For the past few years, I've been studiously ignoring the fact that Shrek the Musical is in development and coming to Broadway this November. It keeps getting delayed (I believe it was originally projected to open in 2006), so it's been fairly easy to dismiss. And it's not a given that I'll hate it if I see it. The movie wasn't bad. It won't be a jukebox musical. And I haven't heard any stunt-casting rumors. Yet I find it difficult to get excited about a show starring an ogre and wisecracking donkey. Odd, that.

But it just got interesting. Tony Award winner Sutton Foster has signed on to star as Fiona, the princess who falls for the ogre. Sutton Foster is one of the best actresses in musical theater these days. And her story is great. She was an ensemble player in a number of shows in the late '90s and early '00s before she was plucked from the chorus of Thoroughly Modern Millie and cast in the starring role. She won Best Actress in a Musical for that performance and became one of the most bankable actresses on Broadway as a result. Her story could be the stuff of a corny Broadway musical (à la 42nd Street)!

I wasn't a huge fan of Millie, but I became a huge fan of Foster. Here she singing and dancing her heart out to “Forget About the Boy.” (An easy song to embrace.) … continue reading