Shrek as presented by Avonmore Musical Society

Avonmore Musical Society

Shrek the Musical

Saturday 26^th April 2025

Once upon a time, on audition day in Arklow, County Wicklow, Director Amy Penston-Hendley was heard crying into her coffee…

Amy: We're doomed! We're never going to find a brilliant comic actor, of gigantic stature, who can sing, break wind at will and deliver a flawless Scottish accent. Andrew Docherty: Hold my beer!

Sometimes, a role just fits like a glove and, on this occasion, the glove fit just about perfectly onto the stubby, chunky, green fingers of the protagonist. And it wasn't just me who thought so. The multitude of children, who were lucky enough to get tickets for the matinee performance of Avonmore Musical Society's ‘Shrek the Musical’, were completely in agreement as they cheered and laughed at their favourite ogre's antics.

But it wasn’t only the flatulent swamp-dweller that impressed. This was a fabulous production, with a very strong front line, a talented, committed ensemble and wonderfully impressive visuals that had us dancing in the aisles by the finale.

I was afforded the warmest of welcomes upon my arrival at St. Mary's College, Arklow on a gloriously sunny Saturday afternoon. Front of house was very busy as families with children buzzed around, excited to see the show. The foyer was nicely decorated with photos and entries for a Shrek-themed colouring competition from local children. Upon entering the hall, there was wonderful energy in the room. Front of house announcements were delivered in an obligatory Scottish accent, setting the perfect tone for what was to follow.

Homegrown director Amy Penston has literally grown up in Avonmore Musical Society and what a thrill it must have been for her to take on this mammoth show. Ms. Penston did a great job on what was a most heartwarming production, full of energy, warmth, and many hilarious comedic moments. It was a very fast-paced and slick show, with some lovely touches throughout. I loved the animated storybook at the top of the show, which set the tone for the magical fairytale world that we were about to enter. Ms. Penston instilled great energy and exuberance in the ensemble. From time to time they were a little bit overly exuberant, occasionally pre-empting rections because of their enthusiasm. ‘Travel Song’ worked very well against the brilliant animated graphics in the background. There was superb operation of the dragon by the three black-clad puppeteers. However, I did feel that the positioning of the dragon vocalist so far away, on stage right, weakened the connection between the two. A super job overall from Ms. Penston.

Musical director Conor McCarthy, played in and conducted a fabulous eight-piece orchestra. This was a very talented lineup of musicians and it showed in the wonderful sound that lifted the roof off St. Mary's College. The band was very tight indeed and tempi were secure throughout. One of the main challenges for a musical director and sound operator in ‘Shrek the Musical’ is the considerable dynamic range from number to number. Some of the numbers are very brass heavy and, as such, can often overpower vocalists. Donkey was often overpowered by such brassy orchestration, due to her songs, written for a male voice, being in such a low register. The musical highlight of this show was definitely the chorus singing. There was a wonderful sound in ‘What's Up, Duloc?’ and a stunning chorus sound in ‘Wedding Procession’. Principal singing was excellent throughout, whether in the upbeat, high-energy numbers or the emotion-filled ballads. A typically strong job from the very talented Mr. McCarthy.

Martina Lynch's choreography was well-rehearsed and dynamic, always in keeping with the fun and madcap nature of the show. ‘What's Up, Duloc?’ embraced the madness, giving us a quirky, fun routine with the ensemble executing a kick line whilst on their knees, combining visual comedy and choreography so well. ‘Forever’ was a fabulous routine, with six ‘skeletons’, who were very strong movers. ‘Morning Person’ featured a wonderful tap routine from the rats’ chorus. There was great fun with the Three Blind Mice in the very funny ‘Make a Move’, with one rodent even managing the splits. ‘Freak Flag’ was simply fabulous, full of energy and brilliantly performed and ‘I'm a Believer’ had everyone on their feet at the end with its unbridled joy. A super job all round from Ms. Lynch.

Andrew Docherty delivered a towering, tour-de-force comedic performance as everyone's favourite, flatulent ogre, Shrek. Mr. Docherty's physicality was exceptionally good as he lumbered around the stage and his deft comic timing and hilarious facial expressions were an absolute joy. Mr. Docherty delivered a brilliantly uplifting performance of ‘Who I'd Be’, which was intelligent, thoughtful, and sincere. There was always great attention to narrative detail and every word that Mr. Docherty spoke or sang was deeply invested in the story.His duet, ‘I Think I Got You Beat’ with Fiona, was a comic highlight of the show. ‘When Words Fail’ was beautifully sincere, and ‘Build a Wall’ was highly passionate with wonderful storytelling. A brilliant, professional performance from Mr. Docherty.

Ellie Willoughby was a most endearing Princess Fiona. She was an exceptionally clever actress and a brilliant comedienne, with wonderful comic timing. ‘I Think I Got You Beat’, with Mr. Docherty, was a brilliant duet and their ‘burp off’ was utterly hilarious. Ms. Willoughby exuded warmth and charm throughout in what was a very layered and nuanced performance which captured the show’s theme of acceptance beautifully. A really top-notch performance from a very talented lady.

Orlagh Sunderland played the wise-cracking Donkey, full of energy, exuberance, and a wonderful physicality. This was a highly sassy performance and Ms. Sunderland was clearly a very talented comedienne, with strong coming timing and a hilarious range of facial expressions. However, diction was often an issue, compromised somewhat by her highly energetic characterisation. Her fast-paced, snappy delivery required a little bit more attention to clarity of diction in order to raise her performance to the next level. When gags were clear, they were brilliant. “Oh my God, you ate the princess!” went down a storm, delivered with great power and conviction. Overall a super characterisation. 

Sean Hendley was a very animated Sean Hendley gave a very animated, cartoonish portrayal of Lord Farquaad. His facial expressions and physicality were simply hilarious.It's fair to say that Mr. Hendley is a man who is ‘vertically unchallenged’ and, as such, he needed to maintain the illusion of the costume by crouching down to keep his ‘feet’ on the ground. Full credit to Mr. Hendley for maintaining the amazing physicality of the role throughout. I have no doubt that his knees are still sore. ‘The Ballad of Farquaad’ was hilariously funny. I loved his proposal on one knee, which went down a storm. His hilarious realisation and delivery of “The ogre has fallen in love with the princess!” was comedy gold.A wonderful all-round comic performance from Mr. Hendley.

Christine Dunne Firmo was the stunning, powerhouse voice of the dragon, breathing life into a superbly operated puppet that was most impressive visually. This was a wonderful performance, and Ms. Dunne Firmo was clearly enjoying every moment with her stratospheric, effortless vocals impressing greatly.

On the afternoon that I attended, Amber Simmons played the role of Young Fiona. This was a lovely performance from Amber, who had the most beautiful singing voice in ‘I Know It’s Today’

Lauren Gammell was equally impressive as Teen Fiona, delivering a fine performance in the same number with great support from Mr. McCarthy.

The very talented Kevin Macken-Tierney was a wonderful Pinocchio, with a fabulous voice and physicality. His movement was very strong and his shrill high voice was perfect for the role. His falsetto in ‘Freak Flag’ was most impressive in what was a brilliantly performed number.

Fionn Ó Conchúir doubled up as Gingy and Papa Bear, impressing with his versatility. His Gingy had an excellent delivery and was very funny. His voice at the top of ‘Freak Flag’ was wonderful. 

James Kearon really impressed as the Pied Piper. 

The three blind mice, Olivia Connell, Ella McEvoy and Zoe Cummins, made fabulous backup singers with their strong vocal harmonies and slick movement. Stacey Carter was most impressive as Mama Bear with her stunning strong vocals in ‘Freak Flag’ being a standout musical moment. 

Rob Donnelly was an almost unrecognisable, cross-dressing Big Bad Wolf and it was a look that really suited him.With such an enormous cast of non-speaking roles, space does not permit me to go through every named character. But this ensemble was extremely strong and their commitment and talent to every single cameo role, dance number and choral performance was evident throughout.

Stage manager Barry Ryan did good work throughout, with very efficient, unfussy movement of set pieces. The positioning of the haze machine on stage left was a bit of an issue as we were aware of haze being constantly pumped on stage during scenes and this was a distraction. The operation of the remote controlled rats was very impressive and there was clever use of crew wearing blue capes and helmets to move Farquaad's bath.

Overall, very strong stage management and efficient execution of changes.The set incorporated some very well-designed and finished set pieces with some cleverly chosen graphics. The first thing I noticed was the impressive walkway around the orchestra which was used to great effect when characters were traveling. Projection worked wonderfully well to provide depth and to allow for swift changes of location. The Shrek logo in the pre-set was wonderfully striking. Scenic artistry was of a very high standard. I loved the cleverly designed, encased proscenium and the castle gates and ramparts looked very well, as did Shrek's out house for his big reveal at the top of the show. Fiona's fabulous tower was another high point. Overall, a very visually pleasing set, enhanced greatly by well-chosen graphics.

The lighting, when it was good, was brilliant. There was fabulous use of colour, reds and greens in ‘Forever’. At times there was an over reliance on shining intense lights into the audience which felt unnecessary. A stunning picture was created for Donkey and Fiona's freeze in ‘When Words Fail’. The haze machine was in overdrive throughout, occasionally taking away from the intended point of focus. Haze is a valuable and very effective tool for enhancing stage lighting. However, it should not be a feature in itself. There was superbly atmospheric lighting combined with wonderful graphics as we anticipated Fiona's transformation, which of course never happened, as she stood on the altar. This was a magical picture.

Sound was generally very good. There was great use of appropriate sound effects for burps, farts and birdsong. Donkey's ‘Don't Let Me Go’ needed significantly more level, largely due to it being in such a low female register with the result that lyrics were lost. largely due to it being in such a low register for a female singer. ‘Travel Song’ was similarly affected in the brassier moments. All of this aside, there was great balance within the pit and other principal vocals were very well supported. Cueing of mics was very strong and EQ levels appeared to be set appropriately across a very large cast in what is a roast of a show for a sound operator.

There was a wonderful selection of graphics in use which aided smooth transitions between scenes. Some of my favourites were the ‘Travel Song’ animated background and the detail of animated fireflies in the swamp.

Props were very well chosen, often quirky. Villagers' tools looked authentic as did the soldiers' swords. Fiona's storybook with detachable pages brought a touch of magic to proceedings. The dragon puppet was very impressive. Bluebird and Bluebird's nest looked great but the inflatable deer had seen better days and was looking a tad deflated in the leg department. Cases and lanterns were used to good effect as cast paraded Anatevka style upon eviction from the swamp.There is absolutely no cutting corners in the costume department when it comes to a show like ‘Shrek the Musical’. Avonmore Musical Society pulled out all the stops to get this element just right.

This was a show bursting with colour and a wonderful array of costumes, from Shrek's iconic tartan trousers to Farquaad's hilarious ‘little guy’ costume. There was great attention to detail everywhere. The skeleton morph suits in ‘Forever’ looked very well, as did Fiona's iconic green dress. The rats looked fabulous in their top hats and tails, as did the three blind mice with their tall skirts and white fluffy hats. There was a great reveal of the wolf's red dress and Fiona's fabulous wedding dress was quite the creation. 

The hair and makeup department did a wonderful job also. This was such a busy show, with so much detailed makeup and, particularly, prosthetics required to get the very specific looks just right. Shrek's prosthetics and and his chunky fingers were brilliantly detailed as were the yellow wigs for Duloc. Dragon's wonderful red wig was nicely diva-esque and the rats' makeup was suitably rodent-looking. Rob Donnelly's wolf makeup made him completely unrecognisable and it was only towards the end that I realised what part he was playing. Donkey's smig beard and prosthetics looked wonderful. 

The overriding sense that I took away from this wonderful show was the wealth of talent in depth in the society. From the titular character, right down to Farquaad’s dad, Dwarf, there was so much talent on display, from young to old and plenty in between. The future is very bright for Avonmore Musical Society as they continue to tap into this wonderful pool of talent. I, for one, am “a Believer” and will be first in line to see whatever future productions are in the pipeline.

Pat McElwain

Gilbert Adjudicator 2024/2025