'Shrek' ending B'way run; tour to start

NEW YORK, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- "Shrek the Musical" is to play its final performance on Broadway Jan. 3, the Tony Award-winning show's producers said Wednesday.

The stage version of the "Shrek" books and movies is to end its run at Manhattan's Broadway Theatre after 441 performances and 37 previews.

A national tour of the musical is to begin at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre for a limited engagement scheduled from July 13 to Sept. 5.

Following a pre-Broadway engagement at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, "Shrek the Musical" opened at the Broadway Theatre Dec. 14, 2008. It holds the house record for weekly gross sales at the Broadway Theatre, taking in $1,260,282 for the week ending Dec. 28, 2008, the show's representatives said.

"Bringing 'Shrek the Musical' to Broadway has been a joyous and thrilling adventure, and we couldn't be more proud of our first Broadway show," Bill Damaschke, president of DreamWorks Theatricals, said in a statement. "We now look forward to taking the production to audiences on tour in the United States and beyond."

"While we were hopeful that the show would have had a longer run on Broadway, we believe it will continue to create financial value for the company and deliver profits beyond our initial investment," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, chief executive officer of DreamWorks Animation.