Shrek The Musical

See Wikipedia page for more information about the differences between the various productions.

Great make-up and costume, and some wonderful set-pieces combine to make this a great piece of entertainment for the family.

Automated Scenery (London)

Various items use a downstage automation track, including the balcony wall for Princess Fiona's tower, and most memorably, a pair of rats.
Much of the scenery is automated - the flying system was supplemented by Unusual Rigging [read article about their work on Shrek]
The reveal of the rope bridge to the castle is a great piece of design & engineering which has to be seen to be believed.
Most memorable is the flying dragon. This uses a control system by Fisher Technical Services Inc, with three sets of cables controlling the dragon's position above the amazed audience. One cable drops/lifts the dragon into it's lair at the very top of the theatre. In the Theatre Royal Drury Lane (London) production, the dragon is hidden behind a black curtain for most of the show, but can be seen by the audience seated in the balcony level when the black curtain is pulled back in preparation for the flight. The two other cables are connected to the top of the proscenium arch stage left and right. In combination, these three lifting points allow the dragon to be almost anywhere in the auditorium, and even allow it to land onstage (to incinerate Lord Farquaad). An additional motor built into the dragon puppet allows precisely controllable rotation. The effect is stunning.

Design: Sets and Lighting for the Broadway production
(The London production is missing many of these elements)

The automated floor on Broadway was built by PRG. More information

Trailer for the West End production