‘Shrek’ stands tall

The freak flag is flying high over Theatre Cedar Rapids, and at the end of Friday's show, the opening night audience for 'Shrek the Music” stood and saluted.

The big green ogre and his motley mates had earned it with a high-energy performance of a goofy show with a gooey heart. The performance was a huge hit with my 9-year-old daughter, and was pretty darned satisfying for her more ogreish dad, as well.

'Shrek the Musical,” under the direction of Casey Prince with musical direction by Benjamin Schmidt, closely follows the plot of the DreamWorks film 'Shrek!”

The titular hero, in an effort to secure the land rights to his swamp, goes on a quest to rescue a princess so the evil Lord Farquaad can bring his matrimonial scheme to fruition and become king of Duloc. With the help of a loyal, if irksome, donkey, Shrek rescues Fiona, and love blossoms in the swampy soil.

Nathan Nelson stars as Shrek, and his performance is at the center of the show's success. He captures both Shrek's grumpiness and his sweetness, and his performance of 'When Words Fail,” in which the ogre tries to convince himself to reveal his feelings, is one of the highlights of the show.

Nelson is well supported by Lovar Davis Kidd as Donkey. Kidd isn't the strongest singer in the cast, but he's an excellent mover. Even hampered by a full set of hoofs, he executes some impressively funky moves. He and Nelson are an effective comedy duo, bouncing lines off each other with good timing and style.

Kidd also is the show's choreographer, and he's provided the cast with a number of strong dance numbers, including an appealing tap dance routine at the top of Act 2 that nearly all the dancing rats pulled off.

Emily Reiter shines as Fiona (and Sophie Lindwall and Grace Schulte each deserve a tip of the hat for their turns as younger versions of the princess), embodying her character's blend of ladylike and less-than-ladylike characteristics. Much of her characterization is in her array of facial expressions, both comedic and heartfelt.

Greg Smith portrays the diminutive Lord Farquaad, a role with some unusual and hilarious physical challenges. Smith captures his character's combination of hubris and insecurity perfectly. His performance of 'Ballad of Farquaad” was exceptional.

The cast's ensemble has a lot to do in 'Shrek” and was strong all evening. The performers were particularly wonderful in their roles as displaced fairy tale creatures, delivering a strong production number in each act - ”Story of My Life” in the first and 'Freak Flag” (the show's anthem) in the second.

The sets and costumes serve the story well, bridging the distance between an animated movie and live stage production. Amid the various castles and woodland locales, one of the best effects was a rickety bridge over a moat of lava.

The orchestra played well throughout the show, infusing energy into the upbeat numbers and providing lovely support for the ballads.

'Shrek the Musical” ends with a nod toward Christmas without belaboring the holiday angle, making it a good alternative to the array of full-on Christmas fare on offer this time of year.

The curtain call ends with an celebratory run through 'I'm a Believer” that finds the cast dancing in the aisles. My daughter gave Lord Farquaad a spirited high-five.

Would it not have jeopardized my own ogreish cred, I might have, too.