A: Is for artistic genius

Gift #16 is a gas and one of the most delightful show to hit Broadway in years.

#16 SHREK THE MUSICAL: From the moment that Julie Andrews tells you to turn off your cell phones to the cast singing "Let your Freak Hang Out" you are in for a love affair with musical theatre. Shrek reminds us of why we fall in love with musicals. The book by William Steig and book and lyrics by David Lindsay Abaire is funny, touching and better than the movie. After seeing the show I asked the kids who where there what they thought and they all agreed, they wanted to see more shows and they wanted to see Shrek again. That is the kind of recommendations that theatre needs to survive, I personally want to see Shrek again because I missed some of the lines because I was laughing so hard. This show is irreverent and makes fun of everything. There are lots of insider theatre jokes, fairy tale jokes, nursery rhyme jokes, bodily function jokes and the list goes on. The choreography by Josh Prince is innovative and clever. I especially like the tap dancing rats. Jeanine Tesori's music is catchy thought it took me a couple of songs to get into it, but I found myself singing "Morning Person" two days later. I especially liked her dance music and the orchestrations and incidental music by Tim Weil will have you unable to sit still and dancing in you seat. Jason Moore's direction keeps this fast paced without losing the heart of the show. Their were several times when this show was so touching I choked up. The sets and costumes, lighting and illusions are done to perfection and created the perfect world in which to become absorbed in. Then there is the cast: Brian D'Arcy James far surpasses his costume and is so believable you want to jump up onto the stage and comfort him. His vocals have a powerhouse quality yet the emotionality of what is being portrayed comes through and he is Shrek, that lovable green ogre we all fell in love with. He is in a word endearing. Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona is a triple threat and we feel for her and relate to all her quirkiness. Daniel Breaker as the donkey, has never seen the film which is amazing considering he is better than Eddie Murphy. This donkey is one part singer ala Stevie Wonder, one part Little Richard and all utterly fabulous. Christopher Sieber has the scene stealing role and he embodies Lord Farquaad on his knees with a flip of his hair and completely self absorbed. Do I hear Tony or should I say Tony's? The ensemble is one of the best ever cast. There is not one who doesn't stand out in one way or another. Shrek the musical has heart, it is a musical for our time and that is a show stopping F.A.C.T.