Kathy just got off the phone with Brian d'Arcy James, who's playing Shrek when the Broadway musical opens in a few weeks, and she reports that he's as lovely to talk to as we imagine the real Shrek would be. Some highlights from her conversation:

KR: So how long does it take to get Shrek-ified?
BDJ: It takes an hour and a half for the make up alone, and then I spend about 20 minutes getting into the costume. It's a pretty intense process, but I have the easy job because I just sit there. The transformation is  pretty breathtaking. (You can see him before and after in the photos below.)

KR: What happens on the days you do two shows?
BDJ: Good question. We were just talking about that, and I'll just stay in the makeup and head [portion of the costume]. Otherwise I'd never leave the makeup chair -- as soon as they got it all off they have to put it right back on. I'll just hang out in my dressing room...You won't see Shrek wandering the streets.

KR: What did you think when you first saw yourself as Shrek?
BDJ: I have to tell you, it scrambled my brain a little bit. It really does take you so far out of what you expect to see, the image you're used to seeing in the mirror. My eyes and my mouth are really the only things you can see, so you can still recognize that but it's obviously in a very different way.

KR: Did you draw inspiration from anywhere other than the Shrek movies?
BDJ: Oh, you're the first person to ask this and I've been dying to share. Shrek has a lot of fun movement, and I don't know if you've heard of an English singer named Joe Cocker, but if you've ever seen him perform he has the most unique way of moving. He looks like he's almost in a trance. It's very unique and something I've never seen, and I've found that I constantly go to his movements for Shrek's joyful movement.

(photos by Andrew Eccles/DreamWorks Theatricals)