Dreamworks Vs Disney With Shrek On Broadway

By Author: Al Terry
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Shrek on Broadway is Dreamworks' maiden attempt to acquire a part of the riches that Disney has collected by converting many of its animated musicals into Broadway hits. The Walt Disney Co. came out with its first Broadway production fourteen years back with the adaptation of its animated film, Beauty and the Beast. The show turned out to be a runaway success. Since then, Disney, with blockbusters such as Mary Poppins and The Lion King has remained more or less the main name for theatre family entertainment on a large scale. Dreamworks now enters the fray with Shrek on Broadway. The $25 million production has been hailed as a bold attempt and one that replicates Disney's success formula, which is to form an in-house theatrical production wing that creates Broadway productions of their successful animated films.

Shrek On Broadway, The Giant Green Ogre On Stage

Shrek on Broadway, which features a smelly green ogre, a princess with a secret and a talking donkey is the adaptation of the 2001 computer animated film. Based on the children's book by William Steig, Shrek narrates the story of a giant green ogre who falls ...
... in love. For its Broadway adaptation, Dreamworks has put together a team which includes among others, three-time Tony nominated composer Jeanine Tesori and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire. The green ogre with a heart of gold is portrayed by Brian d'Arcy James, the Tony nominated actor and Tony award winner Sutton Foster essays the role of Princess Fiona. Shrek, with its hipper and funnier, even irreverent style has turned into one of those rare productions that appeal more to boys. The playwrights have largely tried to retain the familiar lines and elements from the film while at the same time trying to incorporate newer situations for the characters.

Despite certain drawbacks, Shrek on Broadway does have its moments. One of the high points is the bouncy lament of the ragtag assortment of fairy-tale characters from Pinocchio to the Three bears who are evicted from the kingdom by Lord Farquaad. Composer Tisori has also provided a few other cute numbers. The main additions of the musical to the movie are a few spoofs of other Broadway shows, from Gypsy to the Lion King, which are hugely entertaining.

Differences Between Shrek On Broadway And Other Disney Blockbusters

Unlike other Disney productions, Shrek on Broadway is not a musical. More importantly, being the first computer animated film to be reproduced on stage; Shrek posed various challenges to Dreamworks. Directors of musicals such as The Lion King and The Little Mermaid often had to come up with unique theatrical elements to recapture the romantic and classical touches of Disney's films on theatre. However, recapturing the nuances of facial expressions and the more offhand approach to comedy as favoured by computer animation was a daunting task. The light and casual style of Shrek, the movie, becomes far more affected and heavy onstage. Despite the differences, however, Shrek on Broadway had a surprisingly favourable reception from the critics.
Al is the webmaster for a New York City entertainment site which writes reviews and content about every concert tour in the city inluding Great Ways To Get Shrek On Broadway Information to a performance. His online content cover every musical and play and has advice for ways to get tickets for the events. His content is devoted to entertainment and includes information such as Shrek on Broadway resources for fans looking to locate seats to a show.