casting
announced for the new nationwide tour of
Shrek The Musical
Shrek
The Musical
Sunderland Empire
Wednesday 31st January – Sunday 11th February 2018
cast
includes Steffan Harri as ‘Shrek’, Call
the Midwife star Laura Main as ‘Princess Fiona’, Marcus Ayton as ‘Donkey’
and Samuel Holmes as ‘Lord Farquaad’
Believe all ‘ogre’ again! SHREK THE MUSICAL® today announces casting for the major nationwide tour. Following the unprecedented success of the first UK and Ireland tour, the original production team reunites to bring the hit musical to a swamp near you. Opening at Edinburgh Playhouse for the festive season, the production will then tour throughout the country in 2018 with a date at Sunderland Empire, 31 January – 11 February 2018.
Leading
the cast as beloved swamp-dwelling ogre ‘Shrek’ will be Steffan Harri, having previously starred in the original
UK tour of SHREK THE MUSICAL®,
and Call the Midwife star Laura Main as ‘Princess Fiona’. Also
joining the cast will be Marcus Ayton as
Shrek’s wisecracking sidekick ‘Donkey’ and Samuel
Holmes as pint-sized villain ‘Lord Farquaad’. Further casting to be
announced.
The
company of fairy-tale characters will include Adam Baker, Ethan Bradshaw,
Michael Carolan, Joseph Dockree, Will Hawksworth, Sarah-Louise Jones, Reece
Kerridge, Thomas Lee Kidd, Amy Oxley, Jemma Revell, Lucinda Shaw, Sam Stones,
Adam Taylor, Jennifer Tierney, Sophie Wallis, Francesca Williams, Laura Wilson and
Kevin Yates.
Laura Main (Princess
Fiona) says: ‘I’ve been waiting a long
time for an adventure like this to come along and now that it has I am ready to
swap the surgery for the swamp in one of my favourite musicals. Shrek has made
a Believer out of me and I can’t wait for this fairytale to take me across the
country.’
 |
Caro
Newling (Co-Producer,
Neal Street Productions) explains: ‘At Neal Street we take pride in bringing
together colleagues from different disciplines in new creative collaborations.
For this Shrek tour, we are particularly excited to be bringing together Nigel
Harman, with whom we have worked on many successful Neal Street projects, and
Laura Main who joined Call The Midwife for the very first
series back in 2012. Since Shrek the Musical’s West End debut
in 2011 we have opened our doors to nearly 2 million audience members
nationwide. It's great to be out on the road again, ten years after Neal Street
co-produced the first incarnation of the show with DreamWorks Animation in
Seattle and then on Broadway.’
Nick
Salmon (Co-Producer,
Playful Productions) said: ‘I am thrilled that the show will be reuniting
many of the talented team members who have been involved in the production
since day one. Nigel has gone from being Lord Farquaad, in the West End to
directing our touring production and
Steffan, who was previously one of our hilarious Three Pigs, will be stepping
into Shrek’s ogre-sized shoes. We can’t wait to bring this much loved story to
audiences across the country once more.’
 |
As
previously announced, Nigel Harman will
return as director, having made his directorial debut on the first ever tour.
Since then Nigel has gone on to direct Lunch
& The Bow of Ulysses (Trafalgar Studios) and will direct Kelsey Grammer
in Big Fish The Musical (The Other
Palace) this autumn. Best known for his stage and television work, Nigel
originated the role of Lord Farquaad in the West End, winning the Olivier Award
for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical.
Steffan
Harri starred in the first ever UK tour of Shrek the Musical, covering the role of
Lord Farquaad. West End theatre
credits include Les Misérables (Queen’s
Theatre), Spamalot (Playhouse
Theatre) and Children of Eden (Prince
of Wales Theatre). Steffan also played Lyn in Welsh language soap opera Rownd a Rownd.
Laura
Main is
best known for her role as Shelagh Turner in the award-winning Call
the Midwife (BBC/Neal Street Productions). Appearing initially as
Sister Bernadette, she left behind her life as a nun to marry Dr Turner. Laura
has appeared in all six series to date and will return for this year’s
Christmas special and series 7 in 2018. She has also had regular
roles as Rebecca Howlett in The Mill (Channel 4) and DC
Alison Bain in Murder City (ITV). Stage credits include Company (Southwark
Playhouse), Me and Juliet (Finborough Theatre) and State
Fair (Trafalgar Studios / Finborough Theatre).
Marcus
Ayton’s recent credits include Sammy Davis Jr in The Rat Pack Live, Ray Charles in A Tribute to the Brothers Live and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
(UK Tour).
Samuel
Holmes is currently appearing as George in the UK Tour
of The Wedding Singer. Other stage
credits include Mrs Henderson Presents
(Theatre Royal Bath; Noel Coward Theatre), Water
Babies (Curve Theatre), Spamalot (Playhouse
Theatre), Kiss Me Kate (Chichester
Festival Theatre) and Crazy for You (Regent’s
Park Open Air Theatre; Novello Theatre).
 |
SHREK THE MUSICAL®
is based on the story and characters from William Steig’s book Shrek! and the Oscar®-winning DreamWorks
Animations feature film. Originally directed in the West End by Jason Moore and Rob Ashford, the production has book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, music by Jeanine Tesori with multi award-winning
set and costume design by Tim Hatley.
The
UK and Ireland tour of the original DreamWorks Production will be presented by
the original West End production team Neal Street Productions and Playful
Productions with Ron Kastner, Saracen Films, Tulchin/Bartner Productions, Gavin Kalin, Glass Half Full Productions/Just For Laughs Theatricals,
Lee Menzies and Mark Cartwright.
* The producers cannot guarantee the appearance of any
particular artists subject to holiday, illness or events beyond the producers’
control.
On The Web:
WEBSITE: www.shrekthemusical.co.uk
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/shrekuktour
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/shrekthemusicallondon
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/ShrekLondon
Read the NETG Review of the 2015 tour of Shrek: LINK
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/ShrekLondon
Read the NETG Review of the 2015 tour of Shrek: LINK
Tickets:
Tickets available in person at
the Box Office on High Street West, from the Ticket Centre on 0844 871
3022* or online from our affiliate ATG Tickets at http://tidd.ly/4e09ad83
*
*Calls
cost 7p per minute plus your plus your phone company's access charge.
Booking and transaction fees may apply.
Group Bookings: 0844
871 3042
Calls cost 7p per minute, plus
your phone company's access charge.
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