Shrek

Shrek is an ogre who prefers to be left alone in his swamp, but a tiny, image-obsessed lord named Farquaad evicts every fairy-tale misfit in the kingdom and dumps them on Shrek's doorstep, forcing him to strike a deal: rescue a princess for Farquaad, and Shrek gets his swamp back. He sets off with an unwanted travel companion, a nonstop-talking donkey, to a dragon-guarded tower where Princess Fiona waits, and the pair soon discover that the journey home is far stranger, and more revealing, than the rescue itself.

Along the way, both Shrek and Fiona learn that appearances, including their own, are not always what they seem. The musical, with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, is based on William Steig's book and the 2001 DreamWorks film, and opened on Broadway in 2008, becoming a favorite for regional and family theaters for its mix of fairy-tale spoof and heartfelt story.

The score bounces between big comic ensemble numbers and quieter ballads about not fitting in. "Big Bright Beautiful World" opens the show with Shrek's contentedly solitary life, Donkey's "Don't Let Me Go" turns loyalty into an unexpected showstopper, and the first-act finale "Who I'd Be" lets both Shrek and Fiona dream aloud. "Freak Flag," led by the exiled fairy-tale characters, is the crowd-pleasing highlight most audiences remember. It is a warm, comedy-forward Broadway pop score that pokes fun at fairy tales while genuinely caring about its outsiders. Great for families and anyone who loves the film's jokes brought to life on stage.