'Shrek' musical still seeking fairy tale ending

Happy endings finish off most children's fairy tales, even ones that poke fun at the genre like DreamWorks' film "Shrek" and its three subsequent sequels.

Yet the ending for the big green ogre on Broadway wasn't quite so happy. As DreamWorks Theatricals and Neal Street Productions' first major screen-to-stage adaptation, "Shrek The Musical" didn't live up to expectations. Despite mostly good reviews, "Shrek The Musical" closed after a less-than-expected one-year run of 441 performances.

But the powers behind the musical are betting on Chicago and other international cities to help find a happier ending. "Shrek The Musical" launches its national tour with an eight-week run at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre starting on Tuesday, July 13.

Courting ChicagoBack on Oct. 26, 2009, the big guns behind "Shrek The Musical" were deployed to Chicago to lay on the charm for a major group sales presentation. Never mind that just the week before news broke that the 2008 Broadway musical adaptation of the hit animated feature announced a January 2010 closing date.On hand that autumn afternoon were "Shrek's" writing team, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire ("Rabbit Hole") and Olivier Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori ("Caroline, or Change"). Northwestern University alumni were prominently represented with "Shrek" Director Jason Moore ("Avenue Q") and then-current Broadway "Shrek" star Brian d'Arcy James. And most importantly. there were the DreamWorks big wigs: President of DreamWorks Theatricals Bill Damaschke and DreamWorks Animation CEO and Hollywood media mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg. Tesori, d'Arcy James and Lindsay-Abaire performed songs from the show. Moore talked up impressive slide projections of Tim Hatley's Tony Award-winning costume designs while Katzenberg and Damaschke lavished praise on Chicago and its thriving theater community. At the end, the whole audience happily donned green ogre-ear "Shrek" headbands for a publicity photo.Hopes were high that Chicago - and the cities that would follow - would be an upbeat new beginning for an ogre who had been charming film audiences for almost a decade.Though its origins are with William Steig's children's book, most people the world over know "Shrek" from its wildly successful DreamWorks Animation film adaptations. "Shrek" was adored for turning familiar fairy-tale characters and situations inside out, particularly making a misanthropic ogre into the initially unlikely hero. "It's the most successful animation franchise in the history of the business - in the history of movies," said Katzenberg in an interview before the presentation.Thus, "Shrek" seemed a natural for the stage.Happily ever after?Seeing the vast financial success that Disney reaped with its screen-to-stage Broadway musical adaptations of "Beauty and the Beast" in 1994 and "The Lion King" in 1998, other Hollywood studios followed suit to turn film back catalogs into stage creations.The results have been mixed. Warner Brothers Theatrical Ventures had a one-month flop in 2006 with the Elton John musical "Lestat" based upon the Anne Rice-inspired film "Interview with the Vampire" (though Warner Bros. is jumping back into the fray with a Broadway musical adaptation of the 2003 film "Elf" this year). And Disney Theatrical Productions itself has had its own struggles in producing underperforming Broadway musical adaptations of its animated films of "Tarzan" in 2006 and "The Little Mermaid" in 2008.With "Shrek's" credentials, however, the early Broadway closing was undoubtedly a disappointment.But Broadway is only one (if an extremely influential) town for shows to thrive."I think there are many, many places where 'Shrek The Musical' will live beyond New York and I think that the tour is the first step of many others that we take," Damaschke said, before it was announced that "Shrek The Musical" would be opening in London in May of 2011.For its national tour, DreamWorks Theatricals is slightly revamping the show. Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Rob Ashford ("Thoroughly Modern Millie," "Promises, Promises") has been brought aboard as the show's new co-director.Back at the October presentation, both Tesori and Lindsay-Abaire were very proud of their work on "Shrek The Musical," and weren't swayed by some critics who suggested that they were cheapening their high-minded theater talents to work on a show that was so commercial."Artists have mortgages, we have families," Tesori said. "It takes just as long to write (a show like 'Shrek') and I think just as much soul and heart and commitment to put into it. Plus there's the probability that more people will come to see it."Far from being intimidated at adapting such a well-known and beloved film like "Shrek" for the stage, both Tesori and Lindsay-Abaire welcomed the challenge."We tried very hard to be true and loyal to what we loved in the film and book as well, but also we wanted to bring ourselves to the material," added playwright Lindsay-Abaire, noting that there are 19 songs in the musical for audiences to discover that weren't in the film. "Once we figured out how to do it, the show really cracked open.""Shrek the Musical"Location: Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., ChicagoShowtimes: Runs July 13 through Sept. 15. Performance schedule varies, but the majority are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday with some 2 p.m. matinees on WednesdaysTickets: $25 to $90Information: (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.comFalse336466Eric Petersen as Shrek poses with the Stanley Cup during the Taste of Chicago. Petersen performed a number from "Shrek The Musical" in celebration of Broadway in Chicago's 10th anniversary. False