Words by Your Local Hok.
You’ve seen the movies and the never-ending memes, but now the burlesque version of Shrek awaits your carnal desires.
Trigger Happy Productions brings you Shreklesque, which combines the storyline of Shrek combined with the art of burlesque and cabaret.
Following the story of Shrek 1 in chronological order with some references to Shrek 2 as well, the show features a seductive take on some of your favourite characters from the two movies.
Despite being well aware of what you’re in for, nothing can truly prepare your senses for what transpires during Shreklesque.
Shrek, performed by Trigger Happy, emerges on to stage from his swamp to All Star by Smash Mouth and reenacts the opening scene of Shrek 1, except this time with a lot more nudity, fan dancing, and tassel twirling.
It’s all Ogre once you’ve watched Shrek perform burlesque and you’ll find it extremely hard to erase such an image from your mind.
Pinocchio, performed by Barbie Banks, dazzles the stage alongside the Three Little Pigs. As his nose grows longer and longer, Pinocchio’s clothes progressively come off and Banks nails the performance by revealing his scandalous thong which he is wearing.
I must say, watching the Gingerbread Man perform a strip tease is simultaneously confusing and arousing, especially when the gumdrop buttons are used as nipple covers. Tugboat Tiffy portrays the Gingerbread Man as a seemingly innocent character and then flips this on its head, transforming in to a seductive baked good.
Lord Farquaad, performed by Rainbow, is arguably the most dynamic character throughout Shreklesque. The alternation between Rainbows’ fabulous costumes and hilarious roles captures the authoritative and demeaning nature of Farquaad whilst also incorporating a sassy burlesque performance.
The Magic Mirror, performed by Baron Von Envy is ingenious. Von Envy holds their own in Shreklesque, dancing to a medley of songs with shifting tempos to create drama and emphasis on a somewhat misunderstood character in Shrek.
The sexual prowess between Dragon, performed by Bebe Gun and Donkey, performed by Henny Spaghetti is unreal. You’ll be a witness to some tongue-on-tongue action and dry-humping between Dragon and Donkey, which will leave you desiring more and more from the unorthodox couple.
Performed by Selin Tian, Princess Fiona is classy, elegant, and full of voice. The standout of Tian’s performance is her rendition of Somebody to Love by Queen whilst she teases the audience with Princess Fiona’s sexiness.
What is to be appreciated is Shreklesque’s diverse cast. The character roles are seemingly not assigned by the gender of each performer, but rather it seems to be determined by how they each embody the personality of their characters.
The surrealness of Shreklesque is unmatched and is unlike any burlesque show you’ll probably ever see. No one will ever admit it in public, but you may experience getting turned-on by one of your favourite characters from Shrek.
Shreklesque’s season at the Adelaide Fringe for this year has concluded, but they will be returning in 2023 and will be touring around the country for the rest of 2022.