Make a Move Lyrics — Shrek

Song Overview

“Make a Move” is the Act II spark plug that shoves Shrek and Fiona toward honesty while giving Donkey the floor and a faux girl group for backup. On the Shrek: The Musical original Broadway cast recording, the number sits at track 13 and features Daniel Breaker as Donkey with the Three Blind Mice trio (Jennifer Cody, Sarah Jane Everman, Lisa Ho) chiming and vamping like a candy-coated R and B chorus. It is, in miniature, the show’s thesis about courage: sooner or later, someone has to stop hedging and say the loud part aloud. The orchestration keeps it nimble, the jokes land fast, and the groove does the matchmaking.

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

• Comic intervention number for Donkey with a Three Blind Mice doo-wop wink, placed midway through Act II.
• Introduced on Broadway by Daniel Breaker; the studio track features Shrek and Fiona’s spoken bits inside the song’s set-up.
• Replaces an earlier preview song titled “Let Her In,” sharpening the scene’s momentum and tone.
• Recorded January 2009 and released March 24, 2009 on Decca Broadway as part of the original cast recording.
• Appears in the filmed Broadway performance that later streamed widely, keeping the number in the show’s popular memory.

Creation History

Jeanine Tesori’s score leans into character voice, and “Make a Move” is her blithe way of giving Donkey the rhythm of a hype man. The structure is clean: spoken wisecracks, a call to action, and then a groove that recruits the Three Blind Mice as an imaginary chorus. Lyrically, David Lindsay-Abaire parks Donkey at the intersection of blunt coaching and mixed-metaphor mayhem. The visual gag - blind mice as love coaches - turns into an aural one as the trio backs Donkey with girl-group ad libs and clipped affirmations.

During the show’s preview period the team swapped out an early draft song for this version, which better matched the maturing Shrek-Fiona arc and gave Donkey a more active role as cupid. The album session captured the final Broadway form. According to Playbill’s recording notes, the OBC album was cut at Legacy Recording Studios in New York in January 2009 and hit stores that March under the Decca Broadway banner, with Tesori producing and Peter Hylenski co-producing. The track subsequently lived not only on disc but in the pro-shot of the Broadway staging, which helped the number circulate far beyond the theater district.

Highlights & Key takeaways

1. Form matches function: a pep talk that becomes a pocket jam - Donkey talks Shrek into courage by singing him there.
2. Girl-group color: the Three Blind Mice channel 60s backup tropes, giving Broadway comedy a pop-radio sheen.
3. Rhythmic persuasion: quick quips over a midtempo pulse help the jokes breathe without stalling the story.
4. Dialog into song: the scene’s awkward pauses are baked into the track, so the payoff laugh hits bigger when Shrek fumbles.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

We are post-banter, pre-confession. Shrek and Fiona have been circling, their “I-can-top-that” flirtation softening into something real. Donkey spots it immediately. He imagines a trio of backup vocalists and stages a friendly ambush, urging Shrek to quit dithering and speak up. The music lures him toward action, then pauses for Shrek to try - and spectacularly fail - to find the words. Cue the comic collapse and the chorus returning for another push.

Song Meaning

At heart, “Make a Move” is about the paralysis that comes right before vulnerability. Donkey’s refrain reframes confession as a physical act - reach, shift, grab the moment - and turns fear into a rhythm to step through. The mice echo the encouragement like a personal cheer section. Dramatically it does something clever: by giving Shrek a safe, silly container for bravery, the song makes his later, quieter confession more credible. Humor creates the runway for sincerity.

Annotations

“turn up the heat, you gotta butter the pan”

Donkey’s culinary metaphors act as comic anti-anxiety tricks. Domestic images shrink the epic pressure of a fairy-tale romance into a kitchen task - doable, repeatable, even fun. It is classic musical-theater translation: take a big feeling and give it a small metaphor so the character can move.

“Three blind mice!”

The gag works on two levels. First, it is Donkey’s imagination putting cheerleaders in the room. Second, it is a literal pun on love being blind. The girl-group delivery pokes the air out of Shrek’s excuses and keeps the pep talk buoyant.

“are you gonna eat that?”

The interruption is the payoff. After all the coaching, Shrek panics and grabs the nearest neutral sentence. Comedy aside, the moment proves the point of the song: action requires risk, not just opportunity. The failure clears the stage for the next number, where the truth finally finds music of its own.

Style & instrumentation

The engine is midtempo pop with Broadway clarity. Rhythm section locks to a lightly syncopated pattern, letting consonants pop. Horns and winds paint in quick swells and stabs. The mice’s stacked harmonies tilt toward 60s girl-group voicings - small thirds, tight unisons - while Donkey rides on top with conversational punch.

Emotional arc

Setup - encouragement - fumble - recommit. The song begins with observation and ends with a renewed plan. It buys the story time without bleeding tension, which is what a good mid-Act II comedy song should do.

Context & touchpoints

Shrek’s awkwardness is a cousin of Broadway’s great lovable blunderers - characters who need a shove to leap. Donkey’s hype-man mode nods at pop radio’s motivational bops while staying in character. The mice’s retro sheen underlines that this romance is as old as musicals themselves, even if the couple is a princess and an ogre.

Key Facts

• Artist: Daniel Breaker with Jennifer Cody, Sarah Jane Everman, Lisa Ho, plus spoken moments by Brian d’Arcy James and Sutton Foster
• Composer: Jeanine Tesori
• Lyricist: David Lindsay-Abaire
• Producer(s): Jeanine Tesori (producer), Peter Hylenski (co-producer)
• Release Date: March 24, 2009
• Genre: Broadway pop with doo-wop and R and B flavor
• Instruments: Rhythm section, brass and winds, backing trio vocals
• Label: Decca Broadway
• Mood: Buoyant, conspiratorial, gently teasing
• Length: about 3:00 on the OBC album
• Track #: 13 on Shrek: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• Language: English
• Album: Shrek: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• Music style: Call-and-response groove with girl-group backing
• Poetic meter: Conversational stress with four-square chorus phrasing

Canonical Entities & Relations

• Jeanine Tesori - composed the music for Shrek: The Musical.
• David Lindsay-Abaire - wrote the lyrics and book.
• Daniel Breaker - originated Donkey on Broadway and leads “Make a Move.”
• Jennifer Cody, Sarah Jane Everman, Lisa Ho - perform as the Three Blind Mice on the OBC track.
• Brian d’Arcy James and Sutton Foster - appear in the track’s dialogue as Shrek and Fiona.
• Peter Hylenski - sound designer for the production and co-producer of the cast recording.
• Decca Broadway - label that released the original cast album.
• Music Theatre International - licenses the show and lists “Make a Move” in the authorized song stack.

Questions and Answers

Where does “Make a Move” land in the show?

Mid Act II. It sits between the post-sparring warmth of Shrek and Fiona and the introspective “When Words Fail,” functioning as comic propulsion.

Who is featured on the original recording?

Daniel Breaker leads as Donkey, with Jennifer Cody, Sarah Jane Everman, and Lisa Ho as the Three Blind Mice. Shrek and Fiona’s spoken beats appear inside the track.

Did the song change during previews?

Yes. An earlier number titled “Let Her In” gave way to “Make a Move,” which better fit Donkey’s role as a catalyst.

Is it in the filmed Broadway performance?

Yes. The pro-shot that later streamed and released on disc includes the number, helping it reach audiences beyond Broadway.

Was “Make a Move” released as a single?

No standalone single in the pop sense, but it anchors track 13 on the cast album and has its own official audio upload.

How would you describe the musical style?

Broadway-pop with a wink. Girl-group backing, a pocketed midtempo beat, and crisp call-and-response phrasing.

What makes the scene work onstage?

Contrast. Donkey’s swagger bounces off Shrek’s nerves, and the mice’s bright harmonies dress the pep talk in party lights.

Is the number vocally demanding?

Moderately. Donkey needs rhythmic clarity and breath control more than extreme range. The trio benefits from tight blend and clean cutoffs.

Does the album version differ from live staging?

Only slightly. The album preserves the essential spoken gags and the groove; live, the physical comedy and staging add extra laughs.

How does it affect Shrek’s character arc?

It pushes him from passive yearning to attempted action, setting up his next song’s honest stumble and growth.

Awards and Chart Positions

The song itself was not a standalone chart entry, but the cast album arrived with momentum. According to widely cited trade and theater outlets, the original Broadway cast recording debuted at number 1 on Billboard’s Top Cast Albums and entered the Billboard 200 at number 88, later receiving a nomination for Best Musical Show Album at the Grammys. The Broadway production collected eight Tony Award nominations, with a win for Best Costume Design, and multiple Drama Desk nods with several wins for design and performance.

How to Sing Make a Move

Think pep talk set to a pocket. You are coaching a friend toward courage, not auditioning for a soul revue - keep it light and locked.

• Typical tempo: around the low 90s BPM on common recordings.
• Common keys: B flat major or neighboring transpositions, with licensed materials offering flexibility for casts.
• Lead range (Donkey): comfortable baritone with mix up to roughly E4-F4 depending on key; stamina over extremes.
• Trio range (Three Blind Mice): tight blend in mid register, often spanning roughly G3-B4 in standard charts.

Step-by-step HowTo

1. Tempo & pocket: Lock a steady two-feel around the recorded pulse. Resist rushing the jokes - space sells the punch lines.
2. Text first: Speak-singing is the point. Mark where you need crisp T and K consonants to land the laugh without chewing the words.
3. Breath plan: Small sips before each list or metaphor chain. Keep ribs buoyant so you can drop phrases cleanly.
4. Backups as engine: If you have a trio, treat them as call-and-response fuel. Cue their entries with eye contact and a hint of physical setup.
5. Accent images: Lift specific nouns - hand, sunset, ring - and let verbs punch the beat. Paint the picture without over-marking every word.
6. Mic craft: On a handheld or headworn, angle slightly off-axis on sibilants. Keep the chorus lines tucked under you, not competing with you.
7. Common pitfalls: Over-brogueing the diction, throwing away set-up pauses, or treating it like a belting contest. Stay playful and precise.

Additional Info

Album context: According to Playbill’s coverage of the recording, the OBC album was tracked in January 2009 and released March 24 on Decca Broadway, with a later highlights edition appearing that fall. That release cadence put “Make a Move” in fans’ ears early, months before many would see the show in person.

Filmed performance: The Broadway production was professionally shot and later released for home and streaming platforms, helping crystallize how the number plays with staging and comic timing. For many listeners, that capture became their first visual reference for Donkey’s coaching bit and the mice’s choreography.

Licensing and transposition: The show’s licensing house lists “Make a Move” among the authorized numbers and provides transposition services, a nod to how the piece thrives when tailored to a company’s voices.

About the sound world: Danny Troob’s orchestrations give Donkey a pop-adjacent swagger without stranding him outside Broadway style. You hear the brass grin, the reeds chatter, and the rhythm section advertise fun without stealing the scene.

Credit snapshot: Album production sits with Jeanine Tesori, with Peter Hylenski as co-producer, Lawrence Manchester at the console, and Greg Calbi mastering - a team that keeps the track glossy but text-forward. As stated in theater trade coverage at the time, that crew balance is why the jokes still read even on earbuds.

Sources: Playbill, Billboard, Tony Awards site, BroadwayWorld, Wikipedia, Music Theatre International, Apple Music, Spotify, Decca Broadway notes, Discogs, Filmed Live Musicals, Netflix.