Shrek the Musical will launch its Middle East debut in Doha when it opens for an 11-day run next month, organizers have said.
The stage version of the popular 2001 DreamWorks film will premiere in Qatar on March 9 and run until March 19 at Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC) near Education City.
The family-friendly song-and-dance show will feature old favorite anthems from the movie including I’m a Believer as well as some new songs, organizers Premium Events said in a statement.
Tickets are already on sale online at Ticketmaster, or from Ticketmaster booths in Carrefour stores in City Center, Villaggio and Landmark malls from today.
The website is currently only offering tickets for purchase until March 12. Tickets for shows on the other dates will be released “soon,” organizers told Doha News, although could not confirm when this would happen.
An “early bird” offer is available until Feb. 13, with tickets starting at QR195 and going up depending on seating and category. Also under the special offer price, tickets cost QR275, QR375, QR1,195 and QR1,995.
There are matinee and morning performances for families. Evening performances are only for children over six years old, organizers said.
The story
Shrek the Musical, which debuted in Seattle before opening on Broadway in late 2008, is based on William Steig’s 1990 book Shrek!, which inspired the DreamWorks film of the same name 11 years later.
It has toured through countries in the US, UK, Europe, Asia and South America. Versions of the stage production are currently playing in Germany, the UK and Japan and have been seen by more than two million people since it first launched eight years ago.
The story follows a green ogre who, because of his looks, has been feared and isolated. As a grown-up, he retreats to live alone in a green swamp, but his solitude is disrupted by a gang of well-known fairy tale characters (Pinocchio, Cinderella, the Three Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf and many more).
They complain they have been banished from their kingdom of Duloc by the evil Lord Farquaad for being freaks, and he warned them they will have them put to death if they ever return.
Shrek sets out to get their home back for them, with the deal that they then leave him alone.
On the way he rescues a talkative donkey, who becomes his sidekick. When they meet, Lord Farquaad strikes a deal with Shrek – he will returns the characters to their homes if Shrek rescues Princess Fiona.
Shrek embarks on what turns out to be a love story featuring an unlikely hero.
The launch of Shrek follows the stage version of Beauty and the Beast, which also played at QNCC in November.
In partnership with Qatar Tourism Authority, the show has been brought to Qatar by Premium Events, a collaboration between Qatar-based agency TripleTwo and event organizers Premium Projects.
“We are excited to bring this theater spectacle which features a much loved character all over the world, to Qatar. Shrek the Musical brings the much–loved DreamWorks characters to life, live on stage, in an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza. It is colourful, positive and most of all highly entertaining,” Hussein Fakhri, chief executive of TripleTwo, said.
Do you plan to go? Thoughts?
