The hot summer months are here and those looking for an indoor activity to enjoy with the family might want to consider a night at the theater. Now playing at the Woodlawn Theatre is ‘Shrek, The Musical,’ the family friendly tale of the loveable green ogre based on the hit DreamWorks animated movie. It runs until Sunday July 30 with show times on Friday and Saturday at 7:30p.m. and Sunday at 3p.m. Tickets range from $18 to $29 and are available online. This highly entertaining show brings the beloved characters from the movie to life onstage for a musical about an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey and a feisty princess.

The story begins with Shrek’s parents throwing him out on his seventh birthday to fend for himself, “Big Bright Beautiful World,” while warning him that his life will not be easy because of his looks. Years later, Shrek is living in a swamp, alone and bitter but content with his solitary life. That is, until the quiet is interrupted by a group of fairy tale characters, including Pinocchio, The Three Bears, Peter Pan, the Ugly Duckling and many more. They have been thrown out of the Kingdom of Duloc by the evil Lord Farquaad just for being different. Shrek agrees to travel to see Lord Farquaad to convince him to let them come back so he can have his swamp back. Along the way he rescues a talkative donkey from some of Farquaad’s guards and in return for his kindness, he offers Shrek his friendship, “Don’t Let Me Go” and ends up tagging along for the rest of the journey. Once there, he is given the task of rescuing Princess Fiona who is trapped in a castle. In return, Lord Farquuad promises to give Shrek the deed to the swamp.

While the cast of ‘Shrek, The Musical’ is bigger than in most shows, they all work in synch to make this an enjoyable show. Joshua Goldberg, as Shrek, has good chemistry with Morgan Clyde who plays Fiona and they complement each other on stage. Alejandro Pesina’s spot on comedic timing makes him the perfect choice for playing the funny and sometimes irreverent Donkey. Joshua Buce’s hilarious portrayal of Lord Farquaad makes this production a must-see. Show highlights include Shrek and Donkey’s “Travel Song” when their friendship evolves and “Freak Song” when the ensemble accepts who they are and agree to fight together against their tormentors. Some of the humor is off-color but it still appeals to audiences of all ages with its themes of friendship and acceptance.