Photos: Shrek Gala, Cast & Creatives Meet PrinceDate: 9 June 2011
Shrek The Musical, which opens at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 16 June (previews from 6 May 2011), held a Royal Gala performance last night (8 June 2011) in the presence of the Prince of Wales.
Held in support of the Prince's Foundation for Children & the Arts, the gala was hosted by chief executive officer of DreamWorks Animation, Jeffrey Katzenberg, with special guests including American comedian, actors and musician Jack Black and Prince's Foundation ambassador Adrian Lester. Nigel Lindsay who plays the musical's titular ogre, and Amanda Holden who plays Princess Fiona, were introduced to the Prince of Wales, as were Neal Street Productions' Caro Newling and Sam Mendes and DreamWorks Animation's president of creative, Bill Damaschke.
HRH Prince of Wales meets Amanda Holden & Nigel Lindsay. Photo credit: Helen Maybanks 
HRH Prince of Wales meets Caro Newling, Bill Damaschke & Sam Mendes. Photo credit: Helen Maybanks
HRH Prince of Wales meets Sam Mendes. Photo credit: Helen Maybanks
HRH Prince of Wales meets Sam Mendes, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Fizzy Barclay & Jack Black.
Photo credit: Helen Maybanks
Jack Black attends the Royal Gala. Photo credit: Helen Maybanks
Lindsay and Holden are joined in the cast by
Richard Blackwood as Donkey and
Nigel Harman as Lord Farquaad. The screen-to-stage adaptation is an irreverent alternative fairy tale about a lonely green ogre, who finds happiness and conquers a fearsome dragon with the help of a wise-cracking donkey and a tough-talking Princess.
Shrek the Musical premiered in December 2008 on Broadway, where it ran for just over a year. The New York production was nominated for eight Tony Awards, Tim Hatley winning for Best Costume Design of a Musical. The West End offering will be based on the revamped US touring production, which launched from Chicago in July 2010. That production continues to tour, having visited 60 US cities.
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 is produced by Neal Street Productions and, in the company’s theatrical debut, the Hollywood studio Dreamworks Animations.
- by Andrew Girvan
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