Shrek the Musical Hits Broadway
DreamWorks Animation Movie Becomes Live-Action Musical Comedy
Here's the press release for DreamWorks' upcoming production of Shrek the Musical, directed by Jason Moore.
Shrek the Musical Official Press Release
"DreamWorks Theatricals and Neal Street Productions, Ltd. are pleased to announce that Shrek the Musical will open at the Broadway Theatre on Sunday, December 14, 2008. Preview performances begin on November 8, 2008 following a pre-Broadway run at Seattle’s The 5th Avenue Theatre, August 14 to September 21.
"The following casting has been announced for Shrek the Musical: Tony Award® winner Sutton Foster (Princess Fiona), who is currently starring as Inga in Broadway’s Young Frankenstein; Tony Award® nominee Christopher Sieber (Lord Farquaad), who is currently in Broadway’s Spamalot; and, Kecia Lewis-Evans (The Dragon), who was most recently seen on Broadway as Trix in The Drowsy Chaperone.
"Additional casting, including the title character and his friend Donkey, will be announced soon.
"Shrek the Musical is an entirely new musical based on the story and characters from William Steig’s book Shrek!, as well as the DreamWorks Animation film Shrek, the first chapter of the Shrek movie series.
"Shrek the Musical features a book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize® winner, David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole), music by Jeanine Tesori (Olivier Award-winner for Caroline, or Change and three-time Tony Award® nominee), and is directed by Jason Moore, who staged the Tony Award®–winning Best Musical, Avenue Q and Jerry Springer - The Opera in Concert at Carnegie Hall.
"Other members of the Shrek the Musical creative team include Tony Award®-winning set and costume designer, Tim Hatley (Monty Python’s Spamalot, Private Lives, among others), three-time Olivier Award-winning lighting designer, Hugh Vanstone, whose Broadway credits include Monty Python’s Spamalot, Bombay Dreams, The Blue Room and Art, and sound designer Peter Hylenski (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me and upcoming, Cry-Baby).
"The choreography is by newcomer Josh Prince, and Tim Weil (Rent) is serving as music director."
History of Shrek the Musical
According to the press release, Shrek the Musical is DreamWorks Animation’s first attempt to put one of their movies into live theater.
Sam Mendes, the Oscar®-winning director of American Beauty, is credited with pitching the idea to DreamWorks CEO jeffrey Katzenberg around the time that Shrek 2 was in production. The musical is being produced by DreamWorks Theatricals (Bill Damaschke, President) and Neal Street Productions, Ltd (principals Sam Mendes and Caro Newling).
Shrek first appeared in a 1990 book by children's author William Steig. DreamWorks Animation bought the rights, and turned Steig's tale of a hideous ogre seeking romance into a "fractured fairy tale."
The first Shrek flick made some serious box office when it hit theaters in the summer of 2001, and eventually won the first-ever Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature Film in 2002.
The 2004 sequel, Shrek 2, went onto the third highest grossing movie of all time, and the highest grossing animated film of all time. Last year, DreamWorks put out Shrek the Third, which became the second-highest grossing film of the year, and the Shrek the Halls Christmas special.
The next film, tentatively titled Shrek Goes Fourth, is scheduled for a 2010 release.
