Lord of the Rings musical: a review

Just came back from seeing the Lord of the Rings musical at the Princess of Wales theatre with Jeff and two of our nieces. There are some spoilers in LOTR musical review below, just to warn you.

The sets and lighting

The scenery and lighting of this $27-million stage production was AMAZING, and one of the highlights of the show for me. Each scene was a feast for the eyes, turning a single stage convincingly into different parts of Middle Earth over the course of the show, from the ethereal treetop dwellings of Lothlorien to the underground Mines of Moria. It was clear that a great deal of thought (and money) went into the design of each set. I won't go into details because much of the enjoyment is being surprised not only by the appearance of each set, but also by how one changes into the next.



The round stage could rotate and also had many moving pieces. Looks like they've managed to get the glitches out since it operated smoothly throughout the performance, an integral part of the action scenes as well as the different sets. Pretty impressive, really.

The music

I also loved the music. Those expecting catchy Broadway show tunes will be disappointed...instead, I was relieved and delighted; I'm not sure that sort of music would have worked for Lord of the Rings. For me, the music greatly enhanced the atmosphere of each scene. I will definitely get the CD when it comes out.

One of the show's co-composers was Värttinä, a group from Finland. Apparently musical supervisor and orchestrator Chris Nightingale, producer Kevin Wallace and director Matthew Warchus heard one of the group's recordings and thought their music had some of the sound they were looking for. You can hear see videos and hear sound samples on the band's Web site; click on Discography and then on any album for MP3 samples. I just bought their CD "Iki" on iTunes. Check out the sample soundclips on the first few tracks and you'll get an idea of the somewhat "ethnic" and dark atmosphere in much of the LOTR musical.



(Update: Richard Wheatley (aka "Hitch") in the UK has pointed out in LJ comments for this entry: "Much encouraged by your review of the LOTR musical, especially since I have listened to and bought the recordings of Värttinä for some years now. I believe it is a good connection to the created world of Tolkein, JRRT having studied old Finnish literature - and no doubt using it as a point of inspiration.")

Chris Nightingale also worked with A.R. Rahman, an Indian composer with whom he had already worked with for the London, UK production of "Bombay Dreams." It must have been quite the feat, combining input from two sets of composers.

Costumes and effects

Wonderful costumes...kudos to Rob Howell, who also designed the sets. Especially loved the Ents and Dark Riders, how the costumes were enhanced to change the way the actors moved, making their characters more believable.

Kudos also to Special Effects Designer Gregory Meeh and Illusions and Magic Effects Paul Kieve. Many of the effects were truly stunning. There were several points in the show where I found myself staring hard at the stage, wondering how on EARTH they managed to achieve a particular effect. The lighting was an integral part of creating this on-stage magic, thanks to Lighting Designer Paul Pyant.

Choreography

I had heard rumours that there were going to be some acrobatics in the show, but was still impressed by how well these were integrated into the rest of the choreography. I also loved the fun Prancing Pony dance scene, including the traditional-sounding music (reminded me a lot of tunes I hear at my Irish music sessions at the Tranzac!).

The battle at Helm's Deep was especially impressive because the actors were leaping about on a stage whose pieces were constantly moving. A ton of rehearsal must have gone into this scene, considering the risks of slipping on a moving platform in dim lighting. Fortunately the stage didn't encounter the technical problems I've heard about in previous shows.

Anyway, credit goes to Choreographer Peter Darling, Associate Choreographer Rob Tannion, Circus Skills Specialist Alex Frith, and Fight Director Terry King.

The actors/characters

I liked all the characters except for Gandalf, performed by Brent Carver. Carver won a Tony for his starring role in "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and has also won several Gemini Awards. Despite his considerable experience, however, I'm not sure if Gandalf was the right character role for him. It was odd to hear such a young-sounding voice coming from someone supposedly many years older. More importantly, Gandalf's character needs to be performed with more confidence and authority, to at least SOUND as if he's centuries old. Hopefully Carver will be able to settle into a more believable Gandalf, making the production that much stronger. Carver also appeared to forget his lines several times during this evening's performance...not sure what's up with that, since Allison also mentioned this problem in one of the shows last weekend.

Michael Therriault, who plays Gollum.

My favourite character in the musical was Gollum, played by Michael Therriault. Judging from the overwhelming applause at the end of the show when he stepped up to take his bows, I wasn't alone. His use of body language to help portray Gollum's character was amazing. Yes, Andy Serkis did this, too, but Therriault had to keep up an intense amount of physical energy for a sustained period.

Saruman (Richard McMillan) was deliciously evil. He also had far more onstage authority and presence than Gandalf, making me wonder what McMillan would have been like as Gandalf.

The hobbits were wonderful. In our show, understudy Peter van Gestel played Sam instead of Peter Howe. I thought van Gestel did a great job. There were only a few scenes that focused on the friendship between Frodo and Sam, but I thought they worked well.

Evan Buliung performed a very convincing Strider/Aragorn, with the authority and charisma that the role needed.

Ayrin Mackie, who plays Eowyn.

I also very much enjoyed seeing Eowyn's scenes, performed by Ayrin Mackie. Her character was exactly what I had hoped for (Eowyn's one of my favourite LOTR characters); there just wasn't enough of her! Especially in her climactic confrontation with the Witch-King, one of my favourite scenes in the movies. In the play, it was over so quickly I didn't realize what had happened until one of the characters took off her helmet and I saw the blonde hair. Loved Galadriel (performed by Alexandra Bonnet) and her musical soliloquy...for me, it was the most moving scene.

The show was broken into three acts, with short intermissions between (the first intermission was 15 minutes, second was 10 minutes). My favourite act was the second. For me, the third act felt somewhat rushed and unfinished. I wish they had cut the final Treebeard scene and the Scouring of the Shire scene, spent more time on the last battle and Mount Doom scenes as well as more satisfying final scene. I want a big musical finale, dangit! :-)

I'm SO tempted to go back in six months or so, when the show has had time to settle and work out the kinks. Though if someone gave me a ticket to see the show again next week, I'd go without hesitation. So yes, I enjoyed myself very much despite the glitches. :-)

Some other personal reviews I've found online, if you're curious:

Allison
Julie
Connie
WarOfTheRings.net
Sean

You can find more info about the show at LOTR.com.

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