Steffan lands new West End role

After spending more than 1,500 hours in green prosthetics and playing to over half a million people as Shrek, Steffan Harri is looking forward to his new West End role.

The talented Llanfair Caereinion performer has landed one of the lead roles for the Conor McPherson play, Girl from the North Country, featuring the music of Bob Dylan.

It is due to open at the Gielgud Theatre in the West End on December 10, but will follow a three-month stint across the Atlantic at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, Canada.

It is a big change from his last role which saw him gain widespread acclaim for his portrayal as the lovable ogre.

“I am really looking forward to rehearsals starting in August,” Steffan told us. “It was an absolute honour being entrusted with the part of Shrek. It was a privilege to lead the company around the UK & Ireland.

“But I am looking forward to this new adventure - something completely different!”

Steffan will play Elias Burke, one of the lead roles for Girl from the North Country which originally opened at the Old Vic in 2017 and transferred to the Noël Coward Theatre in December 2017.

The show won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical and Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. It was also nominated for Best New Musical and Outstanding Achievement in Music and Best Actor.

The piece is set in 1934 in a guesthouse in the heartland of America where wayward souls pass in and out of each other's lives. Bob Dylan’s songs are reimagined by playwright McPherson, who also directs.

The show features scenic and costume design by Rae Smith, orchestrations, arrangements, and music supervision by Simon Hale, with additional arrangements by Hale and McPherson, lighting design by Mark Henderson, sound design by Simon Baker, movement direction by Lucy Hind and casting by Jessica Ronane CDG.

Hailed by the Observer as The ‘NO.1 THEATRE SHOW OF THE YEAR’, audiences now have the chance once again to experience this “magnificent” (Standard), “astonishing” (Guardian) and “piercingly beautiful” (Independent) production brought vividly to life by an extraordinary company of actors and musicians.