Summer production of ‘Shrek’ is surefire fun for all ages

"Don’t judge people by how they look." That’s the life lesson shared in Diamond Head Theatre’s summer production of "Shrek the Musical." The musical is Broadway’s very successful take on the very successful series of animated feature films loosely based on the 1990 children’s book, "Shrek!" about a misanthropic ogre who rescues a princess.

The franchise has become such a commercial success since the first DreamWorks Studios film filled movie theaters in 2001 that DHT’s live theater production was almost completely sold out before it opened Friday.

LeGrand Lawrence stars in the title role. Jonathan Causey is Donkey, Shrek’s motor-mouth comic sidekick, and Leiney Rigg is Princess Fiona. Garrett Hols dominates every scene he’s in with his portrayal of the diminutive Lord Farquaad.

Shrek is living in contented seclusion in a "rancid" swamp when his solitude is interrupted by a small army of unhappy fairy tale characters — Pinocchio, the Big Bad Wolf, Peter Pan, the Ugly Duckling and several more. Lord Farquaad, tyrannical ruler of Duloc, has banished them all for being "freaks" and will have them killed if they return.

Shrek goes to Duloc to persuade Lord Farquaad to get the "freaks" out of his swamp. Farquaad agrees to evict them, and give Shrek the deed to the place as well, but first Shrek must rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona — who lives in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon — so that Farquaad can marry her and become a king.

The fanciful story with its positive messages is surefire entertainment for preteens but teens and adults will enjoy clever cultural references that the younger ones aren’t likely to understand.

There is also enough toilet humor to entertain childish minds of all ages.

Director/choreographer Tammy Colucci deploys the cast through several entertaining dance numbers. Princess Fiona’s encounter with a troupe of tap-dancing rats opens Act II in delightful style. A shorter dance routine by the Three Blind Mice is a nice piece of rodent cabaret as well.

Lawrence is a likeable lug as the ogre. His broader range as an actor comes into focus later in the scenes in which Shrek overhears a conversation but misunderstands what he hears.

Hols, last seen on the DHT stage as Sir Lancelot in "Spam-alot," portrays the midget-size tyrant by performing on his knees; two ridiculously thin legs on the front of the costume create the illusion of Farquaad walking. Hols plays the tyrant with broad malevolent zest while capturing the physical movement of a "little person" each time he moves across the stage.

Rigg follows her superb performance as the leading lady in DHT’s spring production of "42nd Street" with winning work here. No one who saw Rigg in "42nd Street" is likely to recognize her as Fiona — at least until she starts to sing, and then has her big "dances with rats" number.

The show is also a professional triumph for Causey. The stereotypical character of an assertive African-American motormouth is about as far as it gets from his portrayal of Tom Robinson in DHT’s recent production of "To Kill a Mockingbird."

That said, at a time when public display of the Confederate flag has come under intense scrutiny, and MTV is airing a documentary on "white people," the stereotypes perpetuated by this traditional "black" character type also deserve thoughtful discussion.