Shrek: Ben Crawford plays Shrek

Ben Crawford assumed the title role of 'Shrek' on 10 Nov in DreamWorks Theatricals & Neal Street Production's Broadway show, Shrek: The Musical.

Crawford was the stand-by for the role of 'Shrek.' He made his Broadway debut in the revival of 'Les Misérables,' where he understudied the roles of both 'Javert' and 'Jean Valjean.'

Crawford replaces original cast member Brian d'Arcy James who earned a Tony nominee for his performance. James departed the musical on 8 Nov 2009 to prepare for his appearance in Manhattan Theatre Club's production of 'Time Stands Still.'

Shrek: The Musical opened at the Broadway Theatre on 14 Dec 2008, following previews from 8 Nov. the show will play its final peformance on Broadway on 3 Jan 2010.

The musical opened to mixed reviews: "wonderful family show." (newyortheatreguide.com); "Leaden fairy-tale-theme costume party." (New York Times); "By and large, it stays earthbound - fine, not great." (New York Daily News); "it takes nearly all of Act 1 before "Shrek: The Musical" starts to sing. And when it does, it truly comes alive" (New York Post); "The good news is that it is done very well; the bad news is that it is done at all." (Bloomberg); "Shrek is pretty grand entertainment" (USA Today); "A paint-by-numbers fractured fairy tale" (NewsDay); "An honest-to-god, across-the-board crowd pleaser" (Back Stage); "the show creates a "Big Bright Beautiful World" that has much to enjoy." (Variety).

Shrek: The Musical now stars en Crawford as 'Shrek,' Tony Award winner Sutton Foster as 'Princess Fiona,' Tony Award nominee Christopher Sieber as 'Lord Farquaad,' Tony Award nominee Daniel Breaker as 'Donkey' and Tony Award nominee John Tartaglia as 'Pinocchio.'

Shrek: The Musical is an entirely new musical based on the story and characters from William Steig's book Shrek, as well as the DreamWorks Animation film Shrek, the first chapter of the Shrek movie series.

Shrek: The Musical features a book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize winner, David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole), music by Jeanine Tesori (Olivier Award-winner for 'Caroline, or Change' and three-time Tony Award nominee).

Shrek: The Musical is directed by Jason Moore, who staged the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Avenue Q, and choreographed by newcomer Josh Prince.

Set and costume design by Tim Hatley, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, with sound by Peter Hylenski.

Dreamwork Animations have released three box-office hit animation movies based on William Steig children's book written in 1990, about a young ogre who finds the ogre of his dreams when he leaves home to see the world. The name 'Shrek' is taken from the German and Yiddish word "Schreck"/"Shreck", meaning "fear, terror".

Shrek: The Musical is Dreamwork Animations's first theatrical production. The production was initiated by Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer of DreamWorks Animation, and Sam Mendes, who has a long-term relationship with DreamWorks. Mendes, a big fan of the first Shrek film, suggested the idea of creating a musical to DreamWorks' Jeffrey Katzenberg around the time the second film was in production.

The musical is produced by DreamWorks Theatricals (Bill Damaschke, President) and Neal Street Productions, Ltd (principals Sam Mendes and Caro Newling).