Shrek the Musical is a monster hit

The West End is going all out in the next few months to make sure that everyone is catered for when they’re looking for entertainment, including families who would usually just rent a movie or go to the cinema. As any theatre fan knows, seeing a great play on stage is far more engaging than staring at a screen, and when you’re trying to keep kids happy it can be much more exciting too.

Thanks to musicals like Shrek just starting their West End run, and the likes of The Lion King that are veritable West End institutions, children are more welcome in the theatre than you might think; it’s not all Harold Pinter and the Royal Shakespeare Company (who are, in fact, staging a new musical version of Roald Dahl classic Matilda).

Shrek is a massive laugh for the whole family though; the all-star cast stays it all. British rapper Richard Blackwood is hilarious as Donkey, and just like in the Dreamworks film Donkey provides plenty of entertainment for the parents too. Initially Amanda Holden capably filled the role of Princess Fiona, but due to her pregnancy and other commitments, the character is now portrayed by none other than Girls Aloud’s Kimberley Walsh. These two bona fide pop stars carry the musical numbers with aplomb, making Shrek the musical the perfect treat that will have the whole family singing along for months to come.

The cast is completed by TV stars Nigel Harman as the evil Lord Farquaad, and Nigel Lindsay as the eponymous ogre; both of whom have been nominated for Olivier awards (Harman, previously of Eastenders, went on to win the award for his performance during the musical’s first run).

Shrek is due to be performed on stage at the legendary Theatre Royal on Drury Lane (The Muffin Man is sure to be in attendance), and after the musical’s monstrously successful first run West End theatre tickets for the show are going fast at vendors like Ticket.com who are offering discounted seats for the upcoming performances.