Shrek: The Musical / O.B.C.R.

Right off the top, Shrek-the Musical doesn't have the best music but its'entertaining and good enough and is blessed with clever, and slyly witty lyrics. I rated this 5 stars because the overall CD is fun-a whole lotta fun.Brian D'Arcy James as Shrek starts the show with the ironic "Big, Beautiful World" with his powerful voice but my only quibble with him would be that, with his spoken dialogue he sounds to be imitating Mike Myers. Sutton Foster as Fiona is a delight and she has one of those cartoony scenes with the heroine walking through a forest communing with the animals and in the cheerful song "Morning Person" and in the described but unsung antics, she channels her inner ogre.Christopher Seiber as Lord Farquaad,a taller man in his own mind has two funny songs, "What's Up Duloc" and "The Ballad of Farquaad".Daniel Breaker as Donkey has a tough act to follow in Eddie Murphy and I suppose you have to see his portrayal in person to fully appreciate his performance but he shares a duet with The Dragon where the dragon threatens to turn him into "Donkey Pot Pie".Another number that scores is "I Know It's Today" where Princess Fiona along with Young Fiona and Teen Fiona each relate how their lives were shaped by stories they read in fairy tales.Another funny song is "I Think I Got You Beat" where Shrek and Fiona compete with each other about how each of them had a worse life.This CD is highly entertaining and enjoyable and can't wait to see the show and see the antics from both the story and the songs.

I saw the musical and listened to the cast recording CD in the same week.I really like musicals, and I had high hopes for "Shrek The Musical", it is based on a movie I really like. My experience: The costumes were outrageously rich. The plot and dancing were fun. I even laughed at the fart jokes. The show could have been really great....except for the music. For a "musical", that is a big "except".The pacing and format of the music in "Shrek The Musical" reminded me more of the musicals we put on in high school than the big Broadway shows that were the highlights of the '00s. So, the comparison group is hard to keep up with-- "Wicked", "Mama Mia","Jersey Boys". I listen to the sound tracks of all three, a lot. If the cast recordings for "Wicked" and "Mama Mia" are 10 on a 1-10 scale, and "Jersey Boys" is an 8 and "Spamalot" and "Avenue Q" are 6 to 7, "Shrek the Musical" cast recording is a 3-4."Shrek The Musical" has music that is..well...only kinda there... varying between trite and boring and gimmicky and too wordy. Nothing awful--just nothing excellent, no stand-out tunes; no memorable songs. Too bad.Why three stars? The lead voices were wonderful. It is fun for children. (I wish there were songs they could sing after listening to the show.)

My 2 year old cannot get enough!! Even if I catch myself singing these songs almost everyday :). It took me awhile to admit how much I actually really like the music myself, but I'm pretty hooked (of course that's the mom in me these days...probably would have got on my nerves before having kids, but any parent knows that once you have young kids around, your life is basically consumed by all things 'cute'. My husband, I think, is a little over it, but he is outnumbered lol....this cd goes with us almost everywhere we go, inside and outside the house. It seriously makes her happy when nothing else will, which makes me one happy momma. I consider this download a blessing and pretty much priceless. I love listening to my daughter sing these cute songs in her sweet little voice..melts my heart!

My first listen, I was not a huge fan but decided to listen again. The more I explore the lyrics and the story arc represented by the songs, the more I appreciate what this musical represents. I especially like the songs "I think I got you beat", "What I'd be", and "When Words Fail."I have even come to appreciate the breif duet of flatulence and belching, it reminds me that true honesty includes disclosing the things that embarrass us. It also reminds me of lying in bed with my wife when she was 8 months pregnant...

The music from the Broadway Show is incredible. Sutton Foster is being labeled as perhaps the last Triple Threat and her chemistry with Brian D'Arcy James is palpable in the music. The story is well told through the music and the storyline is beautifully set up in the Overture/Great Big Beautiful World. There are similarities to Beauty and The Beast in that looks aren't everything. The ensemble does a great job in "Let Your Freak Flag Fly." I believe "Who I'd Be" and "When Words Fail" will become classic love songs.

Shrek the Musical is amazing. It's fun, both for adults and kids and it has great music. Sutton Foster (Fiona) and Brian D'Arcy James are absolutely phenomenal and are both nominated for Tony's as best lead actor/actress. Christopher Sieber (Lord Farquaad) is also nominated for best supporting actor and the whole musical was nominated for best musical, best original book, best score, best orchestrations, and best costume design.it is an all-around one-of-a-kind musical and i totally recommend it to everyone!

The wonders of broadway has again sent out a hit for all to enjoy. Shrek the Musical is pretty true to the original movie but the music has a bit more of the characters to enjoy. Definitly for kids about 8 and over to understand some of the jokes but the sound track is another toe tapping, rib tickling disc of fun to share with the family! My favorite song is the battle between Fiona and Shrek on who has had the worse life so far! Nothing like comparing a flaming hiney to having to boil your chamber pot daily due to lack of a toilet! You'll love the more indept insight of the new inhabitants of the swamp! The whole family will love to keep listening to it over and over again!

We have had no regrets whatsover about this purchase. It simply gets better with each listening; Tunefully appealing, but it is the libretto that takes the gold medal. Devilishly witty, succinct and every word clear as a bell from a cast who have to have been selectively bred for their parts. Press PLAY, lie back, close your eyes and you will be transported with delight. The best CD we have bought in years!Doc Brown, your run of the Mill listener

I was ready to dismiss this show after seeing the clip from the Tony Award broadcast and listening to the album the first time. But I must confess, it grew on me later. Mind you, not everything is great on this recording. The "Welcome to Duloc" section, mildly amusing in the movie, is not funny enough to justify putting it into the show as well. Also John Tartaglia, so charming as Rod and Princeton in "Avenue Q" is beyond annoying as Pinocchio. But other aspects of the CD are more convincing - for example the leading trio Brian d'Arcy James (Shrek), Sutton Foster (Fiona) and especially Daniel Breaker (Donkey) who manages to be charming as a character that could so easily be aggravating, especially in "Don't Let me Go" - that song also includes some of the funniest lyrics of the show, when Donkey tries to persuade Shrek to take him along he sings they could be "attached at the hip, but not an old lady hip that might break". The score by David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori is mostly well-done - another very funny item is "The Ballad of Farquaad", toying with a Disney fairy tale creature and ably performed by Christopher Sieber. However, what drags the show down is that sometimes it crosses the line of taste - "I Think I Got you Beat" starts out as a wonderful song worthy of Irving Berlin - but when it turns into a farting and burping duet, it is not exactly what Doris Day would record. So, this is not exactly my show but it is better than I expected.