by “Shrek the Musical,” based on the blockbuster anime movie, will be performed at Nippon Seinenkan Hall in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, from July 8-16 and 22-30. The story about the funny adventures of the green monster Shrek and the princess is very popular with children. Leading actor Spi said, “It’s a fun work completely focused on entertainment. I want three generations to come and see it.”
At the Japan premiere last year, a 90-minute shortened version was performed to explore the audience’s reaction. Due to the song’s popularity, a full two-and-a-half-hour performance with a live orchestra will be held this summer. She will continue to play the leading role and is enthusiastic, saying, “I want to do my best to exceed expectations.”
The main character, Shrek, is a green monster. Special makeup is also a feature of his work, and he transforms by wearing a mask made of “a material like a chiffon cake that cannot be broken.” When you get off at the audience seats, it is so powerful that children scream. “At any rate, making the characters move in a flashy and easy-to-understand way is a way to attract children.”
While many exciting devices are sprinkled in, the story contains various messages. One of them is that you can’t judge people by their appearance alone. The characters are monsters, princesses, lords, dragons, and other familiar characters from fairy tales, but they all have personalities far from their appearance. Despite his scary face, the monster Shrek has a kind heart.
“It’s a worldview that ridicules the royal road while following the royal road. People who look at the world from a slightly slanted point of view should be able to sympathize with it,” he said. “That’s why I want adults who don’t know much about the stage to see it,” he said, not only for children but also for parents and grandparents.
