Sheffield STOS theatre company show Shrek is latest in long line of ambitious musicals

Once upon a time, in a far-away swamp, lived a monster musical superstar!
Female members of the cast of STOS production Oklahoma!Female members of the cast of STOS production Oklahoma!
Female members of the cast of STOS production Oklahoma!

Shrek: The Musical is the stage sensation adapted from the hit Hollywood animated comedy, a crazy reboot of familiar fairy tales.

Following hugely popular runs on Broadway, in the West End and on tour, the show will now get its South Yorkshire amateur premiere from STOS Theatre Company.

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Opening at Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre on November 12, Shrek promises to be the company’s most ambitious and spectacular show to date.

The cast of STOS production Carousel on stageThe cast of STOS production Carousel on stage
The cast of STOS production Carousel on stage

Even back in its earliest days, the company was at the forefront of bringing the era’s best-loved shows to town.

Gilbert and Sullivan’s satirical political fairy tale might no longer seem to be at the cutting edge of theatre but when the company - then Sheffield Teachers’ Operatic Society - came to the long-gone Albert Hall in 1902, Iolanthe was still only 20 years old and would have been previously seen by very few of its audience.

The company has specialised in bringing the latest West End and Broadway successes to the city.

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Long-forgotten shows like The Rose of Persia, The Vagabond King, The Rebel Maid, New Moon and The Damask Rose were the Les Miserables, Mamma Mia, Chicago and Lion King of their day.

Members of the STOS cast of KismetMembers of the STOS cast of Kismet
Members of the STOS cast of Kismet

For the last half century the company has specialised in bringing to Sheffield some of the greatest shows from both theatre and cinema - everything from Carousel and Scrooge to My Fair Lady, Camelot and Kiss Me Kate.

Tthe team has even occasionally taken on a more risky venture, like the 1990 production of Winnie, a revival of actor Robert Hardy’s short-lived 1980s musical tribute to Winston Churchill.

Here are some images from more than 100 years of theatre, taking us all the way from fairies to big green trolls and showing just how much the world of amateur theatre has developed and grown in that time.

Shrek is at the Lyceum from November 12 to 16. For tickets, call 0114 249 6000 or visit sheffieldtheatres.co.uk