Nicholas Hambruch and Kelly Prendergast Photo by Jason Anderson

The moderately successful Broadway showing was reworked for the highly popular West End production and again for touring. The final result currently on stage for Broadway San Jose is a charming and whimsical journey with all of the production values expected from a touring show. While its fairy tale atmosphere and roots in animation suggest an appeal to pre-teens, the themes and references are very adult, and the theatre audience tilts toward young adults who may have seen the movie as children.

Shrek is a ponderous, green-faced, self-loathing ogre whose swamp has been overrun by fairy-tale characters. The devious Lord Farquaad owns the swamp, and Shrek arranges to deliver Princess Fiona for Farquaad to marry in turn for Shrek's regaining control of the swamp. Accompanied by the loquacious Donkey, Shrek triumphs over obstacles on the route, except that he falls in love with Fiona who shows contempt for her captor.

Even through the travails, the tone is light-hearted throughout, punctuated by thoughtful, funny, and sometimes provocative lyrics and bouncy, ever-melodic music. Much of the music is appealing but simple, but an all-female voices trio and an all-male ensemble are rich in wonderful harmonies.

In this non-Equity cast, all of the singing voices work well and all of the characterizations are over the top, with Shrek himself (Nicholas Hambruch) being the most subdued. Donkey (Naphtali Yaakov Curry) attracts attention with his constant levity and yakity-yak; Lord Farquaad (Timmy Lewis) fits nicely into the Snidely Whiplash mold; and Dragon (Tori Kocher, who also provides wailing vocals) is an adversary who converts to an ally and love interest.

For the uninitiated, the surprise depiction is Princess Fiona (Kelly Prendergast), who is anything but your garden-variety royalty. Perhaps she is stir crazy from having been locked in a tower for many years. Not only is she raucous, ditzy, and flailing, but she shares the rather undignified interest with Shrek of producing bodily sounds and smells from whatever orifices. However, this deviance does provide the basis for the two bonding.

Shrek the Musical is clever and engaging in many ways, containing an abundance of inside-joke kind of humor. Ultimately, it is a grand pastiche, borrowing heavily from other works in many ways. For instance, its central element of being a fairy tale for adults pays homage to the Sondheim musical Into the Woods. The song "Freak Flag" and the closing tag line, "God bless us every one," are also examples that copy unabashedly from other sources. Additionally, quips and plays-on-words abound, starting with the musical's subtitle "Fall in love all ogre again!" But it is all in good fun and works well.

Despite the upbeat tone, important messages can be inferred from the text. In the duet "I Got You Beat" between Shrek and Fiona, they humorously one-up each other with the difficulties they've faced. But the difference in the cause of their misfortunes is significant. Though the privileged Fiona has suffered from imprisonment, it was not a punishment that befalls all who are in her social class or a scarlet letter that appears to everyone she meets. Conversely, Shrek possesses the physical characteristics of a minority and suffers discrimination on sight.

The contrasting world views of Shrek and Donkey also relate. Donkey aspires, seeing opportunity for gain and improvement. He values socialization and begs Shrek's friendship in the song "Don't Let Me Go." Shrek reflects the all too common despair of minorities who face an uphill climb that the privileged don't confront, as he sings "Build a Wall" to protect him from being seen by the outside world.

Director Danny Mefford's overall production is heart warming and satisfying. The action is lively, with fancifully and colorfully costumed creatures of all varieties, including some that appear as large puppets. One minor detraction is that the sound system, which works well with single speakers or singers, lacks sufficient separation with multiple voices or large orchestration.

Shrek the Musical runs through December 22, 2024, at San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd., San Jose CA. For tickets and information, please visit broadwaysanjose.com. For information on the tour, visit shrekthemusicaltour.com.