Shrek producers: We want to reassure everyone that the rest of the tour is still going ahead as planned

Producers of the hit musical Shrek have reassured audiences nationwide that the show is still going ahead after one tour stop was cancelled due to concrete concerns.

In a new statement, the production team highlighted that the musical will be playing as planned in Aberdeen next week, with all future tour stops still in place.

Producers Matthew Gale and Mark Goucher said: “Whilst we are incredibly disappointed that performances of Shrek the Musical couldn’t go ahead in Carlisle this week due to the temporary closure of the Sands Centre Auditorium, we want to reassure everyone that the rest of the tour is still going ahead as planned and we very much look forward to entertaining audiences in Aberdeen next week. We hope to be able to return to Carlisle in the future to give guests another chance to see the show. For all ticketing enquiries please contact betterboxoffice.co.uk or call 01228 633 766.”

The show’s run this week was brought to a halt after the discovery of RAAC concrete in the Sands Centre auditorium in Carlisle.

The cast is led by Antony Lawrence (as Shrek), Joanne Clifton (as Princess Fiona), James Gillan (as Lord Farquaad), Brandon Lee Sears (as Donkey) and Cherece Richards (as Dragon), alongside Leo Abad, Scotty Armstrong, Imogen Bailey, Jabari Braham, Georgie Buckland, Natasha Cayabyab, Mark D’Arcy, Jonathan David Dudley, Remi Ferdinand, Sonny Grieveson, Edward Leigh, Bethany Kate, Jessica Lim, Andile Mabhena, Bronte MacMillan, India Thornton. Talia Duff, Gabriela Gregorian, Rory Shafford and Jamie Jonathan.

The musical is based on William Steig’s children’s book and the Oscar-winning DreamWorks film of the same name and is penned by David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori. First seen on Broadway in 2008, with a West End premiere following in 2011, it follows a curmudgeonly ogre who is roped into a quest to save a princess, only for true love to get in the way.

This new revival of Shrek features a different producing team to the musical’s original UK production, with Sam Holmes (who played Lord Farquaad in a previous tour) co-directing with Nick Winston (Bonnie and Clyde), who also choreographs.

The creative team also includes set and costume designer Philip Witcomb, lighting designer Ben Cracknell, sound designer Ben Harrison, projection designer Nina Dunn, puppet designer Jimmy Grimes and casting director Jim Arnold.

The show opened at Plymouth Theatre Royal and is still set to visit Aberdeen, Oxford, Wimbledon, Dartford, Northampton, Leicester, Bradford, Woking, Eastbourne, Cardiff, York, Blackpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Coventry, Sunderland, Liverpool, Southampton, Milton Keynes, Hull, Cheltenham, Nottingham, Norwich, Belfast, Birmingham and Derry.