The smash hit Shrek the Musical will be ‘taking ogre’ the Palace Theatre, Manchester this Christmas, as part of its first-ever national tour.
Coming direct from London, where it was seen live on stage by nearly a million people, the UK and Ireland Tour of Theatre Royal Dury Lane production of Shrek the Musical will star Dean Chisnall as beloved swamp-dwelling ogre Shrek – the role he previously played in the West End – and Faye Brookes as damsel in distress Princess Fiona.
Idriss Kargbo will play Shrek’s wisecracking sidekick Donkey and Gerard Carey as pint-sized villain Lord Farquaad.
They will be joined by a full company of fairy-tale characters including Bronté Barbé, Nikki Bentley, Jennifer Caldwell, Candace Furbert, Steffan Harri, Will Haswell, James Lacey, Mia Lincoln, Rory Maguire, Neil Moors, Jenny O’Leary, Georgia Parkinson, Ryan Reid, Leo Roberts, Jacqui Sanchez, Oliver Tester, James Winter, Kerry Winter and Kevin Yates.
Faye Brookes was most recently on stage in Manchester at the Opera House, where she played the leading role of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde the Musical, where she was nominated for Best Actress in a Visiting Production at the 2011 Manchester Theatre Awards.
The UK and Ireland tour of Shrek the Musical will be directed by Nigel Harman, who starred as Lord Farquaad in the West End production, winning him the 2012 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical.
Nigel said: “I am delighted to be returning to Shrek as its director. This show is very special to me with its dizzying blend of great characters, a hilarious script and sublime music. This production is visually stunning, and the story has the magic ingredient of moving at great pace while still being surprisingly intimate. In short, there was no way I was going to say no to the challenge of realising the production for the UK and Ireland. I really can’t wait to take this show on the road!”
Shrek the Musical, originally directed (in the West End) by Jason Moore and Rob Ashford, is based on the story and characters from William Steig’s book Shrek! and the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animations feature film.
Bill Damaschke, chief creative officer of DreamWorks said: “We are thrilled that Shrek and his fairy-tale friends will be heading out on tour across the UK and Ireland and delighted that our very own Nigel Harman will be directing Shrek the Musical on the road. It has been such a joy to bring this loved story to life and we can’t wait for families up and down the country to experience their beloved swamp-dwelling ogre, Princess Fiona, Donkey and all their pals live on stage, as so many have on Broadway and in the West End.”
Shrek the Musical opened on Broadway in 2008 before touring to nearly 150 cities in the USA and Canada. Productions of have played in Spain, Poland, France, Malaysia, China, Brazil, Italy, Denmark, The Netherlands, Estonia, Israel and Turkey. The UK and Ireland tour will be presented by Dreamworks Theatricals, Neal Street Productions, Playful Productions, Lee Menzies, Ron Kastner, Robert G Bartner, Mark Cartwright, Gavin Kalin, Peter Clayton and Adam Blanshay.
It is on at the Palace Theatre Manchester from December 2, 2014-January 11, 2015. Tickets from £19.50 - £70 (Subject to booking/transaction fee). Call 0844 871 3019 or visit www.atgtickets.com/manchester Groups of 10+: 0844 871 3038 (No booking fee. Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm).
