| WORKING OGRETIME
|
By David Lefkowitz
|
|
Published March 24 2008 |
 |
|
| , Sutton Foster |
|
|
There is peace in the kingdom the principle roles in Shrek, the upcoming Broadway musical, have all been cast. Brian d'Arcy James, a Tony nominee for The Sweet Smell of Success, will play the gentle ogre opposite Young Frankenstein's Inga, Sutton Foster. Going from an ape in Tarzan to Shrek's Donkey sidekick (i.e., the Eddie Murphy role) will be the busy Chester Gregory II, who's just about to open in Cry-Baby. In what would appear to be ideal casting, Avenue Q's John Tartaglia will play Pinocchio, while Spamalot's Christopher Sieber will be dastardly Lord Farquaad and Kecia Lewis-Evans assays the Dragon. Jason Moore, who staged the aforementioned Q, will helm Shrek, which is produced by DreamWorks Theatricals and Neal Street Productions and tries out Aug. 14-Sept. 21 at Seattle's Fifth Avenue Theater. It's New York-bound Nov. 8, with an opening set for Dec. 14 at Broadway's Broadway Theater. Based on William Steig's children's stories and the Dream Works animated blockbuster, Shrek features a score by Jeanine Tesori, of Caroline, Or Change renown, and a book by Rabbit Hole Pulitzer-winner, David Lindsay-Abaire.
|
