Shrek Trek

I can sympathize with that ogre living in the swamp after the storm that hit Grandville last night as I was getting ready to head to the opening at DeVos. Actually, the storm was sort of the fiery dragon in my daylong quest to review Shrek. I'm spending the week at Glen Lake working on my next book (that's another story) and attending the annual Peninsula Writers retreat. But I couldn't give up a chance to review the biggest thing to hit Grand Rapids stages in years. After a three-hour drive, I arrived just as the sky was darkening. I had barely turned on my computer to check messages -- no Internet at Glen Lake -- when the rains came down and everything went black. Just try putting on makeup in the dark. I probably looked like an ogre. I got soaked getting into the car and soon discovered Grandville had become a swamp. Road after road was underwater. I spent more than a half hour trying to find a way to the Interstate. I finally got downtown, but even with an umbrella, my nine-year-old companion and I were soaked. But from the momen Shrek hangs up his laundry -- a flag-size pair of jockey shorts -- in the first number, I knew it would all be worth it. Very funny show, lots of attitude, spunky music, fantastic effects, but too long, I'm afraid, for many of the whiney kids in the audience. (Sorry, do I sound like an ogre?)