Homecoming for Aberdeen actress and call the midwife star Laura Main in Shrek the Musical
Aberdeen actress and Call the Midwife star Laura Main returns to perform on her hometown stage in the hit West End and Broadway production SHREK THE MUSICAL® , now running at His Majesty’s Theatre until Sunday, March 11.
Laura Main stars as ‘Princess Fiona’ in the critically acclaimed new UK and Ireland tour with Steffan Harri as the beloved swamp-dwelling ogre ‘Shrek’, Marcus Ayton as Shrek’s wisecracking sidekick ‘Donkey’ and Samuel Holmes as pint-sized villain ‘Lord Farquaad’.
Laura Main is best known for her role as Shelagh Turner in the award-winning Call the Midwife (BBC/Neal Street Productions). Appearing initially as Sister Bernadette, she left behind her life as a nun to marry Dr Turner. Laura has appeared in all seven series to. She has also had regular roles as Rebecca Howlett in The Mill (Channel 4) and DC Alison Bain in Murder City (ITV). Stage credits include Company (Southwark Playhouse), Me and Juliet (Finborough Theatre) and State Fair (Trafalgar Studios / Finborough Theatre).
The company of fairy-tale characters includes Adam Baker, Ethan Bradshaw, Michael Carolan, Joseph Dockree, Will Hawksworth, Sarah-Louise Jones, Reece Kerridge, Thomas Lee Kidd, Amy Oxley, Jemma Revell, Lucinda Shaw, Sam Stones, Adam Taylor, Jennifer Tierney, Sophie Wallis, Francesca Williams, Laura Wilson and Kevin Yates.
Nigel Harman returns as director, having made his directorial debut on the first ever tour. Since then Nigel has gone on to direct Lunch & The Bow of Ulysses (Trafalgar Studios) and, most recently, Kelsey Grammer in Big Fish The Musical (The Other Palace). Best known for his stage and television work, Nigel originated the role of Lord Farquaad in the West End, winning the Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical.
Join our unlikely hero Shrek and his loyal steed Donkey as they embark on a quest to rescue the beautiful (if slightly temperamental) Princess Fiona from a fire-breathing, love-sick dragon. Add the diminutive Lord Farquaad, a gang of fairytale misfits and a biscuit with attitude, and you’ve got the biggest, brightest musical comedy around! Featuring all new songs as well as cult Shrek anthem I’m a Believer, SHREK THE MUSICAL® brings over 100 much-loved fairytale characters, plus a 14-foot dragon, to life in an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza.
SHREK THE MUSICAL® is based on the story and characters from William Steig’s book Shrek! and the Oscar®-winning DreamWorks Animations feature film. Originally directed in the West End by Jason Moore and Rob Ashford, the production has book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, music by Jeanine Tesori with multi award-winning set and costume design by Tim Hatley.
Following the unprecedented success of the first ever UK and Ireland Tour, a brand new production opened in Edinburgh for Christmas 2017 to a fantastic critical and public response and is now touring to major cities throughout 2018 including Northampton, Sheffield, Cardiff, Stoke, Blackpool, Woking, Liverpool, Norwich, Canterbury, Milton Keynes, Bristol, Llandudno, Nottingham, Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, Plymouth, Southampton and Leeds.*
The UK and Ireland tour of the original DreamWorks Production is presented by the original West End production team Neal Street Productions and Playful Productions with Ron Kastner, Saracen Films, Tulchin/Bartner Productions, Gavin Kalin, Glass Half Full Productions/Just For Laughs Theatricals, Lee Menzies and Mark Cartwright.
*Laura Main is scheduled to play in Aberdeen, Northampton, Sheffield, Cardiff (week 1), Woking, Liverpool, Milton Keynes, Plymouth, Southampton and Leeds.
Amelia Lily is scheduled to perform in Cardiff (week 2), Stoke, Blackpool, Norwich, Canterbury, Bristol, Llandudno, Nottingham, Glasgow, Belfast and Dublin while Laura Main continues filming on Call the Midwife.