Photos: Shrek The Musical – first photos and rehearsals
May 6, 2011
First production photos released of Shrek The Musical, which starts previews tonight, 6 May 2011, at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
The major new DreamWorks Theatricals and Neal Street Productions show is based on DreamWorks’ hit animated movie franchise and stars Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden as Princess Fiona, Nigel Lindsay (Four Lions) as Shrek, comedian Richard Blackwood as Donkey andNigel Harman (EastEnders) as Lord Farquaad.
The show officially opens on 14 June 2011.
Other members of the cast include Delroy Atkinson, Amy Beadel, Stephanie Bron, Dean Chisnall, Jon-Scott Clark, Ste Clough, Lee William-Davis, Ross Dawes, Lucie Downer, Alice Fearn, Michelle Francis, Ashley E Hale, Rosanna Hyland, Bradley Jaden, Aaron Lee Lambert, Emma Lindars, Grant Murphy, Spencer O’Brien, Landi Oshinowo, Damien Poole, Stuart Matthew Price, Jacqui Sanchez, Jonathan Stewart, Leigh-Anne Stone, Lucy Tapp, Karli Vale and Michael Watson.
The London stage musical, which previously played on Broadway and in Toronto and is currently on a US tour, is based on the irreverent fairy tale from William Steig’s book Shrek and the Oscar-winning Dreamworks Animation film, and tells the story of the swamp-dwelling ogre who embarks on a life-changing adventure in order to reclaim the deed to his land.
The creative team behind the show includes directors Jason Moore (Avenue Q) and Rob Ashford (Promises, Promises), with book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire, music by Olivier Award winner Jeanine Tesori, scenic, costume and puppet design by Tim Hatley, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, sound design by Peter Hylenski and choreography by Josh Prince.
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More news on Shrek The Musical
Shrek The Musical announces full cast
February 23, 2011
Shrek The Musical, which opens at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 6 May 2011, has announced the full cast of the show.
Shrek The Musical
Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden will star as Princess Fiona, with stage actor Nigel Lindsay (Four Lions) as Shrek, comedian Richard Blackwood as Donkey and TV actor Nigel Harman (EastEnders) as Lord Farquaad.
Produced by DreamWorks Theatricals and Sam Mendes’ Neal Street Productions, the show will begin previews at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 6 May 2011, with its opening night on 7 June.
Other members of the cast will include Delroy Atkinson, Amy Beadel, Stephanie Bron, Dean Chisnall, Jon-Scott Clark, Ste Clough, Lee William-Davis, Ross Dawes, Lucie Downer, Alice Fearn, Michelle Francis, Ashley E Hale, Rosanna Hyland, Bradley Jaden, Aaron Lee Lambert, Emma Lindars, Grant Murphy, Spencer O’Brien, Landi Oshinowo, Damien Poole, Stuart Matthew Price, Jacqui Sanchez, Jonathan Stewart, Leigh-Anne Stone, Lucy Tapp, Karli Vale and Michael Watson.
The London stage musical is based on the irreverent fairy tale from William Steig’s book Shrek and the Oscar-winning Dreamworks Animation film, and tells the story of the swamp-dwelling ogre who embarks on a life-changing adventure in order to reclaim the deed to his land.
The creative team behind the show includes directors Jason Moore (Avenue Q) and Rob Ashford (Promises, Promises), with book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire, music by Olivier Award winner Jeanine Tesori, scenic, costume and puppet design by Tim Hatley, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, sound design by Peter Hylenski and choreography by Josh Prince.
Book tickets to Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Shrek The Musical – Full Casting Announcement
February 23, 2011
NIGEL LINDSAY, RICHARD BLACKWOOD, NIGEL HARMAN AND AMANDA HOLDEN ARE JOINED BY A COMPANY OF 33
DreamWorks Theatricals and Neal Street Productions are delighted to announce full casting for the West End production of SHREK THE MUSICAL®.
Opening at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on May 6, 2011, SHREK THE MUSICAL® will star Nigel Lindsay as Shrek, Richard Blackwood as Donkey, Nigel Harman as Lord Farquaad and Amanda Holden as Princess Fiona. The company will also include: Delroy Atkinson, Amy Beadel, Stephanie Bron, Dean Chisnall, Jon-Scott Clark, Ste Clough, Lee William-Davis, Ross Dawes, Lucie Downer, Alice Fearn, Michelle Francis, Ashley E Hale, Rosanna Hyland, Bradley Jaden, Aaron Lee Lambert, Emma Lindars, Grant Murphy, Spencer O’Brien, Landi Oshinowo, Damien Poole, Stuart Matthew Price, Jacqui Sanchez, Jonathan Stewart, Leigh-Anne Stone, Lucy Tapp, Karli Vale and Michael Watson.
The roles of Young Shrek and Young Fiona will be shared by actors Samantha Allison, Chorlène Biron-Monnier, Lauren Dawes, Madeleine Hill, Emilia Jones and Sophie Wythe.
Produced by DreamWorks Theatricals and Neal Street Productions, SHREK THE MUSICAL® is based on the story and characters from William Steig’s book Shrek! and the Oscar®-winning DreamWorks Animation feature film Shrek, the first chapter in the series of irreverent fairy tales.
Tickets for the new stage musical are now on sale for performances until February 19, 2012.
SHREK THE MUSICAL® tells the story of the swamp-dwelling ogre who embarks on a life-changing adventure in order to reclaim the deed to his land. Joined by a wise-cracking donkey who won’t shut up, this unlikely hero fights a fearsome dragon, rescues the feisty Princess Fiona and learns that real friendship and true love aren’t only found in fairy tales. With all-new songs, and an old favourite in I’m a Believer, this spectacular stage musical brings to life the original film’s cast of dysfunctional characters and the accompanying subversive fun.
The Anglo-American creative team is led by directors Jason Moore and Rob Ashford and includes David Lindsay-Abaire (Book and Lyrics), Jeanine Tesori (Music), Tim Hatley (Scenic, Costume and Puppet Design), Hugh Vanstone (Lighting Design), Peter Hylenski (Sound Design), and Josh Prince (Choreography).
SHREK THE MUSICAL® played on Broadway from December 2008 to January 2010 and was nominated for eight Tony Awards®, winning Tim Hatley the Tony for Best Costume Design of a Musical. A production opened in Chicago on July 25, 2010 and is touring 60 cities in the United States.
LISTINGS INFORMATION:
SHREK THE MUSICAL®
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5JF
May 6, 2011 – February 19, 2012
Press Night: June 14, 2011
Box Office: 0844 871 8810
To Book online visit: www.shrekthemusical.co.uk
Performance Times:
Monday, Wednesday – Saturday 7.30pm
Thursday & Saturday 3pm
Sunday 3pm
Ticket Prices:
Stalls £65, £55, £25
Grand Circle £65
Upper Circle £55, £45, £20
Balcony £25, £20
Reduced price preview tickets available.
Owing to her commitment to ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent Amanda Holden will not appear in performances between Monday 30 May and Sunday 5 June inclusive.
Group Rates:
6+ Group Rate £45 (excludes Saturday Performances)
12+ Group Rate £39.50 (excludes Saturday Performances)
Group Bookings: 0844 412 4650
Education Rates:
12+ School Group Rate £22.50 & Free Teacher Place (valid Monday- Thursday)
Education Bookings: 0844 412 4649
Press night is on June 14, 2011.
Release issued by: The Corner Shop
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Book tickets to Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
JENNA RUSSELL in Into The Woods
August 16, 2010
Jenna Russell stars in the Open Air Theatre’s Into the Woods
This summer Jenna Russell will play the Baker’s Wife in a new production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park, timed to celebrate Sondheim’s 80th birthday year.
Directed by Timothy Sheader, the show adds a dark twist to famous fairytales such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel.
Jenna is no stranger to working outdoors having played the Open Air Theatre on a number of occasions, namely as Hermia in A Midsummer Nights Dream and Nellie in The Card.
She has also appeared in Into the Woods before – playing Cinderella in the Donmar’s 1998 production directed by John Crowley and Jonathan Butterell.
Jenna’s talent and versatility is demonstrated by her numerous stage roles, crossing both drama and musicals, and both classic and modern work.
Her credits include Amy in Amy’s View for Sir Peter Hall; Dot/Marie in the Menier Chocolate Factory production of Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George, for which she won an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical; Sarah in Guys and Dolls at the Donmar Warehouse directed by Michael Grandage; a number of RSC productions for directors including David Thacker, John Caird, Adrian Noble and Alan Ayckbourn; and West End roles in Les Miserables, Follies and Martin Guerre.
Jenna recently performed at Stephen Sondheim’s 80th birthday Prom at the Royal Albert Hall alongside Dame Judi Dench and Simon Russell Beale.
Other cast in Into The Woods include Hannah Waddingham, Valda Aviks, Billy Boyle, Gaye Brown, Helen Dallimore, Alice Fearn, Amy Griffiths, Mark Hadfield, Amy Ellen Richardson, Beverly Rudd, Ben Stott, Simon Thomas, Gemma Wardle and Michael Xavier.
Into the Woods will run from 5 August until 11 September at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park.
Book tickets to Into The Woods at the Open Air Theatre in London
Into The Woods opens tonight
August 16, 2010
The Open Air Theatre’s new production of Into The Woods officially opens tonight, 16 August, at its Regent’s Park venue.
Jenna Russell in Into The Woods. Photo: Catherine Ashmore
Timed to celebrate Stephen Sondheim 80th birthday year, the musical features West End stars – and Sondheim aficionados – Hannah Waddingham (A Little Night Music) and Jenna Russell (Sunday in the Park with George).
Directed by Timothy Sheader, Into The Woods adds a dark twist to famous fairytales such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel.
Other cast in the show include Valda Aviks, Billy Boyle, Gaye Brown, Helen Dallimore, Alice Fearn, Amy Griffiths, Mark Hadfield, Amy Ellen Richardson, Beverly Rudd, Ben Stott, Simon Thomas, Gemma Wardle and Michael Xavier.
Into the Woods will run from 5 August until 11 September at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park.
Book tickets to Into The Woods at the Open Air Theatre in London
OTHER SHOWS STARTING IN AUGUST
Deathtrap, starring Simon Russell Beale and Jonathan Groff, starts previews at the Noel Coward Theatre on 21 August.
AND CLOSING:
As You Like It and The Tempest at the Old Vic Theatre, directed by Sam Mendes and starring Stephen Dillane and Juliet Rylance, closes 21 August.
La Bete at the Comedy Theatre, closes 28 August.
STARTING IN SEPTEMBER
Noel Coward’s Design for Living at the Old Vic Theatre, from3 September.
Passion at the Donmar Warehouse starring Elena Roger, from 10 September.
Complicite’s A Disappearing Number at the Novello Theatre, from 10 September.
Les Miserables 25th anniversary production at the Barbican Theatre, from 14 September.
Krapp’s Last Tape starring Michael Gambon at the Duchess Theatre, from 15 September.
Yes, Prime Minister at the Gielgud Theatre starring David Haig and Henry Goodman, from 17 September.
Birdsong starring Ben Barnes and directed by Trevor Nunn, at the Comedy Theatre from 18 September.
Flashdance The Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre, from 24 September.
Onassis at the Novello Theatre starring Robert Lindsay, from 30 September.
AND CLOSING:
HAIR at the Gielgud Theatre, closes on 4 September.
All The Fun of the Fair at the Garrick Theatre, closes on 4 September.
Burn The Floor at the Shaftesbury Theatre, closes 4 September.
Tap Dogs at the Novello Theatre, closes 5 September.
The Secret of Sherlock Holmes at the Duchess Theatre, closes on 11 September.
The Prisoner of Second Avenue at the Vaudeville Theatre, closes 25 September.
HANNAH WADDINGHAM in Into The Woods
July 9, 2010
Beautiful Hannah returns to Sondheim and goes Into the Woods
West End star Hannah Waddingham, whose recent successes include Trevor Nunn’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, will return to Sondheim this summer in Into The Woods.
Part of this year’s Open Air Theatre season in Regent’s Park, the show helps celebrate Stephen Sondheim’s 80th year which also sees a revival of Passion this summer at the Donmar Warehouse starring Elena Roger.
Directed by Timothy Sheader, Hannah Waddingham plays the central role of the Witch, alongside Olivier award winner Jenna Russell (Sunday in the Park with George) as the Baker’s wife in the show that adds a dark twist to famous fairytales such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel.
Hannah has enjoyed a successful stage career, including Olivier Award nominations for playing the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot and Desiree Armfelt in Trevor Nunn’s production of A Little Night Music at the Menier Choclate Factory and the Garrick Theatre. Other roles include Suzanne Valadon in Lautrec, Christine Warner in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Beautiful Game at the Cambridge Theatre) Satan in Rod Stewart’s Tonight’s The Night and Rizzo in Grease at the Victoria Palace Theatre.
The Menier Chocolate Factory production of Sondheim’s A Little Night Music continues to pack them in on Broadway, now starring Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch (from 13 July). Catherine Zeta-Jones won a Tony Award for her performance as Desiree in the show on Broadway.
Other cast in Into The Woods include Valda Aviks, Billy Boyle, Gaye Brown, Helen Dallimore, Alice Fearn, Amy Griffiths, Mark Hadfield, Amy Ellen Richardson, Beverly Rudd, Ben Stott, Simon Thomas, Gemma Wardle and Michael Xavier.
Into the Woods will run from 5 August until 11 September at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park.
Book tickets to Into The Woods at the Open Air Theatre in London
Summer Theatre in the West End
June 28, 2010
New shows opening in London this summer
Spring and autumn may be the busiest times for new shows in London, but this summer will still pack quite a punch with some big names, high-profile directors and a few surprises in store.
A range of musicals and plays will open in the capital over the next few months, including classic musicals from Stephen Sondheim (Into the Woods) and Rogers & Hammerstein (State Fair); starry comedy, including David Hyde Pearce and Joanna Lumley in La Bete, Jeff Goldblum in The Prisoner of Second Avenue and Simon Russell Beal and Jonathan Groff in Deathtrap); dance spectaculars (Burn the Floor), new musicals (Wolfboy), ambitious children’s drama (The Railway Children) and a terrifying new play (Ghost Stories).
