Jason Moore to Direct B'way-Bound Shrek Musical
by Broadway Staff • Oct 15, 2004
Jason Moore, who earned a 2004 Tony Award nomination for his direction of Avenue Q, has signed on to helm the upcoming Broadway-bound musical version of the hit animated film Shrek. As previously reported, playwright David Lindsay-Abaire is writing the book for the screen-to-stage project, which Broadway.com first broke news of in October 2002.
In a statement, producer Sam Mendes said: "The musical of Shrek is certainly the most exciting and ambitious project I have been involved with. To have a book writer as witty and talented as David Lindsay-Abaire is a great gift, and I am particularly thrilled that the ship is being steered by someone as gifted as Jason Moore. I know that they and their chosen collaborators will come up with something that is intensely theatrical, yet retains all the warmth, imagination and comic invention of the movies.'' Mendes will produce the show under the auspices of his new company SCAMP Film & Theatre, Ltd. in collaboration with DreamWorks Animation. Developmental readings of the new musical are expected in 2005.
In a statement, producer Sam Mendes said: "The musical of Shrek is certainly the most exciting and ambitious project I have been involved with. To have a book writer as witty and talented as David Lindsay-Abaire is a great gift, and I am particularly thrilled that the ship is being steered by someone as gifted as Jason Moore. I know that they and their chosen collaborators will come up with something that is intensely theatrical, yet retains all the warmth, imagination and comic invention of the movies.'' Mendes will produce the show under the auspices of his new company SCAMP Film & Theatre, Ltd. in collaboration with DreamWorks Animation. Developmental readings of the new musical are expected in 2005.
Moore got his start as Associate Director of the Broadway production and national tour of Les Miserables for several years. For his work on Avenue Q, he earned a 2004 Tony Award nomination as Best Director of a Musical. Later this season, he will direct the first Broadway production of Steel Magnolias, which is aiming for a spring opening.
Shrek, which tells of a reclusive ogre and a talkative donkey on a quest to rescue a princess, opened in movie theaters in the summer of 2001 and went on to earn more than $267 million in the United States. Its sequel, Shrek 2, was an even bigger hit this past summer, bringing in $436 million domestically. A second sequel is in development for targeted release in 2006.
