SHREK to Undergo Changes for West End; New Characters & Design

According to a report by Baz Bamigboye in UK Daily Mail, the upcoming West End production of Shrek will receive many changes before opening at Theatre Royal.  The cast will be lead by Nigel Lindsey as Shrek, Nigel Harman as Lord Farquaad, Richard Blackwood as Donkey, and Amanda Holden as Princess Fiona.

Head of the creative team Rob Ashford said of Holden,  'I knew how hard she delivered big time at the Shrek.  The others knew her as Britain's Got Talent, and initially have been a sense going to come in as a big star and be fine. Amanda is a beauty and she's lovely, but she can also act.'

Ashford and Jason Moore  are working with bookwriter David Lindsay-Abaire and composer Jeanine Tesori on tweaking the London production.

Ashford explained, 'There was too much clutter in the early productions and that has been stripped away. We're all meeting in October to go over what elements of the book's structure need to be altered.  We intend to introduce storybook characters such as Humpty Dumpty, the White Rabbit and others who are more recognisable in the UK, as well as some new design elements.'

Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski