Shrek Live! was an outdoor show that was performed at Universal Studios Hollywood during the summer of 2001. It was interactive, with guests participating in the performance by shouting or playing specific character roles.
Show Summary[]
The show is set in Shrek's swamp, and begins with hosts Nimble and Quick introducing themselves. They also introduce Bob to mixed reactions from the crowd. The hosts proceed to let the audience know that they are under watch from Lord Farquaad and his army- and if they don't perform his "officially licensed" Story of Shrek well, they would be killed. This is where the interactivity is established, with the audiences encouraged to clap, cheer and shout specific words seen on Bob's cue cards. Two audience members are then selected to play the roles of either Princess Fiona or Lord Farquaad. After the cast is selected, the performance officially begins. However, it is revealed that the retelling portrays Farqauaad as a dashing and "tall" hero saving the lovely Princess Fiona from the "evil' ogre, Shrek. Donkey walks into the show and heckles the performers, until the show ends and Shrek himself barges out of his outhouse. Nimble, Quick and Bob try to run away, but are stopped by Shrek, who promises them to finish their show; so long as they tell the "real story." Shrek plays himself with Donkey as the narrator, and Nimble playing Princess Fiona and Quick playing Lord Farquaad. The remainder of the show is an abridged retelling of the original film, complete with an appearance from Dragon. All of the actors take a bow, with Donkey telling the audience to "Have a great day at Universal Studios Hollywood!"
Characters[]
- Shrek
- Donkey
- Dragon
- Nimble and Quick
- Bob
- Lord Farquaad (hat and hair only)
- Princess Fiona (mentioned only)
- Duloc Guards/Spies (mentioned only)
Trivia[]
- The idea of a fabricated stage performance of Shrek's story painting the original villain as a hero would be carried over to Shrek the Third.
- While the rest of the cast is unknown, the actor playing Nimble, Paul Vogt, would become well known in the sketch comedy series, Mad TV.
- A notable change in the "real story" is that Lord Farquaad goes back against his promise of freeing the Fairy Tale Creatures from Shrek's swamp.