Shea's Makes Room for an Ogre on its Stage

Buffalo, make way – an ogre is coming to town.

The Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation story of the unlikely hero, Shrek the Ogre, traveling to a faraway kingdom to rescue Princess Fiona, is being performed live at the end of this month, as Shrek the Musical is set for eight performances at Shea's Performing Arts Center starting Tuesday and running through Sunday.

On his rescue journey, Shrek is accompanied by a donkey whose desire for Shrek's friendship is nothing but annoying. They meet fairy-tale friends and foes along the way, all of whom help create this film-inspired musical's storyline.

DreamWorks Theatricals and Neal Street Productions are recreating the kingdom of Far, Far Away on the Shea's stage with a well-credited cast. The big green guy himself, Shrek, whom viewers follow on his journey from the swamp, will be played by Eric Peterson.

Peterson, from the Broadway Company, has appeared in productions such as Oliver! and The Producers. He has also made TV appearances on Law and Order and Law and Order SVU.

Also from the Broadway production is Haven Burton, who takes on the role of Shrek's princess, Fiona. A graduate of the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Burton recently played Margot the dog whisperer in the musical Legally Blonde, while she understudied the character of Elle Woods.

The comedic character of Shrek's sidekick Donkey is taken on by Alan Mingo, Jr., while David F. M. Vaughn plays Lord Farquaad. Mingo was Sebastian in The Little Mermaid and was an original company member in Rent, playing Tom Collins. Vaughn was an original member of the Shrek the Musical cast and has been in productions of West Side Story and Les Misérables.

David Lindsay-Abaire, nominated for two Tony Awards for his work on Shrek the Musical, wrote the book and lyrics for the on-stage production. Meanwhile, composer Jeanine Tesori, who put together the music for the production, was nominated for four Tony Awards for her scores for the Broadway plays Twelfth Night; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Caroline, or Change; and Shrek the Musical.

Under the direction of Jason Moore and Rob Ashford, this powerful cast is sure to create an unforgettable production of Shrek's journey.

For fans that want to follow the musical's tour or find others that share their love for the ogre, they can join Shrekster, "a place for theatreogres" to network about upcoming tours and interact with other theater fans.

Much like Facebook, Shrekster users can create a username and password and set up with a local network. The site is hooked up to a Twitter feed that provides links to interviews with the musical's cast, such as Burton and Peterson. It also updates users on opportunities to win a trip to see Shrek the Musical and meet cast members.

Tickets are now available for Shrek the Musical at Shea's Performing Arts Ticket office, at 650 Main St. For those fans who wish to buy tickets online, visit TicketMaster.com or Shea's website, Sheas.org. More information can also be found on Shea's website. Prices range from $32.50 to $67.50.

There are only eight chances to see Shrek on stage. The musical will be performed Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday through Saturday at 8 p.m., and also 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The last performance will be Sunday at 7 p.m.

E-mail: arts@buffalo.edu