'Shrek the Musical' set to tour big cities

'Shrek the Musical' will first be performed at Hòa Bình Theatre in HCM City and Hà Nội National Conference Centre. Photo courtesy of The YOUniverse

HÀ NỘI — Broadway-standard show Shrek the Musical will be performed in HCM City and Hà Nội in July and August.

This year, for the first time, Shrek, Fiona and their friends will come to HCM City to shine together on stage and provide the audience with the most spectacular, unique and meaningful musical experience.

Shrek is a family musical, helping parents and children connect and feel the emotional impact of the show's meaningful messages together, according to art advisor Đặng Châu Anh.

"The musical will convey a message that accepts and values differences in individuals and recognises the unique contributions that each individual can bring," Anh said.

"Additionally, it will encourage building an open society with mutual support. Shrek's journey towards self-acceptance demonstrates the importance of loving oneself and being confident in one's own uniqueness."

The YOUniverse produces Shrek the Musical to provide audiences including young people, parents and families who love and are passionate about the arts with a space for entertainment, relaxation and enjoyment of a Broadway-standard musical.

The musical tour will be performed in various provinces across the country, with the first two stops in HCM City and Hà Nội.

It is an opportunity for Vietnamese audiences to enjoy Shrek the Musical on their home stage, immerse themselves in character performances and reflect on a meaningful story about humanity and compassion.

The musical's resident director is Jesse Donaldson Jarrett. He is responsible for staging the production, overseeing rehearsals and ensuring the quality of the actors' performances and singing.

He graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Australia's leading centre for education and training in the creative and cultural industries.

He has experience in acting, producing, assistant directing and directing in several plays including Neil Labute's The Way We Get By, Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale and Nick Enright's Blackrock.

"I think the young people we have performing in Shrek are wonderful," said Jarrett. "It is a very new experience, and honestly a challenging one. I would always encourage young people to take on challenging situations so that they may grow, and that is what I have been seeing in our cast."

The tour also embodies The YOUniverse's spirit of aiming for a future where art and creative education are valued, serving as a strong foundation to promote personal and community development.

The YOUniverse is an art ecosystem with a variety of special activities. It's a community focused on entertainment, education and the arts, aiming towards a future where art and creative education are valued.

The community is the first entity in Việt Nam to license Broadway musicals provided by MTI, one of the world’s most renowned musical licensing companies. — VNS