Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome back to the bright lights of Broadway. This is the cosmic curtain, the official podcast of Cosmic Circus Broadway. I'm Brian Kitson, head writer over at the cosmic circus and Cosmic Circus Broadway. And on today's episode, we're breaking down the musical.
This musical just made its stop in the 313 as the first show in Broadway in Detroit's new season, which kicks off with, officially, with Moulin Rouge. This is, like, an added show, and of course, we're going to break it down. My co host today is my fellow backseat babe and partner in all of this shenanigans. RJ Miller, Zelinko. How are you doing today?
[00:00:39] Speaker B: Doing well, sir. How about yourself?
[00:00:42] Speaker A: It's Friday. It's pizza day, as the kids would say, pizza in a movie.
[00:00:47] Speaker B: It is true. And I'm not sure if that's just, like, a Midwest thing or if that's, like, national. Like, Friday is pizza day.
[00:00:56] Speaker A: I feel like it has to be national. Like, we, growing up, though, we were always like, pizza and a slurpee. Like, that was like our go to. Like, you always got pizza. You always got, like, a small slurpee. Probably little Caesars, because that's big in the Detroit area. And then you turn on that movie.
[00:01:12] Speaker B: Yeah, kind of same. We didn't have the slurpee aspect, I'm not sure, but also, I lived in the middle of nowhere, so slurpees weren't a thing. But little Caesars, definitely. It was like, of course, like the cheaper, like, $5 instant hot and ready pizza, grabbing it from work on the way home and watching, I don't know, Jurassic park for the 75,000th time on a Friday.
[00:01:41] Speaker A: I mean, that is a classic film to put on during pizza and a movie night. But I'm sure that Shrek was also a classic movie to put on, especially from our childhood. You know, this came out in 2001. What are your memories of this, man?
[00:01:57] Speaker B: How old was I when Shrek came out? I was a child.
[00:02:02] Speaker A: I think I was nine, but you probably were eight.
[00:02:04] Speaker B: Yeah, I feel like it was kind of, at first, the unknown movie that my parents were like, the marketing must have had some type of humor in it, or, like, kind of adult ish humor to the point where my parents were at least hesitant to let me see it. I do not think I saw it right away, which is vague. I think it was like, maybe something that eventually got seen because, you know, because it came out on VHS, the.
[00:02:38] Speaker A: Green VHS, too, if I remember correctly. Or it might have been white, but it was like, it was one of those colored ones, it wasn't the standard black and I white writing.
[00:02:45] Speaker B: How about you?
[00:02:46] Speaker A: So I did see this one in theaters. I remember vividly. I also remember that this is not a kids movie. And I remember being nine years old and thinking like, this is not a kids movie. This is really sexual, and this is really, you know, there's a lot of adult jokes here, and there's a lot of. There's a lot of things people don't understand. You know, like, the most. One of the most famous lines is the onion. You know, about the onion having layers. And to a kid, it's funny because of the parfait joke, but, like, to, to adults, we know that adults have layers and peoples have layers. So, like, there's a lot of aspects to this that wasn't a child's movie, even though it was definitely animated, and it was geared towards animation. And I feel like adult animation wasn't that big as it was now. Granted, yes, we had family guy and stuff kind of coming out around that time. We did have the Simpsons, which was a big one, but animated was always kind of seen as, like, a child, like a child thing. And so with Shrek, I think it's interesting because I don't know how you feel, but, like, as the series got farther on, as we got into two and three and four, it became more of, like, this family child movie, animated movie, because I think that, that even though the first one was really good, they're just like, children are going to see this. And it changed. It kind of morphed into, like, that more family appropriate film.
[00:04:00] Speaker B: Yeah. I'm not sure if that's because it was then, like, it spun in a way that was like, oh, it's just like, silly, silly, stupid.
Because even, like, those shows that you mentioned, like, family guy and Simpsons, I was definitely not allowed to watch them. And as I'm sure many can understand or sympathize with, grew up in a probably a little bit more conservative household. So it was very, what was on the television was very monitored.
And so even though there wasn't really any major, like, I can't even think of, like, the worst moment in Shrek, like, that was. It was seen as, you know, maybe grotesque or just, like, even just having one swear word was too much.
[00:04:57] Speaker A: I can understand that. And I think that, you know, I grew up as a Disney kid. We grew up on all the Disney films. I would watch Disney Channel, I guess we had Nickelodeon. We watched it. I still remember that Nickelodeon was 24 and Disney Channel was 26 on the remote.
But this was not your typical, just like your kids film, you know?
Yeah, we watched it, but it wasn't like it was more of, like, as the kids got older, we enjoyed it a little bit more as we started to get some more of the jokes. And, you know, people have to remember, Mike Myers was involved in this. He is very involved, and we know his humor. His humor is very different, you know. Did you like it? Do you remember liking the film?
[00:05:46] Speaker B: I think because I wasn't raised on that type of humor because it was kind of, like, pushed away or avoided.
I didn't really understand it and. Or I didn't. I thought that that meant that I didn't like it.
[00:06:01] Speaker A: Gotcha.
[00:06:02] Speaker B: So the pieces that I did kind of see or enjoy were typically, like, maybe a more musical moment, for sure. Like the really. Yeah. Anything around song.
I distinctly remember, obviously, that the very singular. A very singular moment with Fiona and the bird. Yes.
Which is like, what? Like a literally two second part of the scene. But that is a standout moment, for sure.
Donkeys kind of sing songy.
You gotta have friends. Yeah. So just like, a lot of those together. My very musical brain kind of honed in on those pieces. I think naturally, you forgot about the.
[00:06:58] Speaker A: Most quintessential part of that film that is musical, and it is the welcome to Dulac song.
[00:07:05] Speaker B: Oh, see, I didn't forget about it. I just didn't like it.
[00:07:11] Speaker A: Wait a second.
[00:07:14] Speaker B: I don't know why.
Maybe just because of the humor of it. And I was like, I kind of, like, as a child, I think I thought I was super not stuck up, but just, like, prim and proper and so for there to be kind of this, like, silly, stupid. Like, it was almost too silly for me.
So I just kind of completely skipped over and completely. I think I even used to fast forward through that part of the movie, if I'm honest.
[00:07:47] Speaker A: And this is where we really find out how different our level of humor is, because as we're sitting in the Fisher theater seeing this film, I told you that that was, like, quintessentially the best cinematic moment of our childhood. And you sat there and you let me just talk like I knew what I was talking about. And you were like, I hate this song.
[00:08:06] Speaker B: Everybody. Everybody's got their.
The grand reveal.
[00:08:11] Speaker A: The grand reveal. I know. You are Lord Farquaad underneath the wig. No, that makes sense in a second, people. I promise. So obviously, this is an adaptation of a DreamWorks animated film, which is an adaptation of a book, all of which have very different lives and very different journeys. In fact, the journey to get to the tour that we saw of Shrek the musical is different than what we people saw when it was on Broadway. And what you can see when it's in the pro shot of that's on Broadway HD. How do you feel about, like, the adaptation? Do you feel like it was faithful? Do you feel like there was quite a lot of changes? Did it hit the same way? Like, I mean, there's a lot that could be said about this adaptation, and people have said it. A lot of people have said it.
[00:08:55] Speaker B: Yeah, it's been a minute since, obviously, I have watched the movie since I have glanced at even the pro shot, because it's not something that I once again, naturally gravitate towards, just, like, watching all the time.
But there were some production type, I'm assuming production changes because of it being a tour. I don't know if it had to do with accessibility in regards to casting or, like, where some of the decisions came from, if it had to do with budget, and I just, like, would not have seen it going that way.
[00:09:39] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:09:41] Speaker B: But, I mean, there's typically a reason for everything. I just may never know why. May never know why.
[00:09:46] Speaker A: Now, when you're talking about some of those things, are you talking about, like, the set, or are you talking about, like, the people or, like, some, like, what is some of those production designs that you feel like were maybe a little questionable?
[00:09:58] Speaker B: Yeah. The set, it very much. I know we saw mamma mia not too long ago.
It kind of gave me that vibe in regards to, you have a very simple kind of set that is minimal. Almost basically, nothing changes, aside from props that are being brought on and off.
And I think that works for a lot of shows when what's already sitting there is pretty complex.
But in this case, it kind of just felt like you have a couple panels that are colored in regards to, of course, the schematic of, you know, being in a swamp. And that was.
It left a lot to the imagination, which makes me wonder, was this a conscious decision so that we're using our imagination to make it what we want it to be? Orlando, is this just literally what was in the budget?
[00:10:58] Speaker A: So I actually do have a little bit of knowledge about this. I was talking with someone about this play. I have a few people that are always very interested. Like, what did you see? What did you think? Quite a few people I talked to are very into the Broadway scene, and they said that if you see the beat, if we. They said in the beginning it was a blink and you miss it moment. But there was more of it throughout the show that they started getting rid of. And they got rid of it in act two completely. This apparently was supposed to be, like, people putting on a play of Shrek and, like, it was supposed to be like a storybook world telling a story about Shrek. And apparently, when it first started touring, Shrek had hair because he was still supposed to be a man dressing up as Shrek. I did not get that at all. Like, there was no, like, if this is what they were aiming for. And the person said that this is still very much at the beginning of the show, that it's like opening a storybook, telling a story. I miss that somewhere along the lines.
[00:11:50] Speaker B: Interesting. I did get some of that in very specific moments, and then it felt like it popped out of that. There was a lot of, like, in and out.
[00:12:01] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:12:01] Speaker B: In regards to the puppetry that was brought into the show, I.
Yeah. Like, they were trying to make it feel storytellish. Like. Like people mimic and then speak for, you know, obviously the puppets made sense to me. The back, the fact that they chose very specific moments. I mean, basically, two songs to make that be that way made it, I think, maybe feel a little bit disconjointed because you could so easily miss that. Because a lot of times it felt like that was only referring to a flashback.
[00:12:44] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:12:44] Speaker B: And then you're jumping back into reality or the now. And that felt less story like.
So that's interesting because I get it. Yeah. There's some. Not sure how to smooth those edges out, but, yeah. If you're not looking for that, or if you're unaware that that's the goal, then it can feel a little like, why wouldn't you just have actors doing this individual thing?
[00:13:15] Speaker A: 100%? I feel like if that was the effect you were going for, you had to commit and you had to keep that commitment. I know that again, they're changing and they're developing. They're trying to find where their middle ground is. It felt like very much like Shrek, Donkey, Fiona were very much supposed to be actual characters on a stage and not people pretending to be the characters on a stage. And so that's what I think you're right. You had people like Gingy who had the person behind them. You saw them talking. That made sense. If that's what you're going for, that's the goal. If you have the puppets, that makes sense. But that wasn't.
I don't even remember the beginning of the show having aspects left that. Besides Shrek being a puppet.
[00:13:51] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, yeah. Shrek being youth, Shrek being that. And then Fiona, when we're given her backstory.
[00:14:01] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:14:02] Speaker B: Through multiple. But I'm just. Yeah.
Is that the way that it's always been? Why was that decision that was, if not, why was that a decision that was made now? Because you almost have too many people on stage, because most of the puppets were being worked by two individuals, and then on top of that, you had someone vocalizing.
[00:14:29] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:14:29] Speaker B: So really, you had three additional people per puppet. Plus then as we lead into, like, the actual character. So there's just. Yeah, there was a lot. There was a lot happening that.
[00:14:45] Speaker A: Do you think it was to cut down on child actors?
[00:14:49] Speaker B: Well, I was curious, but like, so many other shows have, like, that's just not a problem. Like, it's not a problem.
But in this case, it's such a small portion of the show, and or many of the fully grown adults are playing positions that want to be perceived a little bit more youthful. So maybe the issue also is if you bring a child on, you lose.
Like, the age difference becomes very noticeable because you have grown adults playing these fantasy characters who are kind of meant to feel immature.
[00:15:31] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:15:32] Speaker B: But when you stack them against each other, it doesn't seem like it doesn't. It works. But then if you add, you know, a ten year old next to them, all of a sudden it's very clear that there is a difference.
[00:15:50] Speaker A: All I'll say is, if they were going for that effect, I think that it still needs to be reworked a little bit. But once I saw that, and I guess my question for you then, is, once I heard that, it did change a little bit for me, of, like, the way I was viewing the show and maybe the way I was critiquing the show, does that change the way that you are now critiquing it?
[00:16:10] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, well, because at the end of the day, it's not that it was done poorly. I think that the staging that it had was done very well. Just. Yeah, you have to follow as an audience member, you have to be paying attention a bit more because you're not quite sure where it's going. There is a little bit of leading, I think, in some of the verbiage, like a line or two, at least, I think more so in regards to Fiona and maybe a little less for Shrek, just because that basically opens the show.
But, I mean, I think it was very. I think both were very well done.
[00:16:56] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:16:56] Speaker B: I'd just be curious to feel the effect of, like, what that difference could feel like in regards to the trajectory of how the show plays out. If you were to have a couple kids in there.
[00:17:11] Speaker A: Yeah, I think it would change everything, honestly. It would give it more of that childlike wonder, which is what the show was ultimately going for, was wanting to be this storybook coming to life. And with those kids, you would have almost gotten that little bit more of a wonder. You would have bought into it a little bit better. You know, you would have felt.
You would have. You would have. Did you like Shrek having a backstory? Because in the movie, he didn't. He just starts off as a grown adult. He's very much like, I struggle because I just don't know if this adds anything to the story.
[00:17:40] Speaker B: Yeah, that was one of those pieces where I felt like they. They added it in. I understood, like, from a theatrical perspective, like, you almost have to give, especially the main character some type of backstory, like, because if someone has never seen the movie or had no experience with the show, then maybe there would be a little bit of confusion, especially because there's nothing on the stage. Like, you have nothing.
Like, you're really missing the aspect of, what does that swamp look like? Why don't people like ogre? You know, like, there's so many pieces that you kind of miss that you have to introduce in another way. And I think that's what that backstory really was. And, of course, to grow sympathy for the character, because otherwise you might just be like, ew, an ogre. You know, which is the whole premise. Right. But to be like, wow, this character has had, like, a really hard life, particularly when that comes into play in act. I can't remember which act it's in. Maybe act two, when they're kind of battling as to who has it worse.
[00:18:58] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:18:59] Speaker B: You can't really do that without having some previous insight as to, hey, like, this was my childhood. Lay it all out.
[00:19:11] Speaker A: It's very much like if for anyone who's seen Batman versus Superman, it's very much the Martha Wayne aspect, that they had something in common and that artificially builds that relationship in a way of just being like, oh, we were both abandoned, and maybe we're both.
One is beautiful and one is a monster and we're both unwanted.
So it does add that, I suppose, because it helps to build that up in a very organic way instead of just buying into the fact that Shrek wants to be by himself and he hates his life and all that jazz. One of the changes you had pointed out, too, one of the biggest ones, I should say, is Lord Farquhar. He's not the same.
[00:19:48] Speaker B: No. And I heard, I know some other folks who attended the show as well, and they had similar feedback about the changes made there. It just, it changed the entire dynamic of the. The humor that you're expecting. Like, your expectation is kind of shattered.
[00:20:11] Speaker A: A little bit to give some reference to people who aren't there.
Lord Farquaad is the same height as everybody else, which, as we know, Lord Farquaad has in a pulling complex because he is short, which is the joke, at least in the film. And some of the jokers are still trying to aim at that, but he's actually not that much shorter than anybody else on that stage.
[00:20:31] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. If and I know, like, that's obviously a very difficult kind of specific characteristic to try to find even in someone to play that role. Cause it was like, he was short, probably when it comes to, like, the standard size of a man, a stereotypical guy.
But then when you'd line him up against everyone else on stage, he really was.
I mean, maybe a couple inches. That even of a difference, particularly when he was standing against, like, Fiona, I was like, it feels very anticlimactic, which obviously, they tried to spin it another way in regards to his insecurities, but it just completely changed the perception of that character. I think for, for anyone who is expecting to see, you know, ultimately someone maybe even just on their knees, I think a lot of productions, that's the way it's been done. Yeah, I don't. I'm not quite sure on that decision either. There's probably multiple reasons you might have some insight on this.
[00:21:48] Speaker A: I mean, I assume that it's probably really hard to do a show on your knees. Like, props. Props to. Anyone has to do that. I'm sure that Timmy Lewis probably didn't want to do that on his knees, and I can't blame him because that would be very difficult. I do. I did hear, though, that part of it was that they didn't want to poke fun at people who have height issues, you know, so they changed it for something else that was still comedic, but they chose baldness, which is also just another thing that is people also struggle with, like, this is one of those things of just, like, while I understand you're trying to do it, maybe you. Maybe there's a different way to communicate that. Because when they did the wig thing, I actually kind of cringed a little bit. I was like, oh, God. Like, that's. That's the hill we chose instead, you know?
[00:22:39] Speaker B: Yeah. And it, like.
And I am the first to be like, I totally understand not wanting to, you know, make fun of any group of individuals.
I think the premise, because that is the show itself, obviously fantasy, and there are so many other pieces of the show that are poking fun. I mean, so much of it is all about, at the end of the day, like, it doesn't matter what you look like. It doesn't matter, you know, it's about who you are. Right. Like, that's the whole kind of undertone of the show. So to kind of pick and choose what we're deciding to be gentle on is kind of interesting to me. But. But then again, I think it's completely a choice. Like, I think it's completely a production choice. It's an artistic choice.
Obviously, they very much have the right to kind of do whatever they want to.
[00:23:34] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:23:35] Speaker B: But it's interesting that that is one of the ones that they decided to kind of alter and change.
[00:23:43] Speaker A: There's something that in the original show, apparently they changed because in the song, what is it? We're all freaks or everybody's a freak? Whatever it is, there was a slur in it, and they got rid of it specifically for the big bad wolf. And what I thought was interesting is while they got rid of the slur, they didn't get rid of the context of the connotations that being trans is a freak. And I thought that was an interesting, like, also, you made a choice, but was that the right choice to make? Like, why you could. It felt odd.
[00:24:14] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. I think the song something freak. Flag fly, maybe?
[00:24:20] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:24:23] Speaker B: Once again, like, it's this expectation that we're celebrating or embracing kind of this terminology around the word freak. Like, you might call me a freak, but I celebrate myself in that way.
So, once again, picking and choosing, like, this thing. I'm celebrating and this thing. And obviously, like, one is more so a villain and one is more so, like, the community centric fantasy fairy tale character. But, yeah, it is.
It is an interesting Covid.
[00:25:01] Speaker A: And, you know, along those changes, there was also some comedic changes that they used, like, similar jokes, but they just changed how they delivered it or when they delivered it. And some of them still worked. I mean, our crowd, while it was not full, I'm just gonna preface that. We did have a lot of empty spaces. So go out and support arts people. They were. They were an uproar for most of them, but some of them, going back to the Dulak song, I'm sorry, they. They change, like the comedic timing or the comedic pace and such as when they. Everyone's expecting the word, you know, asked, and it doesn't come instead of what it is, is faced. Usually there's a pause because you need your brain to fill that space in. And that's part of the reason that we giggle and they got rid of that space.
Be it either for kids, be either for. Be either for, you know, trying to keep time, or they know, people are. Assume people know the joke. And so that's why we're laughing. But there was a few pieces throughout this that they changed. Like, instead of Shrek and Fiona burping it like they do in the movie, there's a whole song about farting. And, like, it still gives you the same effect. But they did make these changes for whatever reason.
[00:26:17] Speaker B: Yeah, it really is interesting because it just makes you wonder why this and not that or vice versa, because you still have those comical pieces that are a little bit more crude. Like, you mentioned burping versus farting, and it's all about perception. Right. Like, to me, farting actually probably is more than burping, but it's all in the. In the eye for sure.
[00:26:43] Speaker A: As someone who has been in productions, does that change depending on, like, cast and crew and who. Like. Like, who's involved in that production?
[00:26:51] Speaker B: Like, well, and obviously, like, I've. I'm no Broadway person, but one day, like, so many. I mean, most of the time, when a decision like that is being made, it's coming from the director or, you know, the production house in regards to the scripts. But those. Yeah, those little choices typically, like, it's a director's vision and how they really see that scene where that character developing or happening comparatively to, you know, the next director might see it a completely different way or their humor might be a little bit different. And in shows like this, like that is so substantial, because if. If one person thinks this is hilarious and the next one doesn't, chances are they're gonna change it, right? So, sure, they might have the guideline or the script gives a very generic baseline, but the way that you actually enact that could look entirely different.
[00:27:53] Speaker A: I mean, that makes sense. It's kind of reading the people reading the audience reading what works and what doesn't. And that's what's kind of exciting about musicals and Broadway and stuff, is that it's always changing because it's a living, breathing art form. Okay, so speaking of the actors, though, who stood out to you?
Who was your favorite?
[00:28:13] Speaker B: I mean, good ol Fiona just nearly blew my socks off, which just. I mean, she just was a clear standout. There were just, like, very little moments that, musically, that she just enhanced, and obviously, the entire cast, insanely talented. I mean, I know that we actually had a few understudies playing for this specific evening, but a grocery list of them. She just took it up a notch. There was just next level happening to the point where literally, like, you're just kind of sitting in your seat, like, whoo. Like, dang, no.
[00:29:02] Speaker A: Cecily Dione Davis was just an absolute powerhouse. That song that Fiona does in the tower, I can't even. That. That.
[00:29:13] Speaker B: Yeah, definitely. I know. It's. I mean, it's a power ballad, right? Basically. So many people love that song, and I think for that reason, it's very difficult to kind of make it your own, and that's the challenge that actors, for sure have. But she just took it. She ran with it. There were, you know, there was some, like, musical ornamentation happening. There were some runs that she kind of added or trills to kind of make it less. I've heard the song a thousand times before, and, yeah, it helped to break up the show and make it feel a lot less, like, stagnant.
[00:29:54] Speaker A: I mean, she was giving some mega kiki Palmer vibes. Just absolute talent.
She was my standout, too, 100%. I mean, we also got to give props, though, to donkey.
[00:30:05] Speaker B: Yeah. You killed it. He killed it.
[00:30:09] Speaker A: Absolutely. I mean, those are big, big hooves to fill. I mean, Eddie Murphy. But. And I do apologize. I don't want to butcher this name at all, but Naftali Yaakov Curry was just fantastic. But, I mean, so was Shrek. Nicholas Hambrock was also just. I mean, that trio carried this show with Timmy Lewis as Lord Farquaad. I mean, there was a huge cast, but those. They really just sold it.
[00:30:37] Speaker B: Yeah. And Nicholas, he just seemed, like, so right for that role. Like, nothing about him.
Everything screamed Shrek about him. There was no separation from vocal singing to speaking, which sometimes I feel like with especially accented characters, you can kind of lose some of the characterization in the song because the accent is so thick, but his was just very fluid, and it just felt. Felt authentic.
[00:31:08] Speaker A: Absolutely.
I was shocked a little bit because I don't think I was expecting that deep voice, for sure. I guess it makes sense, but the singing voice was so rich and deep and just.
It really gave Shrek this grounded feel in such a storybooks tale that I was like, oh, this. I mean, it makes sense. It, like, makes sense is that. That's the voice you're gonna give Shrek, like, the mixture of him and Princess Fiona was just.
I mean, it was music.
[00:31:40] Speaker B: Yeah. And he. That character. It's pretty rare to lead character, especially for Matt. I think his role is probably labeled as, like, a baritone or maybe even close to a base, which is not normal for a male role. Usually it's tenor to high tenor.
[00:32:03] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:32:04] Speaker B: So unique in that sense. It brings a little bit deeper richness, but once again, totally makes sense with the character because you're this kind of bigger ogre in a, you know, swamp. Gives you a little bit fuller, just feels a little bit more solid. Lasts very much along the lines of the storyline, less Prince y, because it is a lower speaking, lower singing role, whereas, of course, probably every single prince role out there is, for sure, a tenor or using falsetto, like, 90% of.
[00:32:40] Speaker A: The time, which I guess that. I mean, I didn't think of it, but it makes sense. When you hear every Disney movie, the prince has a high singing voice. He doesn't have a deep rich. Unless. Unless it's the beast, but yes, yes.
But that goes along with that monster aspect, you know, and this was very much a monster becoming a prince, in a way. What did you feel about the music? Do you feel like. I mean, so I feel like there's a lot of times that we've talked about this where when shows go from, like, mood or, like, movies go from the film to a musical, the songs don't always add as much as maybe that they're hoping for. And I'm thinking kind of, like, we kind of mentioned this about, like, pretty woman and, like, the added music to frozen. And I know this was a problem with beauty and the beast. They added music. Did this music add anything to the story for you?
[00:33:30] Speaker B: Yes and no. There were some songs that I feel kind of fell flat, one of them being that kind of introduction to shrek that they added in. But ultimately, it is, I would say, almost predominantly music, comparatively to the speaking side of the show. So it definitely carries the show, but it's. I'm not even sure that I could pinpoint what kind of music.
I mean, obviously, it's musical theater, but, like, the genre style of the music feels a little bit, for sure, modern, kind of more popish.
And I'm not sure how that really lent itself to the show in the fact that they are trying to do this storytelling piece. And so I think maybe that's where some of the disconnect felt like, am I. Am I in a concert? Am I watching a story, what exactly is happening? Because so many of the pieces also were solo song. So, yeah, it just. It breaks it up a little bit. But you. I mean, I always love a good power ballad, and there are a handful of those in here, so those are, of course, my favorites. And then, of course, freak flag fly is just like this show is. I feel like, known for that song. It's a pivotal moment in time, in the time of the show, but also it gives. It feels a little displaced because that feels like it almost should be the end of the show. You're like, this feels like an ending musical number, even though you know that there's still a little bit of story left to go. So, yeah, it just kind of once again adds to that little bit of disconjointed saints occurring. But overall, I think the music lent itself to the story.
[00:35:23] Speaker A: It was interesting. Cause as I was writing the review, I was really struggling with, like, how do I describe this music? And the first thing that came to mind was tangled with Rapunzel, that kind of, like, traditional, but also pop music, specifically when will my life began. And I thought that, like, it almost had the same type of, like, beats and stuff. To Fiona song in the tower, I thought, this is really interesting. We're hitting the same story. We're hitting the same notes. Some of the music felt very inspired by smash mouth, which obviously that was the big one from the first shrek, which they didn't play in this show, by the way. They did not end the show with. With smash mouth. I'm a believer.
It feels criminal. I don't know if I can sue. Probably can't. But it was very interesting because it wasn't like. There wasn't, like, one way to classify the music, because there were so many genres of music being presented on stage. It just depends on what piece you were kind of picking up and going with. So I don't know. That's very interesting.
[00:36:18] Speaker B: Yeah.
And I can't even think of who the artists were, the music together. But it does. When you say tangled, that does make a lot of sense to me, that you kind of have this kind of bopping along, but there's a. But there's still a pulse, and it all kind of still followed that pulse. Like, it was all relatively upbeat. Even the ballads were like power ballads, where you're not just going into any kind of slow, too slow. Everything had a beat to it. Everything had a, you know, you heard the drum kit sitting back there, just making it drive, which, yeah, that makes sense.
[00:37:00] Speaker A: The music was done by the people who did Kimberly Kimbo, which is coming later in the season.
[00:37:04] Speaker B: And I am looking forward to that one, because I know, aside from, you know, it winning a tony or stuff last year, I know nothing about it.
[00:37:13] Speaker A: I know something about it. But I think that it was once compared to a movie, another movie from when we were kids that was also not technically for children. But, um, I didn't know this music before going to strike the musical. I had never seen the musical. I had never seen the pro shot, which is odd, because I love Sutton Foster, and she's. She's Fiona in the. The pro shot. And so it's interesting. I went in with, the only thing I knew about Shrek was the animated film.
And so while some of the songs really stuck out, I had a hard time thinking of, like, how does this. Is this enhancing the story in the way that I would want it to? Ultimately? Yeah, I think I had a good time ultimately, I think I had a very good time with the songs, and especially because of the power behind these characters. I mean, they were fantastically, like, they were fantastic singing these songs. But you're right. I think you're right. Freak fact. Fly should have been the closer. That should have been, like, the actual moment that Fiona accepted the fact that she was ogre and that that was okay. She was still beautiful.
[00:38:16] Speaker B: Yeah. And obviously, like, the staging for this and that transformation, I think even that, like, I think of a similar transformation, and I think of, like, beauty and the beast. Right. And how that's staged. And obviously, this is a little bit different because her physical features are not changing too much. She's just being greenified and basically putting some, you know, ogre looking, I'm not sure. Ears, you could say, on.
[00:38:43] Speaker A: It's a back wig. I saw behind the scenes video of her getting it done. It's like a hairpiece they put on the back, and they snap it in, and then, like, that all sits on. Like, it's all just connected via, like, burettes.
[00:38:53] Speaker B: Yeah. So it just. That feels a tad anticlimactic. Sure. In the staging and. Or I was not sure. Maybe I'm backtracking, but I was not sure what they were gonna do for the dragon.
[00:39:07] Speaker A: Yes.
Was that it? Was that what you were expecting?
[00:39:11] Speaker B: That's not what I was expecting. I don't know what I was expecting, but I think.
Well, let me back up.
Because of where we had been up until that point in the show and kind of seeing the production value, seeing what they had done with other characters.
[00:39:28] Speaker A: Right.
[00:39:29] Speaker B: It made sense to me once she came out.
[00:39:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:39:33] Speaker B: But I think prior to the show, my expectations were a little bit or a lot bit higher. Don't ask me what that looks like, because I have no idea. I don't know how you would do that. But I think comparatively to other productions that have kind of these larger than life characters, that. That although the role itself isn't in it a lot, you get that wow factor. And it. That it felt, while she was extremely talented and the costume itself was kind of unique, it didn't feel very standoutish, comparatively to, like, the rest of the costuming or characters in that fantasy realm. So. But I say that. And, like, of course, that also could just be left to the imagination. Right. Like, we're giving you this, what you see on stage, but in your mind, like, what are you envisioning? They did have that unique, you know, another individual just utilizing the movement of her tail, which was obviously intentional. But, yeah, it felt basically to have, like, your dragon the exact same size as, you know, your donkey. It felt a little bit weird. Very, very similar to how, you know, Lord Farquaad felt weird.
[00:40:57] Speaker A: I'm gonna say this. So I actually had a very distinct vision as I was driving to shrek of how this dragon was gonna be made. And I was like, this is the only possible way because, of course, I know everything about show music, you know, about musicals being designed. But in my head, I was like, what's gonna happen is that in a very much like a. I've also never seen Aladdin on stage. I don't know how they do it, but I'm thinking, like, it's gonna be like a big, like. Like the lion head out of the sand, but it's gonna be, like, coming out of the back of the stage, or it's gonna be coming out of the side and, like, you're gonna have, like, smoke coming out of its mouth. Or. And then, like, that, you could have it roll off and you could have the tail be.
And then when that person. When that lady walked out, and I'm just gonna say, she did a fantastic job. She killed it. She sang beautifully. I didn't know what was happening at first.
I was like, who is this person coming on stage?
[00:41:46] Speaker B: Yeah. Because she. And maybe once again, that's the storytelling piece of, like, just leave it to what you want it to be.
But there was such intentionality with her costume, at least, like, the back of her costume that her face and that piece and even the staging of that, like, chase scene felt very. It gets lost. It got lost. And granted, I think it was even, like, pretty shortened, but, yeah, obviously incredibly talented individual.
Just the, once again, the production choice or, you know, all the way from the top from when it was created, creator choice, maybe.
[00:42:26] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:42:27] Speaker B: I was thinking probably along the very same lines, like, trying to think of other shows that have something that, you know, maybe you only get a portion of it, but it's coming from the side of the stage. It's coming from back of that stage.
[00:42:41] Speaker A: The cowardly lion. Wicked. Yeah, you get his tail, you get his butt coming from the stage, but then he gets yanked away utilizing that space of being like, it's a, it's, it's a dragon, you know?
[00:42:52] Speaker B: Yeah. And, but then, like, and I see what they were doing in regards, you know, I think at one point they had someone run out and they were just, like, spritzing the air to make it look like fire or whatever spells.
And so, like, I get there's a humor piece happening there, like, it's almost satiric where they're like, well, we know we don't have a full dragon on stage right now, but, like, haha, here is, you know, some.
So I appreciate it. So you really had to laugh about the whole thing, and I think that was what they were going for. So just, yeah, resetting expectations of this is the vision once again that they had for these particular roles.
[00:43:38] Speaker A: And I think that it does bring just into question just kind of those choices again of, you know, we have, you know, donkey had a headpiece on and like, you know, then the bears had their ears and the pigs had their noses and their hooves, but you didn't have a headpiece on for the dragon, which was just, it was just a choice. But it wasn't like a bad choice necessarily. It was just like a specific choice of, like, you could have drove home this part, this piece a lot easier, maybe, but you didn't, and that's okay. But it just, it makes for an interesting experience for that moment.
[00:44:14] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, 100%.
[00:44:16] Speaker A: So, you know, when we kind of were talking about how are we going to kind of function these podcasts from, from here on out, I had kind of brought up about, like, what is the rewatch value of this show for you? Because at the end of the day, it's all subjective. You know, if you had a great time at the show, by all means, go have a great time at the show. There was a lady a few aisles over from us who literally was having the time of her life. She was, it was her rave nobody was going to stop her, and I was very happy to see that. I got to chuckle because she enjoyed that so much. Does this show, does shrek the musical have rewatch value for you?
[00:44:52] Speaker B: I would say no.
Okay.
And I could have probably told you that before even.
[00:45:00] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:45:01] Speaker B: A just because, like, the story itself, like, even the movie is not something that I put on repeats, and it really probably only two songs out of the whole musical that I would include on my musical theater playlist. Regular, regular listens.
And so there's nothing about me that.
There's nothing about it that I feel like I missed, which a lot of times when I rewatch a show, that is why I'm rewatching it, is because there's so much happening that I want to catch up on all of the items and small details that I may have missed, whereas here I felt like I saw everything that they needed me or wanted me to see.
[00:45:46] Speaker A: Yeah, I would definitely say that. I would go see it. I would say this. I would go see it with my family, or I go see it with somebody who didn't see it just to see how they kind of react to it. But this isn't a show that I think that, like, this is not me. Like, this is not six, where I would go see it three times in a weekend because it's here in Detroit, you know, and not that there's anything wrong with it. Again, actors are fantastic. It's a story we all know. It's. It's. It's very enjoyable, but it's not a. I'm getting up out of my house to go to three matinees in a row to see it kind of shows. That sounds harsh. Maybe that is harsh. I don't mean it to be harsh.
[00:46:25] Speaker B: But all individual, individual opinion, perspective. I know people who absolutely like this show has a strong following. I will never understand that because it's just not a show for me. But I also understand that, like, people, I've seen wicked God knows how many times, and there are people who don't like wicked, so, you know, it's just like. But this. This show, especially, I think, has a youthful following.
I'm not sure if that's just because Shrek is having a moment right now. I know that it was trending on Netflix again.
[00:46:59] Speaker A: Oh, wow. I didn't know that.
[00:47:00] Speaker B: The show's been out for, like, 20 years, so. Or the movie. So that might also be playing into it. Obviously, there's, you know, what, three or four shreks now.
[00:47:11] Speaker A: Sure.
With the fifth one coming wow.
[00:47:14] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a lot.
And I'm. And I'm someone who would argue that, like, you could have stopped at number one. So, you know, it's just perspective.
But, yeah, like you mentioned, there were people thoroughly enjoying every joke, everything about the show, hooting and hollering. I was shocked at that. And I know I mentioned that when we were, there was a lot of times in shows you have specific moments where the audience will all applaud or hoot and holler when a specific character comes out. I did not think that this was one of those shows, but we got in, and almost, I think for the first one, two, or three main characters that came out, there was an applause break kind of happening, and I was shocked. I was. I was like, is this because maybe we're following this individual star, or once again, you just have this strong following of people who.
That is the way in which they greet the characters when they come on stage.
[00:48:20] Speaker A: Absolutely. And, in fact, I think the one that surprised me the most was, again, this poor lady. I don't know who she is. Glad she had a great time, but when the babies got brought out at the end of Shrek and Fiona's babies, she lost her damn mind about it. And I was like, good for you, girl. You are loving it.
[00:48:39] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:48:39] Speaker A: Loving it. Yeah. And I didn't expect that from the show at all, 100%. But the people were there, and they were thriving, and they loved it. Now, I just got to let you know, are you ready for Moulin Rouge? That's next.
[00:48:51] Speaker B: I'm so ready. I'm pumped for that one. Yeah.
[00:48:54] Speaker A: I'm excited, because being at the Detroit Opera house, it's going to be the biggest show, just with a bigger stage and a bigger production. Like, it's just gonna be huge.
[00:49:02] Speaker B: I mean, I love the story. I love the movie. I have not seen it live, obviously, yet, so it's gonna be amazing. Such good music. I'm sure it's gonna sell really well. So, of course, folks, if you aren't already subscribers to Broadway in Detroit and or have tickets, it's time to jump on that, because I am sure this. The lineup they have this year is just incredible. So I'm sure tickets are limited.
[00:49:34] Speaker A: So until our next time, thank you so much for listening to another episode of the Cosmic Curtain, the official podcast of the Cosmic Circus Broadway. Don't forget to, like, subscribe and follow to us at boxybabes or at my cosmic circus. And if you're interested in finding out, finding us outside of our box, seats. Please check us out on our social media handles. I am on Twitter, Instagram, pretty much anywhereson 301 RJ, where you at, man?
[00:50:05] Speaker B: I am primarily hiding in the shadows of Instagram at journey, underscore, through underscore, the underscore, past underscore.
[00:50:15] Speaker A: And you. We are pretty active on there, and we're trying to be active everywhere. So just keep us, keep us in your mind, all right, till the next current call. Thank you so much.
