'Shrek the Musical' Debuts on Broadway

As that old Kermit the Frog standard goes, it's not easy "Bein' Green," but the folks at DreamWorks have done their darndest to make sure we are entertained at "Shrek the Musical," the company's lavish stage adaptation of its hit animated movie.

For much of the time, they succeed, thanks to the talent and ingratiating appeal of the show's four principal performers, starting with Brian d'Arcy James as that disagreeable, smelly green ogre who lives in a swamp.

James, whose rotund Shrek resembles a chartreuse Ed Asner with tiny trumpet-like ears, has got one of those robust musical-theater voices that fills the theater. Even encased in what looks like a rubberized fat suit, his forceful personality comes through and drives the story.

If the show, which opened Sunday at the Broadway Theatre, sometimes settles for efficiency over inspiration, so be it. That's one of the pitfalls of closely identifying your product — and these days musicals aspire, above all, to brand-name profitability — with its original source material. You have to satisfy the fans of the film as well as theatergoers who may never have heard of the movie or the William Steig book on which it is based.

And no expense seems to have been spared in creating a unique, fairy-tale world in which Shrek sets out to rescue the Princess Fiona (a delightful Sutton Foster) so she can marry the evil Lord Farquaad (Christopher Sieber in a scene-stealing performance).

The actress, who voices Princess Fiona in the "Shrek" film franchise, raved about the musical adaptation of the animated blockbuster at its Broadway opening Sunday night.

Asked whether she'd consider portraying Fiona on stage, she said: "No. Absolutely not. What they do up there ... is, to me, impossible. It's wonderful, though. They've done such a great job. They worked really hard, and it really pays off."

SHREK is already breaking box office records on the Great White Way. While still in preview performances, before an official opening at the Broadway Theatre on December 14, SHREK THE MUSICAL grossed a massive $1,052,975 for the 8-performance week ending November 30, and set a single performance house record grossing $184,320 for the Saturday, November 29 matinee.

SHREK THE MUSICAL stars Tony Award(r) nominee Brian d'Arcy James as Shrek, Tony Award(r) winner Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona, Tony Award(r) nominee Christopher Sieber as Lord Farquaad, Tony Award(r) nominee Daniel Breaker as Donkey and Tony Award(r) nominee John Tartaglia as Pinocchio.