Amanda Holden to be Fiona in Shrek the Musical

Amanda Holden and Richard Blackwood have been cast to play Fiona and Donkey in the forthcoming West End transfer of Shrek the Musical.

Shrek will open at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in May 2011. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on October 1, 2010 and will be booking until February 19, 2012.

Holden played the title role in the West End production of Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2003, for which she was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She is best known as a judge on ITV1’s Britain’s Got Talent.

Blackwood recently performed in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Novello Theatre alongside James Earl Jones and Phylicia Rashad.

He is best known as a comedian, having appeared in his own show on Channel 4, The Richard Blackwood Show. The musical, which is directed by Rob Ashford with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori, is produced by Bill Damaschke for DreamWorks Theatricals and Caro Newling forNeal Street Productions.