Based on the beloved DreamWorks animated film, Shrek the Musical brings audiences into a fantastical fairytale world turned upside down. When a grumpy ogre named Shrek finds his swamp overrun by displaced storybook characters, he sets out on a life-changing adventure to reclaim his home. Along the way, he is joined by a talkative Donkey and encounters a feisty princess who help him discover that true beauty comes from within. Filled with humor, romance, and catchy songs, this family-friendly production celebrates friendship, self-acceptance, and the power of being yourself.
Shrek The Musical is based on the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film, Shrek, which featured an all-star cast of voice actors that included Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, and John Lithgow. The original film was so successful that it led to a series of sequels: Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After. (A fifth movie is slated for release in June of 2027.) Both the 2001 movie and the subsequent stage musical are adapted from William Steig's picture book for children, Shrek!, which was published in 1990.
Shrek The Musical premiered in August 2008 at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. The show transferred to the Broadway Theatre in New York City, officially opening on Dec. 14, 2008. The original Broadway production played for 441 performances before closing on Jan. 3, 2010. The production was nominated for eight Tony Awards, winning one for Best Costume Design of a Musical.
DAVID LINDSAY-ABAIRE (book and lyrics) is a Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, screenwriter, lyricist and librettist. His most recent show, the musical Kimberly Akimbo, written with composer Jeanine Tesori, premiered off Broadway at the Atlantic Theater Co., where it won the Lortel, NYDCC, OCC and Drama Desk Awards for Best Musical before it moved to Broadway and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score as well as a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. His play Good People premiered on Broadway at MTC, was awarded the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, The Horton Foote Prize, The Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, and two Tony nominations. His play Rabbit Hole also premiered on Broadway at MTC and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, five Tony nominations, and the Spirit of America Award. David also wrote the book and lyrics for Shrek The Musical (Jeanine Tesori, composer), which was nominated for eight Tonys, four Oliviers, a Grammy, and earned the David Kleban Prize as America’s most promising musical theatre lyricist. His newest play, The Balusters, premiers on Broadway at MTC in April 2026, directed by Kenny Leon. David’s other plays include Ripcord, Fuddy Meers, Kimberly Akimbo and Wonder of the World which all premiered at MTC, as well as A Devil Inside at Soho Rep. In addition to his work in theatre, David's screen credits include his film adaptation of Rabbit Hole (starring Nicole Kidman, Oscar nomination), Dreamworks’ Rise of the Guardians, and The Family Fang, among others. He is also, along with Tanya Barfield, Co-Director of the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program at the Juilliard School.
JEANINE TESORI (music) won the Tony Award for Best Original Score with Lisa Kron for the musical Fun Home. She has also written Tony-nominated scores for Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center; Thoroughly Modern Millie (lyrics, Dick Scanlan); Caroline, or Change (lyrics, Tony Kushner); and Shrek The Musical (lyrics, David Lindsay-Abaire). The production of Caroline, or Change at the National Theatre in London received the Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Her 1997 Off-Broadway musical Violet (lyrics, Brian Crawley) opened on Broadway in 2014 and garnered four Tony nominations, including Best Musical Revival. Opera: A Blizzard on Marblehead Neck (libretto, Tony Kushner; Glimmerglass) and The Lion, The Unicorn, and Me (libretto, J. D. McClatchy, Kennedy Center). Music for plays: Mother Courage (dir. George C. Wolfe, with Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline), John Guare's A Free Man of Color (Lincoln Center Theater, dir. George C. Wolfe), and Romeo and Juliet (Delacorte Gala). Film scores: Nights in Rodanthe, Every Day, and You're Not You. Ms. Tesori is a member of the Dramatists Guild and was cited by the ASCAP as the first female composer to have two new musicals running concurrently on Broadway. She was the founding artistic director of Encores! Off-Center at New York City Center, and a lecturer in music at Yale University. Most of all, she is the proud parent of Siena Rafter.
JASON MOORE (director of original Broadway production) Broadway: Avenue Q, Steel Magnolias. Carnegie Hall: Jerry Springer: The Opera. Off-Broadway: Speech and Debate (Roundabout), Avenue Q (the Vineyard), Guardians (the Culture Project), The Crumple Zone. Associate directing: Les Misérables (Broadway, national tour), Ragtime (Vancouver). Writer: The Floatplane Notebooks (Charlotte Repertory Theatre). TV directing: episodes of Dawson’s Creek, Everwood, One Tree Hill and Brothers and Sisters. Jason has a BS in performance studies from Northwestern University.
ROB ASHFORD (director of original Broadway production) won the 2012 Olivier Award for his production of Anna Christie starring Jude Law and Ruth Wilson at London's Donmar Warehouse. He directed the 2013 Broadway revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof starring Scarlett Johansson, and Macbeth with Sir Kenneth Branagh at New York's Park Avenue Armory and The Manchester International Festival. Rob received his eighth Tony Nomination for his work on the 2012 Broadway revival of Evita starring Ricky Martin, and received the Tony Award for his work on the 2002 Broadway production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Other Broadway credits include Frozen (choreography), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Tony Award Nominations for his direction and choreography), Promises, Promises (Tony Award Nomination), Shrek The Musical, Cry-Baby (Tony Award nomination, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Fred Astaire Awards), Curtains (Tony Award nomination), and The Wedding Singer (Tony Award nomination). In London, Rob also directed the highly acclaimed Olivier Award-winning revivals of A Streetcar Named Desire starring Rachel Weisz and Parade at The Donmar Warehouse. He did the choreography and staging for the 2013 Academy Awards with Seth MacFarlane and won the 2009 Emmy Award for Best Choreography for his work on Baz Luhrmann's production number (featuring Hugh Jackman and Beyoncé) at the 81st Annual Academy Awards. He also choreographed the opening number for The Tony Awards starring Neil Patrick Harris for four years. He choreographed the 2004 feature film Beyond the Sea directed by and starring Academy Award-winner Kevin Spacey and Walt Disney's 2015 film Cinderella directed by Kenneth Branagh. In 2013, he directed and choreographed NBC's The Sound of Music Live!, for which he received a DGA Award Nomination. He directed The Barber of Seville at Chicago Lyric Opera. Rob is an Associate Director at The Old Vic Theatre. He also serves on the Executive Board of The Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and is a Trustee of The Joyce Theatre in New York City.
Special makeup effects thanks to Alicia Diaz-Valls and Brooklyn Davis
Shrek……MICAH HARVEY
Fiona……ANNA LIGGETT
Donkey……BRANDON BRIGGS
Farquaad……DAN REICHERT
Dragon……KARINA MORAN
Young Fiona/Dwarf (March 12–15, March 26–29)……KYRA RODENBORN
Young Fiona/Dwarf (March 5–8, March 19–22)……SAMANTHA STULAK
Teen Fiona/White Rabbit (March 5–8, March 19–22)……EDEN RODEMAN
Teen Fiona/White Rabbit (March 12–15, March 26–29)……MIA SMALLEY
Young Shrek/Baby Bear……HOLDEN PETERSON
Papa Ogre/Papa Bear/Shrek US……BRIAN O. JACKSON
Mama Ogre/Wicked Witch……HALLE SHADRAKE
Pinocchio/Farquaad US……MAX SMITH
Big Bad Wolf/King Harold……BEN LOWERY
Little Pig 1……MIRIAM HENKEL-MOELLMANN
Little Pig 2……DANIELLE GRUNENWALD GRUHLER
Little Pig 3/Queen Lillian……LIBBY HERBERTH
Mama Bear……LAURA NEIHAUS
Peter Pan/Pinocchio US……PERRIN LEASURE
Sugar Plum Fairy/Gingy……MIA RENARD
Ugly Duckling……MAKENNA BIRD
Humpty Dumpty/Dragon US……LOGAN BROOKS
Elf……OLIVIA RODEMAN
Fairy Godmother……LORI RODEMAN
Thelonius……MASON BROSCH
Knight 1/Guard……LAYNE WEAKLAND
Knight 2/Guard……CHASE OBERHAUS
Knight 3/Guard……TYLER WITHERSTINE
Knight 4/Guard……STEPHEN KRAUS
Blind Mouse 1/Dance Ensemble……ISABELLA RODEMAN
Blind Mouse 2/Dance Ensemble/Donkey US……TONG XU
Blind Mouse 3/Dance Captain/Swing……ELLA EMBRY
Dance Ensemble/Fiona US/Swing……BRENNA CHARLICK
Dance Ensemble……KATY GIBSON
Dance Ensemble……ALYSA MUSSELMAN
Dance Ensemble……RACHAEL ARMBRUSTER
Dance Ensemble……SILVIA PETERSON
Guard……BRENDON NEUENSCHWANDER
Guard……CHRISTOPHER FOWLER
Act One
Overture
Orchestra
Big Bright Beautiful World
Mama Ogre, Papa Ogre, Shrek
Story of My Life
Guard, Fairytale Creatures
The Goodbye Song
Shrek, Fairytale Creatures
Don’t Let Me Go
Donkey
What’s Up, Duloc?
Lord Farquaad, Duloc Performers
I Know It’s Today
Young Fiona, Teen Fiona, Adult Fiona
Travel Song
Donkey, Shrek
Forever
Donkey, Dragon
This Is How a Dream Comes True
Fiona, Shrek, Donkey, Dragon
Who I’d Be
Shrek, Fiona, Donkey
Act Two
Morning Person
Fiona, Pied Piper, Rats
I Think I Got You Beat
Fiona, Shrek
The Ballad of Farquaad
Lord Farquaad, Guards
Make a Move
Donkey, Three Blind Mice
When Words Fail
Shrek
Morning Person (Reprise)
Fiona
Build a Wall
Shrek
Freak Flag
Fairytale Creatures
Big Bright Beautiful World (Reprise)
Shrek
Finale
Fiona, Shrek, Donkey, Fairytale Creatures
I'm a Believer
Fiona, Shrek, Donkey, Dragon, Fairytale Creatures, Ensemble
Conductor/Keyboards – Edward Ridley, Jr.
Bass – Toussaint English
Percussion – Dylan Gomez
Guitar - Ryan McDermott
Keyboard 2 – Steven A. Miller
Set Construction Crew
Elijah Chase
Dale Gilbert
Kathy Kohl
Dave Moledor
Richard Morris, Jr.
Electrics Crew
Master Electrician: Jack-Anthony Ina
Electricians: Fiona Cook, Anabelle Otto, Van Wornkey
Sound Operators
Christopher Pepe
Costume Construction Crew
Beth Desberg
Wynne Gavin
Millie Keyser
Sabrina Kim
Lindy Lincicome
Pat McRowe
Susie Stech
Jasen J. Smith
Costume Inventory
Jenny Banker
Pam Groom
Jasen J. Smith
Backstage
Andrew Allen
Jeannie Clarkson
Doug Fidler
Ken Hardman
Alyssa Miller
Sara Vollman
Front-of-House
Adam Alderson
JayShon Austin
Jenny Banks
Jeannie Clarkson
Doug Fidler
Tonya Gully
Marcia Korane
Patti McCoy
Katherine Peck
Paige Sheeks
Nancy Shorts