Cumberland County Playhouse to Present SHREK, 6/13-8/31

Starting June 13, Cumberland County Playhouse will present what just might be its most spectacular production yet, Shrek The Musical! Featuring 19 all-new songs, big laughs and amazing special effects, Shrek The Musical is part romance, part fairy tale and all fun! Based on the Oscar winning DreamWorks film, Shrek brings the hilarious story of everyone's favorite ogre to life on stage as our unlikely hero Shrek and his loyal friend Donkey set off on a quest to rescue the fiery Princess Fiona. Add a villain with a SHORT temper, a cookie with attitude and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits in an irresistible mix of adventure, laughter and romance and you've got a must-see musical comedy for all ages!

Directed by Bryce McDonald (9 to 5), Shrek will star Britt Hancock as big, green, scary (but sweet) Shrek, Michael Ruff as a cool, jivin' Donkey, Anna Baker as beautiful but goofy Princess Fiona, and Daniel Black as the very mean (and very short!) Lord Farquaad... and when Donkey's 30-foot Dragon Lady (Illeana Kirven and friends) comes to life onstage, it's more dazzling than the movie! When asked about the show's universal appeal director McDonald said, Shrek is "the best fairy tale, because it teaches us we don't have to be perfect to have a happily ever after!" Don't miss DeAnna Etchison, Carol Irvin and Patty Payne as three hilarious Little Pigs, Weslie Webster as Wicked Witch, mad Austin Price as the Mad Hatterhimself and dozens of " fractured fairy tale" characters. The happy but un-cool gang's all here, including the Queen of Hearts (Angela Robbins), Snow White's Evil Queen (Kathryn Berman), nose-growing Pinocchio (Quinn Cason), Mary Poppins (Caitlin Schaub) and Baby Bears Emily Graham and Sophie Burnett, as they join Shrek and Donkey to rescue Fiona and stop the evil 4'2" Lord Farquaad from banishing story characters from the Kingdom! Tired of their bossy little tyrant - who wants them to be conventional, obedient subjects - they decide to let their true individual personalities shine, with the help of the once-unpopular Shrek and the Princess.

Shrek will also feature scenery by Curtis Phillips and costumes by Terry Schwab (the team that designed the sets and costumes for CCP's Beauty and the Beast), along with state-of-the-art video production by Curtis Phillips and Mikael Drobny.

Shrek the Musical runs through August 31, is rated G and is co-sponsored by Comfort Suites/Holiday Inn Express/Hampton Inn and Gernt Insurance/Grange Insurance.

Also at the Playhouse: Annie Get Your Gun starring Kellye Cash (rated G, sponsored by Plateau Pediatrics, firearms sponsor: Tabor's Pawn Shop) through July 11; and Smoke on the Mountain, (Rated G, sponsored by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store), through August 8. Tickets and information are also available for Southern Stars Symphonic Brass and other events. All CCP productions are made possible through sponsor support, with additional support from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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