“I fell in love with the show when I saw it on Broadway and was bowled over by the way audiences responded to the social issues it covers, themes like friendship, acceptance, discrimination, inclusiveness and ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. What is the BIGGEST challenge for the actor playing Lord Farquaad? However, despite his villainy, Farquaad does not see himself as a monster and when this was brought up to him by A reading took place on August 10, 2007, with Stephen Kramer Glickman in the role of Shrek, Celia Keenan-Bolger as Princess Fiona, Robert L. Daye Jr. as Donkey and Christopher Sieber as Lord Farquaad. Edit. The show's about to begin! SHREK THE MUSICAL SYDNEY – Lyric Theatre From 1 January 2020 Shrek The Musical Lord Farquaad / Choreographer “Michael Jenkinson’s performance as Farquaad is hands down one of the funniest things you can see this theater season…. The role of Lord Farquaad is traditionally played by a regular sized actor but his costume is designed to make him look very small – In Shrek the movie, Shrek towers over the height of the donkey, as in the play the donkey is seemingly taller than Shrek while standing on two feet. Lord Farquaad was my favorite thing about the play because he just lifted everyone’s’ spirit and made the saddest and meanest things funny, which is quite a talent. And finally we get to meet Lord Farquaad as you know he is really short in the movie and so too in the musical with special attire and the actor had to performed on his knees through the musical to play the role of pint sized Lord Farquaad. SHREK THE MUSICAL brings the hilarious story of everyone’s favourite ogre to life on the stage. He was originally intended to appear in the alternate universe (in which he would still be alive due to Dragon still being evil and not eating him), but the decision was apparently dropped. Despite having to dance, walk and performed on his knees, Lord Farquaad, to me stole the show. However, he is once again defeated, only to reappear in the second issue; this time, he orders a man named Ferret and his hitman Vesuvius to kill Shrek, who at the moment is investigating a foul-smelling gingerbread house. The choreography work by Michael Jenkinson is extensive, as is especially clear during his comedic and involved dance numbers.” — JOE PAYNE, Santa Maria Sun Donkey: Didn't I tell you I'd find it? “Todd has received amazing reviews for his scene-stealing role in Sydney, and I’m so glad Brisbane audiences will be able to see him as the vertically challenged Lord Farquaad. Taking on a multitude of roles within the fairy-tale realm are Ross Chisari (as Little Pig), Annie Chiswell (Ugly Duckling), Benjamin Colley (Pied Piper), Andy Conaghan (Wolf), Denise Devlin (Mama Bear), Mackenzie Dunn (Swing), Blake Erickson (Papa Bear), Manon Gunderson-Briggs (Gingy), Hollie James (Swing), Rubin Matters (Peter Pan), Sarah Murr (Fairy Godmother), Joshua Robson (Little Pig), Monique Sallé (Red Riding Hood), Tom Sharah (Little Pig), Leigh Sleightholme (Swing), Suzanne Steele (Wicked Witch), Rhys Velasquez (Swing), Caleb Vines (Pinocchio) and Sascha Wykes (Baby Bear). 1 of 6 Christian Marriner plays the diminutive Lord Farquaad in the national tour of "Shrek - The Musical" which is … In the series, Farquaad returns as a ghost, with plans to make Fiona his Queen of the Underworld so that he will be King of the Underworld. For further information visit: ShrekTheMusical.com.au. Three Rose teaching artists will also be featured on stage: Brian Guehring (Robin Hood, Honk, Mary Poppins) as Lord Farquaad, Sue Gillespie Booton (Pete the Cat, Cat in the Hat) as Dragon, and Colleen Kilcoyne (Honk) as Gingy. Photo: Emma Knights - Credit: Emma Knights. Farquaad agrees to move the Fairy Tale creatures out of Shrek's swamp and grant him the deed to the swamp to prevent any future squatters if Shrek rescues Fiona. themrshaney. Shrek challenges his friends to spend Halloween night in Farquaad's haunted castle, Duloc. Fiona is rescued when Farquaad is destroyed by the Dragon again. When Shrek sets off with a wisecracking donkey to confront Farquaad, he's handed a task – if he rescues feisty princess Fiona, his swamp will be righted. In the Broadway production of Shrek, Lord Farquaad who was played by Christopher Sieber, walks around on his knees throughout the musical in order to appear comically short in stature. Instead of holding a tournament, a raffle drawing is held to pick the knight to rescue Fiona with an extravagant song and dance number starring Farquaad and the Duloc Dancers called "What's Up Duloc". Since Sieber is approximately 6'2", he played the role on his knees, to give the illusion that he is really 4'2". [citation needed]. Farquaad is the ruthless, deceptive, short-tempered, egotistical and iron-fisted ruler of DuLoc. was Lord Farquaad. And also made the play 100 times better, if Lord Farquaad wasn’t in the play I would of given it a very different result. He certainly knows how to play the audience and his fellow cast members. by themrshaney. She devours Farquaad and burps out his crown. After his humiliation, Fiona is transformed and the show continues in the same manner as the movie, with Farquaad proclaiming himself king and subsequently being killed by the Dragon(Only in this version, Dragon kills him with her fire breath instead of eating him). Start studying Farquaad - Shrek, The Musical: TYA. The show has been lauded by critics and audiences alike, receiving 8 Tony Award nominations, 12 Drama Desk nominations, 10 Outer Critics Circle nominations, 3 Drama League nominations and a Grammy Award nomination for Best Musical Show Album. Farquaad was apparently not well-liked in Duloc; when he is eaten, the citizens laugh and cheer. Farquaad's appearance here is comparatively minor. Shrek the Musical DRAFT. Arts. In one Broadway parody moment in the show, he ascends a tower at the end and imitates the end of Defying Gravity from the musical Wicked. The Broadway smash hit will play at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC from 9 May, following the Sydney season which closes today and the Melbourne season at Her Majesty’s Theatre from 16 February. Gabe Mercer. Farquaad plans to marry Princess Fiona to rise in the ranks of monarchy and become a king. While practicing what he will say when he meets Fiona for the first time, he considers saying to call him "Maximus", presumably his first name.[3]. My high school just did Shrek the Musical. NOTE – Marcia Hines will play The Dragon for the Sydney and Brisbane seasons, and from 18 March in Melbourne. This is a reference to the first Shrek film. Outside of the film series, Farquaad appears in the Universal Studios Theme Parks ride Shrek 4-D and its comic book adaptation by Dark Horse Comics. He is an extremely arrogant, oppressive and power-hungry dictator who doesn't care about anyone but himself. In his quest to get the land back he is tasked by Farquad with rescuing a … Leading Australian theatre producer John Frost announced today that Todd McKenney will play Lord Farquaad in the lavish and fun multi-million dollar musical comedy SHREK THE MUSICAL in the Brisbane season up until 24 May.The Broadway smash hit will play at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC from 9 May, following the Sydney season which closes today and the Melbourne season at Her Majesty’s Theatre … After these bosses are defeated, he kidnaps Shrek before the final face-off. Shrek: Donkey, look! Lord Farquaad's castle. Featuring a terrific score of 19 songs, big laughs, great dancing and breathtaking scenery, the New York Times has proclaimed SHREK THE MUSICAL as “True Happiness!”. Farquaad claims that his father abandoned him in the woods as a child (similar to Shrek and Fiona's tales of being sent away by their own parents as children in the musical); however, when the fairy tale creatures crash his wedding to protest their banishment and bring along his father, it is revealed that he was kicked out because "you were 28 and living in my basement". #ShrekMusicalAU . Since Sieber is approximately 6'2", he played the role on his knees, to give the illusion that he is really 4'2". SHREK THE MUSICAL is part romance, part twisted fairy tale and all irreverent fun for everyone! The show then embarked on a First National Tour, in which Todd Buonopane was cast as Farquaad. He earned his second Tony nomination for this part. ShrekTheMusical.com.au. 2 years ago. It turns out his father was one of Snow White's dwarfs, and his mother was the princess from "The Princess and the Pea", who left her crown behind so she could marry him. In the original Broadway production of Shrek The Musical, the role was played by Tony Award nominee Christopher Sieber. Several times in the film it is observed that, with Duloc's towering height, Farquaad may be compensating for something. Shrek later disrupts the marriage ceremony, delaying a kiss between Farquaad and Fiona until after sunset. Lord Maximus Farquaad is the main antagonist of the 2001 animated feature film Shrek, as well as Shrek 4-D and the musical. [citation needed]. [Donkey doesn't get it] Shrek: Ah, forget it. Christian Marriner (Lord Farquaad) struts among his courtiers during a production of “Shrek the Musical.” Marriner performs the entire show on his knees. Junior Josey Meats, who played Lord Farquaad, ponders his upcoming marriage with Princess Fiona, played by juniors Maddy Atwood and Alex Stroming, during the second act of Shrek: The Musical. Lord Farquaad is the villain in the first Shrek movie. I went to the closing night of Shrek at Drury Lane and loved it as much as I did when I was in the show [Harman played Lord Farquaad when Shrek the Musical … [5] Other speculations include that his appearance is based on a conglomeration of perfectionists/megalomaniacs, such as Napoleon, Joseph Stalin, Hideki Tojo and even Adolf Hitler. Unwilling to perform the rescue himself, Farquaad holds a tournament to discover the knight who will rescue Fiona. While most people think everyone's favourite swamp-dwelling ogre is … In a faraway kingdom turned upside down, things get ugly when an unseemly ogre – not a handsome prince – shows up to rescue a feisty princess. Shrek: It's a bit much, isn't it? Before Farquaad finishes his claim of becoming the new King, the dragon who had guarded Fiona, and who developed a crush on Donkey while Fiona was being rescued, crashes through the window in response to Shrek's beckoning whistle. Nigel Harman - Wikipedia The pre-show begins with the Three Little Pigs , Gingy, and Pinocchio revealing that Lord Farquaad has kidnapped them and is holding them in Castle Duloc's dungeon. Fiona makes the transition from human to ogress form, upon which Farquaad rejects his new bride, banishing her back to the tower and claiming the title of King. Samuel Holmes play Lord Farquaad in Shrek The Musical. The three little pigs note that Duloc was where Farquaad lived and died. He did, however, walk and stand for the curtain call. He does not appear in William Steig's original picture book of the same name. His birthday is 15 April. In the original Broadway production of Shrek The Musical, the role was played by Tony Award nominee Christopher Sieber. He also makes a cameo in Shrek Smash n' Crash as a ghost. “I’m thrilled that Todd was able to move some of his Channel 7 commitments to remain performing with the brilliant cast of SHREK THE MUSICAL in Brisbane,” said John Frost. A rendition of ‘I’m A Believer’, popularised by The Monkees and covered by Smash … Discover the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. Throw in a donkey who won’t shut up, a bad guy with a SHORT temper, a cookie with attitude, and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you’ve got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. They defeat the knights, so Farquaad decides to send Shrek on the quest. Once in Duloc, Farquaad agrees to officially deed the land over to Shrek, but in return, sends Shrek on a mission, of sorts, to rescue Princess Fiona, who has been locked up in a tower for about 20 years, guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. For those who are not familiar, Shrek the Musical is a 2-hour play about an ogre whose land has been invaded by fairytale animals because the evil Lord Farquaad has banished them to from Duloc. He is voiced by John Lithgow. He does not appear in the third and final issue, save for a brief mention. Carrie Compere played the Dragon, with Blakely Slaybaugh as Pinocchio. However, he was replaced by David F.M. Do you think he might be compensating for something? Despite being … Shrek The Musical features nineteen (count ’em) new songs, and a multi-million dollar budget. Greeter: Welcome to the Celebrate Duloc Festival! In his pursuit of perfection, Farquaad attempts to rid his kingdom of Fairy Tale creatures, offering a bounty for their capture. Alan Rickman was originally offered for the role, but he turned it down to play Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film saga instead. Though the film and musical are similar in many ways, Farquaad in the musical is more flamboyant and fun-loving, less subtle, and even more conceited. His past (which was never brought up in the movie) and the reason for his hatred for "that fairy tale trash" is elaborated on in his other song, "The Ballad of Farquaad". Shrek the Musical DRAFT. Sieber played the role for the duration of the Broadway run. 6th - 8th grade. Farquaad again appeared as an evil spirit in the Game Boy Advance game Shrek: Reekin' Havoc, in which he made evil copies of fairy tale characters such as Pinocchio, the Big Bad Wolf, Peter Pan, and a giant from the world of Jack and the Beanstalk. Todd McKenney will play Lord Farquaad in the upcoming musical A musical with layers. [6], CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, "California State University, Northridge", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lord_Farquaad&oldid=1003492975, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 29 January 2021, at 06:31. Todd Buonopane was originally cast in the role of Lord Farquaad, but was replaced by Vaughn before opening. Unfortunately, she was so sensitive that she had to sleep on 25 mattresses and "one night she rolled over...and Mama was gone". Dec. 24, 2012 Updated: Dec. 24, 2012 11:37 a.m. 6. 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