Shrek The Musical Will Crop Up Across the "Big Bright Beautiful World"

By Adam Hetrick
10 Aug 2011

Nigel Lindsay as Shrek
Nigel Lindsay as Shrek
Photo by Brinkhoff Mögenburg

The Tony Award-nominated musical Shrek, which recently made its West End debut, is going to spread ogre love across the world in a series of new international productions.

Based on the William Steig book and Dreamworks Animation Film, Shrek has music by Jeanine Tesori (Caroline, or Change; Violet) and book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole, Good People).

While the authors re-explored parts of the musical for the West End run, including a new opening number, the international stagings will reflect the U.S. national tour script. Music Theatre International licenses the property.

Shrek will simultaneously begin in Madrid and in Gdynia, Poland, on Sept. 1, with runs scheduled through 2012. Also planned are productions in Sao Paulo, Brazil, beginning in April 2012, as well as an Italian tour launching Aug. 31, 2012, in Pavia and a Paris engagement, which will play the holiday 2012 season, beginning Dec. 1, 2012.

"I am so thrilled to be working closely with James Triner of DreamWorks on these first MTI licensed International productions of Shrek and look forward to Shrek being produced all over the world," said MTI director of international licensing Richard Salfas.

Shrek opened on Broadway Dec. 14, 2008. It was originally co-directed by Tony Award nominee Jason Moore and Tony winner Rob Ashford, with choreography by Josh Prince. The team repeated their work for the current London production and U.S. national tour.