The Grand went green to welcome a special character last night - and judging from the standing ovation, the audience loved him.
Shrek the Musical, embarking on its first national tour away from the West End, exploded onto the stage in a blur of fairytale characters, superb sets and a huge pink dragon.
I didn't know what to expect from the show - everyone's seen the film, with the lovable Scottish ogre and his sassy donkey sidekick - but how would it translate into a musical?
Surprisingly well, it seems. And while at times the musical interludes felt slightly shoe-horned in, the jazzy, upbeat score kept the show moving nicely along, as well as offering some backstory unexplored in the Dreamworks film in numbers like I Know It's Today and The Ballad or Farquaad.
Dean Chisnall, who travelled up with the show from the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, is superb as Shrek, with excellent comic timing and a powerful voice that shone during Big Bright Beautiful World , the show's opening number.
Faye Brookes' performance as Princess Fiona had added sass in comparison to the Fiona of the film, but it worked - as her did her naturally comedic style.
Idriss Kargbo's Donkey won a lot of laughs, too, and his performance of Make a Move was hilarious and fantastically choreographed. However there was an element of Eddie Murphy imitation in his performance - and a safer course might have been to make the character his own, instead of trying to match a comedy juggernaut.
But it was Gerard Carey as Lord Farquaad who stole the show, in my opinion. The way the character is created (I won't say too much, I don't want to spoil the surprise) is ingenious and adds a whole other layer of physical comedy to the show.
Carey's tone, gestures and comic timing were spot on from start to finish, flicking from camp to threatening and back again effortlessly. It was reminiscent of Alan Rickman's superb performance as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and I dare say Lord Farquaad got the biggest laughs of the night.
The sets, while simple, were fantastically creative, making the best use of the small space and interpreting the larger scenes (such as the dragon's arrival at the castle in the finale) brilliantly.
The show's adult references and gentle pokes of fun at other musicals (Wicked and Les Miserables to name but two) were also well recieved.
Shrek is silly and a bit surreal, but you will leave the theatre grinning - especially after the rousing finale of I'm a Believer .
It's a family musical, first and foremost, and youngsters will love seeing their favourite film characters on stage - but this musical, like its starring ogre, has layers - layers that ensure all ages are entertained.
Shrek the Musical is at the Grand from until Sunday August 17.
Tickets are on sale now and cost £19 to £43.
Click here to book online or call the box office on 0844 848 2700.
