Daniel Breaker Joins Shrek the Musical as Gregory and Lewis-Evans Depart

As the Broadway production of Shrek the Musical prepares to begin rehearsals on October 6, the production team announced the arrival of Tony nominee Daniel Breaker as Donkey and the departure of Chester Gregory, who played the part during the Seattle pre-Broadway run, and Kecia Lewis-Evans as the Dragon. Shrek the Musical is set to begin previews on November 8 and will open on December 14 at the Broadway Theatre, directed by Jason Moore.

According to a news release, “The role of the Dragon will be re-defined in the show. As first conceived, the voice of the dragon was performed by a principal vocalist, supported by a chorus of eight performers, and, following the Seattle run, the creative team is pursuing voicing the Dragon solely by the chorus. Kecia Lewis-Evans, the principal who played the Dragon soloist in Seattle, has decided by mutual consent not to continue with the production on Broadway as part of the chorus.”

Based on the book by William Steig and the hit Dreamworks feature film, Shrek the Musical features a book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori.

Breaker received a Tony nomination for his performance in Passing Strange and has appeared on Broadway in Cymbeline and Well. Off-Broadway credits include Fabulation and Pericles. Regional credits include Life Is a Dream, The Comedy of Errors, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Rivals, The Silent Woman, H.M.S. Pinafore and Blacksheep.

In addition to Breaker, Shrek the Musical stars Brian d’Arcy James as Shrek, Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona, Christopher Sieber as Lord Farquaad, and John Tartaglia as Pinocchio.

Joining these actors are Haven Burton, Jennifer Cody, Ben Crawford, Bobby Daye, Ryan Duncan, Sarah Jane Everman, Aymee Garcia, Leah Greenhaus, Justin Greer, Lisa Ho, Chris Hoch, Danette Holden, Jacob Ming-Trent, Carolyn Ockert-Haythe, Marissa O’Donnell, Denny Paschall, Greg Reuter, Adam Riegler, Noah Rivera, Heather Jane Rolff, Jennifer Simard, Rachel Stern, Dennis Stowe and David F.M. Vaughn.