By Guy Gardner
Broadway has given us tragic revolutions, dancing cats, helicopter witches, and singing founding fathers.
But sometimes what you really need is a giant green ogre with emotional baggage.
“Shrek The Musical” is stomping back onto the Theatre in the Park stage this summer, bringing all the fairy tale chaos, giant musical numbers, unexpected heart, and aggressively lovable nonsense you could ask for in one evening.
Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks film that somehow convinced an entire generation that Smash Mouth belonged in fairy tale canon, “Shrek The Musical” takes everything you love about the movie, cranks the chaos up several notches, and turns it into a full-scale outdoor theatrical spectacle.
At the center of it all is Shrek, a grumpy green ogre who just wants to be left alone in his swamp. No crowds. No drama. Just mud, solitude, and probably a deeply questionable home fragrance situation.
Naturally, that peaceful arrangement falls apart almost immediately when his swamp is invaded by every displaced fairy tale character imaginable. Pinocchio arrives. The Three Little Pigs move in. Humpty Dumpty is sitting on the swamp wall.
The reason for all this chaos? Lord Farquaad, a tiny tyrant with oversized ambition and the kind of confidence usually reserved for people who absolutely should not be in charge of anything.
To get his swamp back, Shrek agrees to rescue Princess Fiona from a dragon-guarded tower. Pretty standard fairy tale arrangement… but of course with a Donkey.
And Donkey does what Donkey does best: talks, talks more, ignores boundaries, and somehow becomes everyone’s favorite part of the story.
What follows is a wildly funny adventure filled with dragons, giant dance numbers, awkward romance, fairy tale mayhem, questionable hygiene, and far more emotional depth than a story about a green ogre has any right to deliver.
Because underneath the jokes, “Shrek” is really about belonging.
It’s about figuring out who you are, letting people see the parts of yourself you’d rather keep hidden, and realizing that what makes you different might actually be the best thing about you.
Which is all very touching.
But also, to be clear, there is still a fire-breathing dragon and a tap-dancing rat or six.
This is one of those rare shows that genuinely works for everyone. Kids will love the familiar characters, giant spectacle, and nonstop comedy. Adults will catch the jokes flying right over younger heads, enjoy the nostalgia, and possibly find themselves getting unexpectedly emotional about an ogre singing about loneliness under the stars.
Theatre in the Park audiences already know we don’t exactly believe in doing summer theatre halfway, and “Shrek” gives us the perfect excuse to go big. Big characters. Big vocals. Big costumes. Big laughs. A truly unreasonable amount of green.
And honestly, there may not be a better setting for this kind of story than Theatre in the Park. Watching fairy tale chaos unfold outdoors as the sun sets just feels right.
So, whether you grew up with the movie memorized, have kids ready to meet Donkey in real life, or simply want an excuse to laugh your face off while eating concessions in a beautiful outdoor theatre, this is your show.
“Shrek The Musical” runs this summer at Theatre in the Park in Shawnee Mission Park, 7710 Renner Road, Shawnee, from May 22 to May 30, kicking off our 57th season.
TIP Box Office opens at 6 p.m.
Gates to the seating area open at 6:30 p.m.
Performances begin at 8 p.m.
Pack the blankets, gather your favorite people, and prepare for a summer night filled with laughter, heart, and at least one major swamp-related emotional breakthrough.
We’ve made it even easier to plan your trip this year…we’ve got full pizzas in our concession stand for you and your family! In addition to cheese and pepperoni, each show has a limited time specialty pizza. Don’t miss Shrek’s Spotlight pizza – “Dragons Breath” – a spicy pepperoni pizza drizzled in hot honey.
Tickets and full information are available at theatreinthepark.org.
We’ll be over here preparing the swamp.
