Shrek Storms St. Louis, Chicago Reads The Jungle Book and More Cross-Country Highlights
Broadway.com is hitting the road to bring you the best regional theater offerings from across the country. This week, there’s no shortage of musicals on the boards as The Jungle Book, Shrek, Hairspray, Thoroughly Modern Millie and a new tuner all take the stage. Get the lowdown on these great productions, coming to a regional theater near you!
ST. LOUIS, MO
AN OGRE OP’NIN, AN OGRE SHOW
Tony nominee John Tartaglia (who appeared in the original Broadway cast of Shrek the Musical) returns to the MUNY to direct a new production of the fairytale fantasy, which stars Chaplin’s Rob McClure and Broadway fave Julia Murney. Shrek runs at the famous outdoor theater from June 24 through June 30 only, so get there quick before the swamp goes out of style!
SEATTLE, WA
GOOD MORNING, NORTHWESTERN WASHINGTON
To mark the tenth anniversary of Hairspray’s Broadway debut, Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre is staging an extravagant concert performance of the Tony-winning Best Musical. RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon will camp it up as Velma Von Tussle in the six-performance concert run from June 20 through June 23, which also features more than 150 singers from the Seattle Men’s Chorus.
CHICAGO, IL
GET THE BARE NECESSITIES IN CHICAGO
Visionary director Mary Zimmerman has adapted The Jungle Book (both the Rudyard Kipling story and the Disney toon) for the stage, combining the movie’s beloved songs and an original score fusing swing/jazz music with traditional Indian instruments. All ages are welcome to the Goodman Theatre’s imaginative new production, featuring Andre De Shields as King Louie and running from June 21 through August 11. You better believe it!
NEW HAVEN, CT
STUCK IN NEW HAVEN WITH YOU
New theater is always worth a look, and there’s something magical going on at the Tony-winning Long Wharf Theatre as it presents the “comic-rap-scrap metal musical” Stuck Elevator, inspired by the true story of a Chinese restaurant delivery man trapped in a Bronx elevator for 81 hours. The buoyant tuner premiered at A.C.T. in San Francisco this spring and runs in New Haven from June 20 through June 29.
OGUNQUIT, ME
I CAN’T OGUNQUIT YOU, MILLIE
TV star Sally Struthers headlines as the villainous Mrs. Meers in Ogunquit Playhouse’s toe-tapping staging of the jazzy 1920s musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. Legally Blonde alum Becky Gulsvig takes on the title role in the show (running through July 6), which is sure to delight audiences in a dance-heavy production from director/choreographer Kirby Ward.