Shrek will lurch his lovable hulk into the Orpheum Theatre in time for the holidays, but it won't be until the following fall that the miner's son Billy Elliot will finally dance his way into San Francisco at the same theater.
"Shrek the Musical" and the long-awaited Tony award winner "Billy Elliot" bookend the five-show 2010-11 Best of Broadway season to be announced today by SHN (the presenting company of producers Carole Shorenstein Hays and Robert Nederlander). The Pulitzer-winning "Next to Normal," '80s jukebox musical "Rock of Ages" and long-lived "Blue Man Group" complete the roster.
"Shrek" comes first, opening Dec. 1. The 2008 Broadway musical about an ogre who attempts to rescue a feisty princess was adapted by playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (book and lyrics) and composer Jeanine Tesori from the popular '01 DreamWorks film, based on cartoonist William Steig's book.
Composer Tom Kitt and writer Brian Yorkey's "Next to Normal," an intimate rock musical about a family struggling with bipolar disorder, was a controversial choice for this year's Pulitzer, selected by the board that governs the award after it rejected the plays chosen by the jury for drama. It opens at the Curran Theatre in January with Alice Ripley reprising her Tony-winning lead performance.
Chris D'Arienzo's "Rock of Ages," which follows "Normal" at the Curran in March, is a rock love story told through songs by Journey, Night Ranger, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar and other icons of the '80s. Former "American Idol" contestant Constantine Maroulis will reprise his Tony-nominated role.
"Blue Man Group," the anarchic entertainment ensconced off-Broadway for two decades - and in Las Vegas, Boston, Chicago and elsewhere - opens at the Golden Gate Theatre next May.
"Elliot," also adapted from a hit movie, doesn't arrive at the Orpheum until September 2011. The British musical, with music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall and choreography by Peter Darling, retells the film's story of how a boy's drive to become a ballet dancer inspires a whole mining town. Director Stephen Daldry's production won 10 Tony awards, including best musical.
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