Have you ever wished that you could go Far, Far Away?
Well now you can and it's not that far away at all.
Shrek the Musical has arrived at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre and transformed it into a magical fairytale...swamp.
Based on the award-winning original film, the show largely sticks to the script but keeps it fresh and interjects plenty of new energy with the catchy musical numbers.
Lovable ogre Shrek, his noble steed Donkey, the fiery Princess Fiona and not-so-fearsome Lord Farquaad are all joined by your fairytale favourites from Gingerbread Man to the Three Little Pigs.
From the opening number until the sing-along rendition of I'm a Believer at the end, this show keeps you smiling throughout.
The optimism steers clear of becoming saccharine with some tongue in cheek realism - see Pinocchio singing about life being a disappointment in Story of my Life or Princess Fiona's wavering belief in her happy ending in I Know It's Today.
But overall, the message of the show is one that we could all do with reminding of from time to time no matter how old we are - be yourself because you are perfect as you are.
It’s a 🌍 BIG BRIGHT BEAUTIFUL WORLD 🌍 Dublin, and we’re so happy to be sharing it with you! Bring on PRESS NIGHT at @BGETheatre! 💚 pic.twitter.com/kWxI8UmCjr
— Shrek The Musical (@ShrekUKTour) October 24, 2018
For fear it might go over the audience's heads, this mantra is brought home with the funky and fun song, Freak Flag.
The cast are superb, led by Steffan Harri as the grumpy Scottish ogre.
While it's no surprise that X Factor and Celebrity Big Brother alum Amelia Lily can belt out songs with the best of them, her comedic skills are the real highlight.
Lily absolutely shines as Princess Fiona, who shows us that life as a princess isn't always sunshine and rainbows.
The second act is where she gets the biggest laughs with songs like Morning Person and when she and her big green crush compete to see who has had the worst life.
Teeny tiny villain Lord Farquaad easily steals the spotlight in every scene with a pair of prop legs eliciting giggles throughout the show.
Samuel Holmes as the petite wannabe king hits all the right notes and appears to relish playing the bad guy.
Meanwhile, Donkey - possibly everyone's favourite character from the original film - is brought to life by Marcus Ayton who manages to steer clear of rehashing Eddie Murphy's performance and makes it his own.
All in all, Shrek the Musical is a heartwarming, fun evening that's equally fun for adults and children.
Shrek the Musical is at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre until November 4.
