Stage and television star Todd McKenney will take on the hilarious role of Lord Farquaad, the short-in-stature, ruthless ruler of Duloc in the upcoming lavish and fun multi-million dollar musical comedy Shrek The Musical.
Todd will perform in the Sydney and Melbourne seasons of the musical, joining the fairy-tale cast of Ben Mingay as Shrek, Lucy Durack as Princess Fiona and Marcia Hines as the Dragon in this wonderful Broadway hit musical.
Todd has previously been seen on stage in countless musicals including The Rocky Horror Show, Grease, Anything Goes and The Boy From Oz, but is probably better known as a judge on Channel 7’s Dancing With The Stars and choreographer on the recent hit Channel 7 shows The Full Monty, Ladies Night and The Real Dirty Dancing.
“I’m thrilled that Todd has joined the cast of Shrek The Musical,” said Producer John Frost. “Todd will bring to Lord Farquaad his wonderful sense of comedy and fun, alongside Ben, Lucy and Marcia – I can’t wait to see him in this role. We have assembled a fantastic cast, which we will announce shortly.”
Widely known for his screen work in Packed to the Rafters, Wonderland, Home and Away and House of Bond as Alan Bond, on stage Ben Mingay has played Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys, the title role in The Phantom of the Opera, Zack in An Officer and A Gentleman, and Billy in the original Australian, UK and US productions of Dirty Dancing.
Lucy Durack shot to stardom as Glinda the Good Witch in the original Australian production of Wicked, and has since played Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, Glinda in GFO’s The Wizard of Oz, Sybil Chase in Private Lives and Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street amongst others, and recently was a judge on Channel 7’s Australia’s Got Talent.
Australian musical royalty, Marcia Hines gained popularity as one of the judges on Australian Idol for several seasons, and has performed on stage in the Australian productions of the musical Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as GFO’s Big River, Jerry’s Girls and Saturday Night Fever.
Shrek The Musical brings the hilarious story of everyone’s favourite ogre to life on the stage. In a faraway kingdom turned upside down, things get ugly when an unseemly ogre – not a handsome prince – shows up to rescue a feisty princess.
Throw in a donkey who won’t shut up, a bad guy with a SHORT temper, a cookie with attitude, and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you’ve got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there’s one on hand … and his name is Shrek. Part romance, part twisted fairy tale, Shrek The Musical is irreverent fun for everyone!
Shrek The Musical will play at the Sydney Lyric Theatre, The Star from 1 January, followed by seasons at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne from 16 February and at the Lyric Theatre, Brisbane from 9 May 2020. For more information, visit: www.shrekthemusical.com.au for details.
Image: Todd McKenney (supplied)