Shrek Review, November 2022 - Basingstoke Gazette

We all know and love the friendly green ogre Shrek from the film Oscar-winning Dreamworks Animation film. Now, BATS has brought the loveable character to life with its big-budget £75,000 production, set to delight families this week at The Haymarket.

The tale of the unlikely hero Shrek, played by Reece Fitzgerald, follows him on his life-changing journey alongside the wisecracking Donkey and feisty Princess Fiona.

The show was a joy to watch, with colourful costumes, an impressive set, superb singing, hilarious characters, expertly choreographed dancing and a few jaw-dropping surprises.

It is always amazing to see how incredible BATS’ productions are, and Shrek did not disappoint.

Ian Moseley, chairman of BATS, said the show is its biggest budget production in history and this is clear to see from the constantly changing sets including a castle, forest and church to the incredible life-sized smoke-breathing dragon.

However, while this was all impressive, it is the talented all-singing all-dancing cast that made this show yet another triumph for BATS.

There were laughs a plenty for both kids and adults – the burping and farting were guaranteed to have the younger members of the audience in hysterics.

Characters including the short-tempered bad guy Lord Farquaad, played by Ben Kennedy, and Donkey, played by Richard Bond, will have even the most serious in the audience cracking a smile.

Credit must of course be given to the talented Reece Fitzgerald for singing and acting so well with a full green ogre face mask on.

While special mention must go to the incredibly talented younger members of the cast, including Theodore Hartgill (younger Shrek), Amelia Ellis-Cosgrove (young Fiona) and Olivia Kingham (teenage Fiona) who showed real star quality in their performances, and will no doubt have a bright future ahead on the stage.

Louise Travis played a superb Princess Fiona whose character is a far cry from a traditional fairytale princess. She is not afraid to embrace her individuality and flaws and the story is as much about her journey as it is about Shrek’s.

The uplifting performance was a joy to watch throughout and ended on a high with a full cast rendition of I’m A Believer, which had everyone clapping along in celebration.

Emily Roberts

One Show At a Time Reviewer Joins Us at a Shrek Rehearsal

A mixture of fairytale creatures from pigs to a fairy, a princess, and show-themed t-shirts galore all in an echoey church hall…it can all only mean one thing: there’s another show being rehearsed!

Basingstoke Amateur Theatrical Society (BATS) are back in the room rehearsing their next musical; this time it is the family fun show Shrek The Musical. I was kindly invited along to their rehearsal to see what they’ve been up to, and what a treat it was – you know you’re having a wonderful time when you’re dancing in your seat as you make reviewing notes!

If you don’t know Shrek the Musical, it’s easy enough to explain. It’s the hugely popular movie about the ogre – Shrek – and the ever so lovely Princess Fiona, but on stage. All the best parts from the film are there, the characters everyone knows and loves, but it’s just been stepped up a gear – and of course, everyone is singing and dancing! The musical is hugely popular and has been on Broadway, in the West End and on a UK tour, and now it’s headed to Basingstoke. It may be an amateur dramatic production, but that certainly doesn’t make it any lesser of a show. With a fantastically uplifting soundtrack of songs such as ‘Big Bright Beautiful World’, ‘Forever’, ‘Let Your Freak Flag Fly’, and the ever-iconic ‘I’m A Believer’, BATS have chosen to do a show that has something to make everyone smile; a perfect family favourite choice. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see Shrek and Donkey singing a duet together? Can you think of anything else that is more the definition of fun than that? Because I can’t!

With just under 2 weeks to go until shows begin, it’s all go for BATS to be show ready in time, and from the looks of their rehearsal, they’re pretty much there and it is now just a case of finessing the details. Shrek is a very visual musical so there are parts where I wasn’t sure what was happening or parts where my imagination was having to fill in gaps based on what I know from the movie, but this only made me more excited to see the finished piece.

One thing is for sure though, where the visuals may have been lacking, this is more than made up for with enthusiasm and passion. The whole cast is absolutely all ready to go, with their characters all fully fleshed out. It was a joy to see everyone’s characters overflowing with personality. With Shrek, it’s not less is more, it’s more is more. Something the cast have nailed. The show and the characters are silly, fun, over the top, and sometimes a little bit ridiculous. But that’s exactly how it should be – and it is brilliant!

The rehearsal period of a show is one of unfathomable support. This is one of the few times where cast members will be able to see parts of the show they’re not in, as once they’ve moved into the theatre, it’s all full steam ahead to get polished for curtain up. The atmosphere of everyone rooting each other on and enjoying each other’s scenes was heartwarming and infectious. That feeling of community working together and supporting each other to make theatre and give audiences a good time is unmatched.

Shrek the Musical is the definition of Theatre with a capital T. There are jazz hands, clicking, tap dancing – the whole shebang. Sometimes multiple of these at once! And with everyone doing it in synchronisation! I adore the movie of Shrek and I love the musical, so I had high hopes prior to my visit. Now having seen what they’ve done so far, it seems with everyone in BATS working together and their hard work, they’re all very close to being stage ready. The rehearsal run-through alone made me laugh and had me dancing in my seat and left me with even more eager anticipation for the finished show. So with the cold nights creeping in and post-Halloween sadness where Christmas is still a bit too far away, why not take yourself and your family on a fun trip to the theatre to boost your mood and bring a smile to your face? Duloc and the residents are waiting to welcome you!

Leyla Demirel
One Show at a Time

Our All-Female Trio Bringing Shrek to the Stage

They’re the trio tasked with bringing the fairytale world of Shrek to the stage. And it’s a relief for Sally Manning, Jules Dance and Luannsa Goodman to finally see the fabulous family musical take shape.

Director and Co-choreographer, Sally Manning

“Shrek was originally planned for November 2020, but the pandemic put paid to that,” explains director and co-choreographer Sally. “So it’s been taking up a lot of space in my head for a long time! But as rehearsals have progressed, all those thoughts and ideas have been transferred to the cast, so I’m enjoying it a lot more now as my head feels a lot lighter!”

Based on the hugely popular animated film, Shrek is the tale of a green ogre who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside wisecracking Donkey, feisty Princess Fiona and evil Lord Farquaad – to discover that fairy tales aren’t always what they seem.

Choreographer, Luannsa Goodman

“The most important thing for us is to make the show pure magic,” says choreographer Luannsa. “My generation grew up loving the film, and I’ve watched the Broadway production on YouTube about 1000 times! But I’ve put my own spin on the dancing. It’s full of character, farcical, funny and slapstick, as well as technically challenging. We’re now drilling the little details and the cast are doing brilliantly.”

Musical director Jules agrees. “This is an exceptionally strong cast and I’m thrilled about that! We’ve got a live band for this show too. The music is fantastic and very clever, with nods to other shows which musical theatre fans will love.”

Children especially will enjoy seeing familiar characters pop up like Pinocchio, Peter Pan, the Gingerbread Man and the Three Little Pigs. But with a twist.

Musical Director, Jules Dance

“Shrek is very much NOT a pantomime,” says Sally. “It’s a story of acceptance. It’s told in a fun, humorous way, but definitely has a deeper meaning. All our lead actors understand that – and they’re phenomenal, they’re absolutely smashing it!””

“There are belly laughs and great physical comedy,” says Jules, “But there’s also passion and pathos. The show tugs at your soul!”

Sally, Luannsa and Jules are clearly delighted with how the cast and crew have responded to the challenge of fulfilling their vision for Shrek the Musical.

“There are lots of surprises in store for the audience,” teases Sally. “And we can’t wait for you to see it!”

Shrek the Musical runs from 10 - 19 November at the Haymarket. Buy tickets online.

Meet Shrek and Lord Farquaad - Aka Reece Fitzgerald and Ben Kennedy

Newsflash! The farting green ogre who lives in a swamp in the Land of Duloc is actually a primary school teacher from Surrey! But then, as Shrek the Musical shows us, “Fairytales aren’t always what they seem.”

Reece Fitzgerald

And challenging expectations is something Reece Fitzgerald absolutely loves about playing the unlikely hero of BATS’ latest show, based on the hugely popular animated film.

“Shrek shows us that being you - being unique - is OK and can be celebrated, rather than always conforming to society’s expectations” says Reece.

“Lots of children I teach have got tickets to come and see Shrek. Hopefully it will inspire them. If their teacher can go off and do something completely different, they can too!”

“Knowing what their teacher does in his spare time also means I’m spared an awkward explanation, if I neglect to remove any green makeup before coming to class the next morning!”

Ben Kennedy

Shrek’s arch rival is the thoroughly evil Lord Farquaad, played by software engineer Ben Kennedy, for whom the role marks a radical departure from the string of pantomime dames he’s played recently in the Alton area.

“I’ve always wanted to be a baddie!” says Ben. “I think Farquaad has been festering underneath my personality for a long time! If I get booed by the audience at the end of the show that would be wonderful!”

Farquaad’s physical shortcomings provide much of the comedy - but it’s no laughing matter for Ben’s knees!

“I spend the whole show on them! Fortunately I had a vast array of knee pads in my garage from when I did extreme sports as a teenager. During rehearsals I’ve been wearing them out, pair by pair! It’s taking a lot of endurance!”

Both Reece and Ben are newcomers to BATS, something Reece found “nerve racking but exciting.” It was the chance to perform in Shrek that enticed them.

“It’s a show that captured my heart years ago,” says Reece. “I love the music and I saw the most recent tour of the show twice.”

“It’s a musical that’s works on different levels,” adds Ben. “The kids will love all the jokes and fairy tale characters. There’s adult humour too. Plus it gets pretty deep in places. But above all it’s a great feelgood family show!”

You can see Reece and Ben in Shrek the Musical from 10 - 19 November at the Haymarket. Buy tickets online.

Shrek child auditions - Information for pre-audition workshops, audition dates and registration

If you are a parent/guardian of a child and would like them to join us to perform in our production of Shrek, here is the information you need about auditions. Children will need to be 7 years or older to audition.

The show will be performed at The Haymarket from 10 - 19 November.

What are we looking for?
We are looking to cast six children for three roles. Each role will be shared by two children:

• Little Fiona - playing age 7 - 10 years

• Little Shrek - playing age 7 - 10 years

• Teenage Fiona - playing age 10 - 14 years

If you want to know a little more before you decide to put your child forward for audition, view the audition pieces and the schedule of rehearsal dates. Rehearsals are held on Monday and Wednesday evenings and on some Sundays.

Pre-audition workshops
Pre-audition workshops will be fun and informal run by our very approachable Creative Team: Sally Manning (Director), Jules (Musical Director) and Luannsa (Choreographer). To get the best out of our auditionees, it is our job to make your child feel at ease!

Pre-audition rehearsals will take place on the following dates. You’ll only need to attend one session to go through the audition material but may attend more if there is space. Please email marketing@bats.net with which workshop/s you wish to attend and the name and age of your child:
Wed 1 Jun: 18.30 - 19.30
Mon 6 Jun: 18.30 - 19.30
Wed 8 Jun: 18.30 - 19.30
Venue: Christ Church, Reading Road, Chineham, RG24 8LT

Auditions You must have paid the £10 audition and Junior members fee and completed the form to audition for the show. This must be paid by Wednesday 8 June.
We ask that your child has familiarised themselves with the music and dance learnt during the pre-audition workshops.

Date: Saturday 11 June
Time: You will be allocated a timeslot for your child’s audition
Venue: Market Chambers, Church Street, Basingstoke, RG21 7QE

Costs involved

We want you to be aware of the costs involved, so that you can make an informed decision before you commit your child to an audition.

Audition: £10 - This covers the cost of the audition and Junior Membership for your child
Performance fee: £50 - Only payable if your child is successful at audition and cast in the show
Additional expenditure - You may incur some limited additional expenditure, e.g. for costumes, shoes, personal props etc.