Gaslight Theatre’s Shriek!

Love does not exist only in fairy tales, it takes center stage at the Gaslight Theatre in its latest production, Shriek!, a parody of the Shrek movie series.  My family and I were hosted by The Gaslight Theatre in exchange for a review of Shriek!, but as always, all opinions are my own.  Here’s what you need to know about the Gaslight Theatre’s latest melodrama, Shriek!

GASLIGHT THEATRE’S SHRIEK!

Shriek is an ogre with a heart of gold who wants to be left alone. Unfortunately for him, Lord Kumquat is sending all the fairy tale creatures to his swamp. This sets Shriek off on an epic quest, with his donkey friend Jack, to save Princess Sharona, fight a dragon, and confront the nefarious Kumquat and his evil minions Draven and the Magic Mirror.

Being a Gaslight production, there are a lot of great laughs and musical numbers. Many of the songs that the actors sing and dance to are from the Shrek movies, like I’m a Believer by Smash Mouth, or are self-explanatory like the song about Princess Sharona.

One of the reasons why the Gaslight is always a great time is because you can see the actors are having a great time and it is infectious. The back and forth they have with each other makes you feel like you are in on the jokes, creating a much more intimate experience. This production is also a little bit different than others in that some of the main cast members play multiple roles throughout the production, not just one. It is fun to see the same actor play Robin Hood and Puss in Boots, as well as a Fairy Godmother and Snow White.

The Gaslight has stepped it up in recent productions with the use of visual effects and set designs, but they know the simplest gags are the best like the one where Donkey magically loses his rear-end. The costumes and make-up are impeccable as Shrek does not have it easy being green for the entire production.

As with all Gaslight Theatre productions, you don’t want to leave early as you would miss the Olio. The companion one for this one was Viva Las Vegas. The actors sang classic songs we all would associate with Vegas as well as newer songs. And it would not be a Las Vegas production if there was not an Elvis impersonator, which the Gaslight brings down the house with for the final number.