SHREK the MUSICAL Musical in 2 Acts. Book by David Lindsay-Abaire based upon Shrek!, by William Steig, and the DreamWorks' 2001 film of the same name; Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire; Music by Jeanne Tesori 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle - 10 September to 21 September, 2008. The Broadway Theatre, Broadway - Opened 14 December, 2008: Closed 2January, 2010 (441 perfs) SYNOPSIS Act I On his seventh birthday, Shrek's parents kick the young ogre out of their house and into the cruel world. They warn him that, because of his looks, everyone will hate him, and he won't have a happy ending. Later, a now embittered, hardened Shrek is living contentedly alone in a swamp. But his solitude is disrupted when all the fairy-tale beings of the land begin showing up on his property, exiled from the Kingdom of Duloc by order of Lord Farquaad. Shrek decides to travel to see Farquaad to try to regain his privacy and along the way reluctantly rescues a talkative Donkey from some of the Lord's goons. Donkey insists on tagging along. Meanwhile, Lord Farquaad is torturing the Gingerbread Man into revealing the whereabouts of the remaining fairy tale creatures in hiding when his guards arrive with the one magical item he's been searching for for years - the Magic Mirror. Upon asking if Duloc is the most perfect kingdom of them all, the Mirror informs him that Farquaad is technically not a king, but can become one if he marries a princess. Farquaad chooses Princess Fiona from three "eligible bachelorettes" but leaves before the Mirror can explain "the little thing that happens after sunset". The Mirror shows us outcast seven-year-old Princess Fiona dreaming of the brave knight who, her storybooks tell her, will one day rescue her from her tower, and end her mysterious curse with "True Love's Kiss". As she grows into a teenager, and then a headstrong woman, she becomes a little bit stir crazy, but never loses her faith in her fairy tales. Shrek and Donkey arrive in Duloc and make their way to Farquaad's palace, disrupting a kingdom-wide lottery to choose the "brave kinght" who will finally rescue Princess Fiona from her castle (surrounded by lava and protected by a fire-breathing dragon,) so that Farquaad may marry her and thus become a legitimate King. Shrek impresses Farquaad with his size, appearance, and "expendability," and the ogre agrees to undertake the rescue in exchange for the deed to his swamp. Shrek and Donkey set off to find Fiona, seeing many strange things on the way (including Puss In Boots, a rabbit (who promptly runs away screaming after Shrek says he looks delicious), a cow jumping over the moon and a dish running away with a spoon (referencing the nursery rhyme Hey Diddle Diddle) and a African style giraffe head and a wheel with gazelles on it. Arriving at the castle, Shrek sets off alone to rescue Fiona while Donkey encounters the guardian she-Dragon, who sees him as a tasty snack. Donkey charms the firebreathing creature by complimenting her teeth, and escapes death momentarily. When Shrek finds Fiona, his lack of interest in playing out her desired, romantic rescue scene annoys her, and Shrek must drag her off by force. The two of them reunite with Donkey and all three attempt to leave, angering the dragon, who chases Shrek, Fiona and Donkey out of the castle. Once they are safe, Fiona insists that Shrek reveal his identity. She is appalled that her rescuer is an ogre, and not the Prince Charming her stories promised. Shrek explains that he is merely her champion; instead, she is to wed Lord Farquaad. As the trio begins their journey back to Farquaad's palace, the Princess is frightened by the setting sun and insists that they rest for the night and that she spend the night, alone, in a nearby cave. Donkey and Shrek remain awake and Donkey, delighted at being referred to by Fiona as a "noble steed," asks Shrek who he would be, if he didn't have to be an ogre anymore. As Shrek opens up to his new friend, Fiona stands apart and alone, transformed into an ogre in the moonlight.
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