Timmy Lewis as Lord Farquaad-photo credit-cyorkphoto
-by Ashley Cox
Shrek was terrifying. Shrek is supposed to be terrifying but Wednesday night at the Stifel Theatre in downtown Saint Louis, it was for all the wrong reasons. The millennial icon was having a hard time scaring anyone from his swamp with the show’s persistent sound issues.
The crowd was excited to be there with many people purchasing and wearing headbands featuring the green ogre’s distinctive ears. The curtain lifted about ten minutes late which I thought was fine but the father behind repeatedly complained about. When a show is filled with children on a school night, every minute counts.
It was clear something was immediately off as when the ensemble started the opening number, their mic packs were not working for the first three to four seconds before boosting on. And that trend continued and only got worse. It’s hard to review something when you are only hearing roughly a third of it. The sound drifted in and out depending on the cast member.
Shrek Fiona – Photo by FallOutCreative
The sets were whimsical and cute, looking like story book drawings. Puppets were smartly used as characters, including the younger Shrek and Fiona. But you could not hear them… not fully anyways. Kelly Prendergast as Princess Fiona clearly is a powerhouse as I could hear twenty rows away even when her mic was down and a child in the audience was having a full, gag-coughing meltdown.
I know this is a show geared towards children and I love, and encourage, children coming to shows but, St. Louis, we need to talk about etiquette. You and your child momentarily whispering? Sure thing. Your kid starts to get fussy? Understandable. But generally, we don’t need to be having full volume, sustained conversation and if your child is dry heaving from crying so hard for over five minutes, maybe think about taking them to the foyer? It is disrespectful to the performers, stage crew, and your fellow audience members. Indie singer Beabadoobee recently named checked St. Louis as having poor concert etiquette after a particularly trying show in Maryland Heights of all places.
I wish I could give you a better review because people worked hard to bring this show to St. Louis for only one night. Shrek may have lost the notes on Wednesday but at least he gets the girl in the end.
