A green ogre on a mission to save a feisty princess has smashed into Melbourne.
The Broadway hit Shrek The Musical is playing at Her Majesty's Theatre until April and is based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks film.
One tune celebrates the "little bit of freak in all of us" and the production shows that everyone is beautiful in their own way, resident director Luke Joslin says.
It's the unlikely tale of Shrek the green ogre and a talking donkey who fight off a fire-breathing dragon to save Princess Fiona.
A vertically-challenged Lord Farquaad tries to reach her first - even torturing a gingerbread man - to win her hand and become king of Duloc.
That's along with kicking out his kingdom of fairytale misfits, who find home on Shrek's swamp.
A chorus including three little pigs, little red riding hood and a fairy godmother revolt in song to "let your freak fly away" and reclaim their homes.
Actor Ben Mingay wears the green suit and tubular ears as Shrek, Lucy Durack has taken on Princess Fiona, while Nat Jobe plays Donkey.
Todd McKenney is on his knees as Lord Farquaad and Marcia Hines will star as the love-struck Dragon.
After a run in Sydney, the show will play in Melbourne until mid-April before heading to Brisbane.
Australian Associated Press
