A 90-minute touring production based on the 2005 animated movie Madagascar is headed for more than 70 U.S. cities, produced by DreamWorks Theatricals and Broadway Across America. Madagascar Live follows DreamWorks’ first foray into live theater, the 2008 Broadway production of Shrek the Musical.
The family-friendly show, directed by Gip Hoppe (author of the play Jackie: An American Life), will play Radio City Music Hall April 15-24, 2011. Like the movie, which featured the voice talents of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith, Madagascar Live centers on a quartet of animals who escape from Central Park Zoo and find themselves stranded in the wilds of Madagascar.
According to The New York Times, DreamWorks Theatricals is also planning arena-sized shows based on the hit films How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda.