The Lord of the Rings (musical)

This article is about the musicals. For other uses, see The Lord of the Rings (disambiguation). The Lord of the Rings, an epic high fantasy novel by the British author J. R. R. Tolkien, set in his world of Middle-earth (a fictional past version of our Earth), has been adapted several times for the musical theatre. The musicals tell the tale of a humble hobbit who is asked to play the hero and undertake a treacherous mission to destroy an evil, magic gold ring without being seduced by its power. It is important to note that no adaptor(s) of either production (Bowden/Goers in Cincinnati or Warchus/Rahman/Värttinä in Toronto/London) characterized their productions as musical theatre. Indeed, both productions were specifically noted to be theatrical adaptations with vital musical elements, but not with the structure of a musical, per se. In this regard, the category of musical may be a misnomer for this article.

Cincinnati productions

2003 Cincinnati production of The Return of the King

Full-length stage musical adaptations of each of The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003) were produced in Cincinnati, Ohio. The first production suffered from poor funding and was not successful. The sequels, however, were well received by audiences and critics alike. All three adaptations were written by Blake Bowden, with music by Grammy Award nominee Steve Goers. Aretta Baumgartner directed the puppetry work and was awarded a Cincinnati Entertainment Award for her portrayal of Gollum. Huge puppets were created by Carus Waggoner, currently of Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. Bowden portrayed Sam Gamgee and Joe Sofranko played Frodo Baggins. The latter two productions were directed by actor, director, and fight choreographer Gina Cerimele-Mechley. The Return of the King was produced as the inaugural production of Clear Stage Cincinnati and was presented at the Aronoff Center for the Arts. All three productions were endorsed by The American Hobbit Association and approved by Tolkien Enterprises. The French documentary, Le Seigneur des Anneaux: De l’Ecrit a l’Ecran (2003), featured clips from backstage, the audience, and several scenes from The Return of the King. Produced by La Jolla Productions, it aired in Europe on Canal+ in the fall of 2003.

Toronto production

Toronto production

London-based theatre producer Kevin Wallace and his partner, Saul Zaentz — stage and film rights-holder and producer of the animated film version of 1978 — in association with Toronto theatre-owner David Mirvish and concert promoter Michael Cohl, produced a stage musical adaptation with a book and lyrics written by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus, and music by A. R. Rahman and Värttinä, collaborating with Christopher Nightingale. The three-and-a-half hour long three-act production, with a cast of 65 actors, was mounted in Toronto, Canada, at the Princess of Wales Theatre, at a cost of approximately C$30 million (US$26.9 million). It was promoted as a spectacle of unusual scale. It starred Brent Carver as Gandalf and Michael Therriault as Gollum, and was directed by Warchus and choreographed by Peter Darling, with set and costume design by Rob Howell. The production began performances on February 4 2006 and had its press opening on March 23 2006, the day before its gala premiere. It received mixed to poor notices from the press.^[1][2] The production closed on Sept. 3, 2006, at a loss. The musical adaptation became somewhat of a joke among Torontonians after it closed after just five months of production, and inspired the Toronto Fringe Festival production The Lord of the Rings: The Musical: The Musical!, by Ben King and Nicholas Hune-Brown, which poked fun at Kevin Wallace, theater mogul David Mirvish and Toronto mayor David Miller for giving the show the green light.^[3] Despite this, the show was nominated for 15 Dora Awards, winning 7, including "Outstanding New Musical" and awards for direction, design and choreography.

London production

The slightly shortened (still three-hour) and significantly re-written show began previews at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on May 9, 2007, with its official premiere June 19, 2007, one of the longest previewing periods ever. The same creative team as the Toronto production is involved in the London production. This production features a cast of 50 actors and reportedly cost £12 million (approximately US$25 million)^[4], making it one of the most expensive ventures ever produced in the West End, or indeed, anywhere outside Las Vegas. On May 31, 2007, it was reported that preview performances had been suspended after a cast member (Adam Salter) caught his leg in the moving stage and was taken to hospital during the performance of the evening of May 30.^[5] Performances resumed on June 2. The London production stars London's original Mary Poppins, Laura Michelle Kelly, as Galadriel, Michael Therriault as Gollum, and Jérôme Pradon as Aragorn. It has received mixed reviews, but again proved popular with audiences, being nominated for 7 Whatsonstage Theatregoer's Choice Awards in 2007.

London cast

• Gandalf - Malcolm Storry
• Frodo - James Loye
• Gollum - Michael Therriault
• Aragorn - Jérôme Pradon
• Galadriel - Laura Michelle Kelly
• Sam - Peter Howe
• Merry - Richard Henders
• Pippin - Owen Sharpe
• Legolas - Michael Rouse
• Gimli - Sévan Stephan
• Boromir - Steven Miller
• Arwen - Rosalie Craig
• Saruman - Brian Protheroe
• Elrond - Andrew Jarvis
• Bilbo - Terence Frisch

The cast recording for the Original London Production is set for release on 4th February 2008.^[6]

References

External links

• Official site of the Lord of the Rings stage production
• Unofficial fansite for the Lord of the Rings stage production
• Review of LOTR from theatre.com
• MusicalTalk podcast episode featuring a discussion about the musical, audience and cast opinions
• Profile of the London production
• Interview article about the London show
• The Return of the King stage production in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
• ROTK theatre review from Cincinnati
• Images from the Lord of the Rings stage production in Toronto, Canada
• Information about the Toronto production
• 2007 Interview with Star James Loye on Theatre.com
• Review of the London production from The Observer