Shrek Review, November 2022 - One Show at a Time

All-singing, all-dancing fun and escapism!

Following their peek into the rehearsal room, BATS’ production is up and running full steam ahead in Basingstoke’s Haymarket Theatre until the 19th November. I was fortunate to be invited to their finished show to see how it fares up to the rehearsal, and it was a colourful energetic performance that brought a huge smile to my face – and many others from gauging the audience around me! Lots of glitter, lots of green, and a set and costumes that look like they’ve come straight from the west end, BATS’ production of Shrek The Musical may not be a west end musical, but is still guaranteed to give you a great night out.

As mentioned in the rehearsal post, a lot of the show was still in the works – there were no costumes, set, or puppets. So seeing all these pieces come together and fill in the gaps makes the show as special as it is. The dragon puppet is fantastic in its own right and under Sally Manning’s direction, once the cast have all donned their costumes, they’re the perfect finishing touches for their wonderful performances from the moment anyone sets foot on the stage. Where else can you see Snow White and a fairy shimmying together?

Leading the cast is Reece Fitzgerald, Louise Travis, Richard Bond and Ben Kennedy as Shrek, Fiona, Donkey & Lord Farquad respectively. They all work splendidly together, bouncing off each other and nailing the comedic timing and bringing real emotion to the more tender scenes. Bond and Kennedy as Donkey and Lord Farquad have wonderful stage presence and easily get the audience on side with their wheeze-worthy humour and having perfected the iconic characters’ mannerisms, making it hard not to love them. Even in scenes where they’re not the main focus of attention, they’re highly entertaining to watch as they react to the scenes unfolding.

Having said this, the show is also very much one which showcases and celebrates the ensemble as much as the named leads. With the ensemble becoming many different characters across one performance, there is no confusion or grey area – they are all fantastic at clearly separating one role from the next, but bringing equal amounts of energy, personality and character to every role they take on in the show.

A special mention also goes out to the younger members of the company – Olivia Kingham, Sophia Newborough, Isla Clarke, Amelia Ellis-Cosgrove, Theodore Hartgill and Ayla Tipp. These young performers split the roles of young and middle Fiona and young Shrek. Though they’re younger than their peers, they all appear completely at ease on stage and comfortable in their roles as if this is something they do on a daily basis, instantly winning the hearts of the audience.

The choreography, courtesy of Luannsa Goodman and Sally Manning is slick and praiseworthy; tap dancing mice, dance breaks galore and high-energy ensemble numbers showing off what everyone can do. With the number of songs the ensemble are all in and the number of dance breaks, it’s remarkable how well they keep their stamina and maintain their energy. In fact, the company as a whole deserve the utmost praise for keeping their enthusiasm and energy sustained from the moment the curtain rises to the moment it comes down again.

BATS’ hard work was already paying off in the rehearsal room and now with the set, costumes and the finessed details all put together, the finished piece is a wonder to watch – a finished show everyone in the company both on and off stage should be proud of for what they’ve put together. Surrounded by an audience of children and adults, it is clear this show has something for everyone; as I was sat watching the show, there were children open-mouthed in awe and adults cackling with joy. Shrek The Musical is an explosion of colour and fun-filled joy; it is the perfect night out for some guaranteed all-singing, all-dancing fun and escapism. Shrek The Musical is the perfect excuse to forget your worries, take a trip to Duloc and let them entertain you so you’re guaranteed to leave with a smile. on your face and a spring in your step.

BATS’ production of Shrek The Musical runs until 19th of November, and word has. tickets are selling thick and fast, so I wouldn’t delay treating yourself, your friends, family – maybe even your pet dragon – to a night out at the theatre.

Leyla Demirel
One Show at a Time

BATS cast of Shrek meet special guests at charity show

The cast of Shrek entertained families at a special charity performance at The Haymarket. BATS secured funding from corporate sponsors Lavazza Professional and The MPC Ltd along with Hampshire County Council to offer tickets free of charge to local charities and community organisations to give them a night to remember.

Some of the cast, including Shrek and Donkey, held a special meet-and-greet for invited guests before the show which is being performed at The Haymarket until November 19.

Photos: Sarah Gaunt, Basingstoke Gazette

Children were given goody bags put together by sponsors The MPC Ltd – a marketing production company from Basingstoke – which included specially designed Shrek water bottles, sweets and snacks.

Claire Hooper and her family were given tickets through Naomi House Hospice.

Claire’s nine-year-old son Olly is one of just 150 children worldwide to suffer from the rare H-ABC, and he receives respite at Naomi House.

Mum-of-three Claire, from Andover, said: “It’s nice to have this family time. We have to think of Olly’s wheelchair and here they have really thought about how to accommodate us which makes it easier. Olly loves all the bright lights and music and we don’t normally have the chance to do something like this.”

Michaela Riley, founder of Basingstoke charity Spotlight said: “It is absolutely amazing. We have got 270 tickets for the show and we have families coming from across the area, as well as military families. It’s amazing, they will leave with a smile on their faces. We are very lucky to have been given this opportunity.”

Mayor of Basingstoke Cllr Paul Miller was also at the event, and said: “This is a unique occasion, a charity show that over 100 families will benefit from. Families that would not normally have the opportunity to experience a night out like this. Shrek is a wonderful show and we all had a wonderful time.”

Emma Marsh, who owns The MPC Ltd with her husband Paul, said she was delighted to sponsor the charity performance, and said: “We support lots of different charities and we know one of the cast members of Shrek and he approached us and asked if we wanted to get involved.”

Ian Moseley, chairman of BATS, said: “With household budgets tightening we were very conscious that a theatre trip is fast becoming a luxury that not all can afford. Therefore, with support of sponsors, we were able to fully fund this extra performance.

“Working with charities, including Spotlight UK and Naomi House, tickets have been allocated to local children and their families who would not normally be able to afford to enjoy a live theatre performance.”

BATS President, Richard Bond as Donkey

He gave a “special thanks” to BATS’ president Richard Bond “for all his efforts in making this invitation happen”.

Families filled the theatre to watch the uplifting musical following unlikely green hero Shrek, who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey and the feisty Princess Fiona.

Based on the Oscar-winning Dreamworks Animation film, Shrek the Musical is a Tony Award-winning fairytale adventure that brings all the beloved characters from the film to life on stage.

Led by an all-female team of Sally Manning as director and co-choreographer, Julie Dance as musical director and Luannsa Goodman as choreographer, the show features a cast of more than 30 talented adults and children, who will put on 10 performances until November 19.

Emily Roberts

Shrek Review, November 2022 - Basingstoke Gazette

We all know and love the friendly green ogre Shrek from the film Oscar-winning Dreamworks Animation film. Now, BATS has brought the loveable character to life with its big-budget £75,000 production, set to delight families this week at The Haymarket.

The tale of the unlikely hero Shrek, played by Reece Fitzgerald, follows him on his life-changing journey alongside the wisecracking Donkey and feisty Princess Fiona.

The show was a joy to watch, with colourful costumes, an impressive set, superb singing, hilarious characters, expertly choreographed dancing and a few jaw-dropping surprises.

It is always amazing to see how incredible BATS’ productions are, and Shrek did not disappoint.

Ian Moseley, chairman of BATS, said the show is its biggest budget production in history and this is clear to see from the constantly changing sets including a castle, forest and church to the incredible life-sized smoke-breathing dragon.

However, while this was all impressive, it is the talented all-singing all-dancing cast that made this show yet another triumph for BATS.

There were laughs a plenty for both kids and adults – the burping and farting were guaranteed to have the younger members of the audience in hysterics.

Characters including the short-tempered bad guy Lord Farquaad, played by Ben Kennedy, and Donkey, played by Richard Bond, will have even the most serious in the audience cracking a smile.

Credit must of course be given to the talented Reece Fitzgerald for singing and acting so well with a full green ogre face mask on.

While special mention must go to the incredibly talented younger members of the cast, including Theodore Hartgill (younger Shrek), Amelia Ellis-Cosgrove (young Fiona) and Olivia Kingham (teenage Fiona) who showed real star quality in their performances, and will no doubt have a bright future ahead on the stage.

Louise Travis played a superb Princess Fiona whose character is a far cry from a traditional fairytale princess. She is not afraid to embrace her individuality and flaws and the story is as much about her journey as it is about Shrek’s.

The uplifting performance was a joy to watch throughout and ended on a high with a full cast rendition of I’m A Believer, which had everyone clapping along in celebration.

Emily Roberts

One Show At a Time Reviewer Joins Us at a Shrek Rehearsal

A mixture of fairytale creatures from pigs to a fairy, a princess, and show-themed t-shirts galore all in an echoey church hall…it can all only mean one thing: there’s another show being rehearsed!

Basingstoke Amateur Theatrical Society (BATS) are back in the room rehearsing their next musical; this time it is the family fun show Shrek The Musical. I was kindly invited along to their rehearsal to see what they’ve been up to, and what a treat it was – you know you’re having a wonderful time when you’re dancing in your seat as you make reviewing notes!

If you don’t know Shrek the Musical, it’s easy enough to explain. It’s the hugely popular movie about the ogre – Shrek – and the ever so lovely Princess Fiona, but on stage. All the best parts from the film are there, the characters everyone knows and loves, but it’s just been stepped up a gear – and of course, everyone is singing and dancing! The musical is hugely popular and has been on Broadway, in the West End and on a UK tour, and now it’s headed to Basingstoke. It may be an amateur dramatic production, but that certainly doesn’t make it any lesser of a show. With a fantastically uplifting soundtrack of songs such as ‘Big Bright Beautiful World’, ‘Forever’, ‘Let Your Freak Flag Fly’, and the ever-iconic ‘I’m A Believer’, BATS have chosen to do a show that has something to make everyone smile; a perfect family favourite choice. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see Shrek and Donkey singing a duet together? Can you think of anything else that is more the definition of fun than that? Because I can’t!

With just under 2 weeks to go until shows begin, it’s all go for BATS to be show ready in time, and from the looks of their rehearsal, they’re pretty much there and it is now just a case of finessing the details. Shrek is a very visual musical so there are parts where I wasn’t sure what was happening or parts where my imagination was having to fill in gaps based on what I know from the movie, but this only made me more excited to see the finished piece.

One thing is for sure though, where the visuals may have been lacking, this is more than made up for with enthusiasm and passion. The whole cast is absolutely all ready to go, with their characters all fully fleshed out. It was a joy to see everyone’s characters overflowing with personality. With Shrek, it’s not less is more, it’s more is more. Something the cast have nailed. The show and the characters are silly, fun, over the top, and sometimes a little bit ridiculous. But that’s exactly how it should be – and it is brilliant!

The rehearsal period of a show is one of unfathomable support. This is one of the few times where cast members will be able to see parts of the show they’re not in, as once they’ve moved into the theatre, it’s all full steam ahead to get polished for curtain up. The atmosphere of everyone rooting each other on and enjoying each other’s scenes was heartwarming and infectious. That feeling of community working together and supporting each other to make theatre and give audiences a good time is unmatched.

Shrek the Musical is the definition of Theatre with a capital T. There are jazz hands, clicking, tap dancing – the whole shebang. Sometimes multiple of these at once! And with everyone doing it in synchronisation! I adore the movie of Shrek and I love the musical, so I had high hopes prior to my visit. Now having seen what they’ve done so far, it seems with everyone in BATS working together and their hard work, they’re all very close to being stage ready. The rehearsal run-through alone made me laugh and had me dancing in my seat and left me with even more eager anticipation for the finished show. So with the cold nights creeping in and post-Halloween sadness where Christmas is still a bit too far away, why not take yourself and your family on a fun trip to the theatre to boost your mood and bring a smile to your face? Duloc and the residents are waiting to welcome you!

Leyla Demirel
One Show at a Time

Our All-Female Trio Bringing Shrek to the Stage

They’re the trio tasked with bringing the fairytale world of Shrek to the stage. And it’s a relief for Sally Manning, Jules Dance and Luannsa Goodman to finally see the fabulous family musical take shape.

Director and Co-choreographer, Sally Manning

“Shrek was originally planned for November 2020, but the pandemic put paid to that,” explains director and co-choreographer Sally. “So it’s been taking up a lot of space in my head for a long time! But as rehearsals have progressed, all those thoughts and ideas have been transferred to the cast, so I’m enjoying it a lot more now as my head feels a lot lighter!”

Based on the hugely popular animated film, Shrek is the tale of a green ogre who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside wisecracking Donkey, feisty Princess Fiona and evil Lord Farquaad – to discover that fairy tales aren’t always what they seem.

Choreographer, Luannsa Goodman

“The most important thing for us is to make the show pure magic,” says choreographer Luannsa. “My generation grew up loving the film, and I’ve watched the Broadway production on YouTube about 1000 times! But I’ve put my own spin on the dancing. It’s full of character, farcical, funny and slapstick, as well as technically challenging. We’re now drilling the little details and the cast are doing brilliantly.”

Musical director Jules agrees. “This is an exceptionally strong cast and I’m thrilled about that! We’ve got a live band for this show too. The music is fantastic and very clever, with nods to other shows which musical theatre fans will love.”

Children especially will enjoy seeing familiar characters pop up like Pinocchio, Peter Pan, the Gingerbread Man and the Three Little Pigs. But with a twist.

Musical Director, Jules Dance

“Shrek is very much NOT a pantomime,” says Sally. “It’s a story of acceptance. It’s told in a fun, humorous way, but definitely has a deeper meaning. All our lead actors understand that – and they’re phenomenal, they’re absolutely smashing it!””

“There are belly laughs and great physical comedy,” says Jules, “But there’s also passion and pathos. The show tugs at your soul!”

Sally, Luannsa and Jules are clearly delighted with how the cast and crew have responded to the challenge of fulfilling their vision for Shrek the Musical.

“There are lots of surprises in store for the audience,” teases Sally. “And we can’t wait for you to see it!”

Shrek the Musical runs from 10 - 19 November at the Haymarket. Buy tickets online.