Shrek musical cancels tour stop due to concrete concerns

The touring production of Shrek the Musical has cancelled a tour stop in Carlisle due to the Sands Centre Auditorium’s closure.

The venue, which has found traces of RAAC, has confirmed it will temporarily close while inspections take place.

The production has said in a statement: “We are very disappointed that performances of Shrek The Musical can no longer go ahead due to the temporary closure of The Sands Centre Auditorium. We very much hope to be able to return to Carlisle in the future to give audiences another chance to see the show. For all ticketing enquiries please contact betterboxoffice.co.uk or call 01228 633 766.”

The production is set to visit Aberdeen, Oxford, Wimbledon, Dartford, Northampton, Bradford, Woking, Eastbourne, Cardiff, York, Blackpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Coventry, Sunderland, Liverpool, Southampton, Milton Keynes, Hull, Cheltenham, Nottingham, Norwich, Belfast, Birmingham and Derry.

Set to appear in the 2023-24 tour are Anthony Lawrence (The Lion King tour, Matilda the Musical) as Shrek, alongside Joanne Clifton (Strictly Come Dancing, Windfall, The Addams Family) as Fiona. Also cast are Brandon Lee Sears (Dreamgirls, Be More Chill, Come From Away) as Donkey alongside James Gillan (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), as Lord Faquaad.

Tour performances of new Agatha Christie thriller And There Were None have been cancelled in Northampton, with the show now set to commence its run in Dublin later this month.

A number of venues, including the Dartford Orchard Theatre and Royal and Derngate, have had to temporarily close while inspections continue.