkey. To secure Shrek’s help, Farquaad sends him to rescue Princess Fiona from a dragon-guarded tower, but the mission takes an unexpected turn when Fiona discovers that her rescuer is not the prince she imagined.
This production for young audiences is a feast for the eyes. The design team taps into the story’s picture-book origins by conjuring a pop-up storybook kingdom filled with cutouts featuring vivid colours and oversized textures. The stage environment — with the walls of the theatre painted in seamless integration with the vibrant set designed by William Layton — is alive with movement: quick-shifting set pieces glide on and off with ensemble-driven precision, and lighting (designed by Echo Zhou’s) morphs from candy-coloured whimsy to swampy glow, with costumes striking that suggestive yet playful balance.
The show’s ingenious use of puppetry is noteworthy. The three-person Dragon elicits wows the first time she sweeps onstage. Cleverly choreographed and beautifully lit, she moves with a serpentine grace that is both imposing and endearing. Smaller puppets, like fairy-tale familiars the sassy Gingerbread Man (voiced by Astrid Atherly) and the feather-fluttering Ugly Duckling, add to the charm – with both characters contributing to the brisk humour and visual delight that define the ensemble scenes and enhance the storybook feel.
Performance-wise, the ensemble is tight and buoyant, with the ragtag lot of fairy-tale creatures delivering sharp, playful character work. Joema Frith’s Donkey is a constant source of laughs, throwing out zingers and side-eye with irresistible charm. Michael Therriault’s pint-sized Lord Farquaad is another audience favourite—his physical comedy and comic timing are impeccable, and his smug miniature swagger is hilarious. Note his entrances and exits especially. And while Therriault the actor has a great time hamming it up in this role and the ingenious costume designed by Joyce Padua, he still touchingly shows us how Farquaad’s bravado is a sad mask for his lack of confidence and feelings of inferiority.
In the performance I attended, Emma Rudy played Princess Fiona, and brought a delightful combination of warmth, scrappiness, and vocal sparkle to the role. Her timing, especially in “Morning Person,” lands beautifully, and she plays Fiona’s contradictions — resilience and vulnerability, impatience and longing, dreaming yet concealing — with natural ease.
As for Shrek, Trevor Patt gives a heartfelt performance which grounds the show in sincerity – especially in the songs. His Shrek is likeable and gently gruff, and so, unthreatening to younger audience members. But with such bold personalities surrounding him — Farquaad and Donkey in particular— his performance as the show’s bright-green hero feels muted. While his emotional clarity anchors the story, and his chemistry with Rudy and Frith is warm and real, there is room to lean further into the role’s larger-than-life — well, ogre-ish qualities: to sigh, to complain, to move, to feel … bigger.
Widening the aperture a little, Shrek the Musical is a potent reminder of the value of children’s stories. Shrek!—the irreverent picture book that inspired the DreamWorks film and the subsequent musical—was written and illustrated by William Steig and first published in1990 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The book features Steig’s signature expressive line work and a story that blends absurdity, satire, and sweetness. A commercial and critical success, it quickly became one of Steig’s most beloved late-career works – and laid the foundation for the entire Shrek movie franchise. At a time when divisiveness is rampant and individual identity under strain, this story, in which an unlikely hero discovers community and self-worth in a fantastically diverse world, strikes a deep chord. It is a rich reminder that difference is not a burden, but a strength. Shrek’s message of the value of inclusion—of upholding rather than suppressing the unique; and tapping into our differences and embracing new forms of kinship that strengthen our community — could not be more timely, especially during the holidays, with their focus on compassion, coming together, and renewal.
What ultimately makes this YPT production so relatable is how joyfully it embraces these themes. Every design choice, staging beat, and comic flourish contributes to celebrating individuality, without ever feeling heavy-handed. At the same time, the musical’s subversive streak—its subtle but discernible mocking of fairy-tale perfection (yes, there is toilet-bowl humour), its satirical jabs at stereotypes (particularly around norms and assumptions), and its delight in upending the “happily ever after” trope—comes through clearly in songs such as “I Think I Got You Beat” and “Let Your Freak Flag Fly.” These numbers highlight the show’s self-aware humour and add a layer of depth that can spark worthwhile conversations afterwards.
Shrek the Musical is bright and bouncy. It’s clever, layered and funny. And it’s gorgeously generous in the way it reminds audiences, young and old, that being a “big bright beautiful” original is something worth celebrating. That encouragement is a gift to us all this holiday season. Shrek the Musical runs until December 30, 2025 at Young People’s Theatre. Tickets are available at youngpeoplestheatre.org.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Arts Magazine 2025
