TV reality show judge Amanda Holden will prove she has talent next year when she takes to the London stage as Princess Fiona in the musical adaptation of the hit family movie Shrek.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge will perform opposite Richard Blackwood, who takes the role of Donkey. Casting for the title role has yet to be confirmed.
Holden, whose television roles include Kiss Me Kate, Cutting It, Wild At Heart and the Simon Cowell-fronted Britain’s Got Talent, last appeared in the West End in 2003, when she took the title role in Thoroughly Modern Millie, collecting a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for her performance. Shrek The Musical will reunite the actress with director Rob Ashford, who choreographed Thoroughly Modern Millie, and composer Jeanine Tesori, who provided the music for both shows.
The multi-talented Blackwood has built an eclectic career including presenting, stand up comedy, music and acting. He has toured in productions including Angel House and The Unexpected Guest, and appeared opposite James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad and Adrian Lester in the West End revival of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof last year.
Shrek The Musical, which opens at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in May 2011, is set in a fairytale land and tells the story of a grumpy swamp-dwelling ogre who embarks on a life-changing adventure to reclaim the deed to his land. Meeting friends along the way, including a wise-cracking donkey and the feisty Princess Fiona, he learns that real friendship and true love aren’t only found in stories.
Shrek The Musical, which played on Broadway between December 2008 and January 2010, features direction from Ashford and Avenue Q’s Jason Moore, book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and Tony Award-winning design by Tim Hatley.
MA