WE HAD A SHREK-TACULAR NIGHT!

Everyone's favourite Scottish Ogre is here in Belfast to entertain the masses on the run up to Halloween , we visited The Grand Opera House last night and what a great time we had!

As the name suggests this is a stage version of the 90's smash movie that starred Mike Myres, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy

About 5 years ago pre tour I seen the first incarnation of the show while on London's Westend so I was intrigued to see how it has changed and if in fact the show would still have the same spark with limited cast, lets just say we were not disappointed.

So lets get into it, what you can expect and for those who missed the movie what is it all about?

It is a fun-filled family show which tells the tale of a lonely ogre whose swamp is invaded by fairytale characters, banished from their home in the land of Duluc because they're different.

Desperate for his privacy, Shrek, played by Steffan Harri, makes a deal with Duluc's ruler Lord Farquaad, who promises him his swamp back if he rescues Princess Fiona (Amelia Lily) from a dragon-guarded tower.

Aided by his noble steed Donkey (Marcus Ayton) Shrek sets off on a journey far far away - and the rest as they say, is history.

With us attending on Wednesday the show already had one run in Belfast and countless previous stops so am happy to report there didn't appear to be any hiccups or mishaps.

Children and adults alike chuckled throughout, as the script stayed true to the film - even throwing in memorable quotes such as 'do you know the muffin man?' and 'better in than out, I always say'.

The characters made famous by the timeless Dreamworks animation were brought to life by a cast which captured their every mannerism.

Lord Farquaad, played by Samuel Holmes, was the star of the show for us and had the audience in stitches each time he walked (I use this term loosely) on stage.

Dancing on your feet is one thing, but Holmes' ability to spend the entire show on his knees...well, that was impressive.

The enthusiasm of Donkey, voiced in the movie by Eddie Murphy, was brilliant. Marcus Ayton's portrayal of Shrek's needy sidekick was second-to-none.

A nice twist was the references to other well known show's such Wicked and Dreamgirls, The Lion Ling and even the tap-dancing sensation that is 42nd Street. I picked up on these as an avid Theatre goer/lover though they did go over the heads of a good portion of the audience.

The songs were lively, humorous and memorable - numbers that all the family could sing along to. A few that stood out were "I know it's today" this is Princess Fiona's introduction, originally 3 cast are used so show Fiona ageing while living in a tower, as there were no children in the cast this was cleverly changed to Fiona singing with puppets doing different voices, "What's Up Duloc", this was Lord Farquaads first number, which has everyone in a wrinkle and lastly "I think I Got You Beat" a duet between Shrek and Fiona, starts out as an argument trying to out do each other and ends with a hilarious fart/burp off as you can imagine this went down a complete storm.

Shrek the Musical is now at The Grand Opera House, run concludes on 21st October tickets are available via www.goh.co.uk or by calling the box office on 028 9024 1919