“Shrek the Musical”
Sept. 11–26, Fox Theatre

“Shrek the Musical” may be an emblem of our generation. Posterity will favor “Les Miserables” or “The Lion King,” but for the time being, the ugly ogre rakes in a lot of cash. As evidenced by online videos and reviews, “Shrek the Musical” has a high production value, with elaborate theater magic, props and huge dance numbers.

The venue for “Shrek” is the Fox Theatre, which sits about four miles from campus. The Fox does not set prices with students in mind; the cheapest seats for the show are $30. Still, “Shrek” offers a reasonable excuse for escaping the college bubble and exploring part of St. Louis.

The Fox has more traditional productions for this season as well; Rogers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific” drops anchor on Nov. 9 and lasts until Nov. 21. Regardless, it’s difficult to pass up this irreverent opportunity to revisit fairy tale characters in “Shrek.”

“The Threepenny Opera”
Oct. 22–31, Edison Theatre

“The Threepenny Opera” promises to be the largest production and the sole musical by the University’s Performing Arts Department this season.

According to The New York Times, “The Threepenny Opera” made “Cabaret” and “Chicago” possible, and launched the trend of “singing, stinging portraits of fat societies on the eve of their destruction.”

“Threepenny” can be read as a critique of capitalism, symbolized by corruption among crooks. The plot revolves around the protagonist Macheath, a criminal who attempts to escape the savagery of the underworld and a mob boss’s grudge.

The play was originally performed in Germany in 1928, so Cadenza looks forward to seeing how the director will adapt the musical’s political message for today or make the historical context of its role in Weimar theater explicit and relevant to a modern audience.

500 Clown in “Macbeth” and “Frankenstein”
Nov. 5–6, Edison Theatre

500 Clown, a touring company and part of the Edison Ovations Series, promises to “bring a hilarious, in-your-face brand of physical theater, improv and commedia.” One might expect their fare to be light and silly, but the company will stage “Macbeth” and “Frankenstein,” two of the darkest works in literature.

500 Clown recommends familiarity with each piece before seeing either play. The troupe will drop scant references to plot, focusing instead on the physical aspects of acting. For example, a significant theme of “Macbeth” is the struggle for the crown of Scotland. 500 Clown interprets this by hoisting a crown high above the stage with dozens of clowns beneath, all fighting over it.

According to their promotional material, 500 Clown wants the audience to literally fear for the health and safety of the performers. Nothing is sacred in either work, and one can only imagine what Shakespeare or Shelley would think.

Critics tend to fawn over 500 Clown, and videos of their work feature an audience that guffaws with every antic. Whether their irreverent take on the Scottish play and Mary Shelley’s classic will sit well with Washington University remains to be seen, but 500 Clown has definitely piqued Cadenza’s curiosity.