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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snailmail submissions and n'MC sketches

Sadly, Urban Tapestry practice had to be cancelled last night; freezing rain made road conditions pretty hairy. I worked on sketches of n'Early Music Consort instead (see below) and finished all sixteen cartoon portraits. Now I have to assemble them into a t-shirt design with other text.

I'm finding Flickr and Livejournal immensely useful for this kind of project. Not only have n'MC members been posting reference photos on Flickr, but I can post my sketches online for them to correct typos and point out any major feature problems ("Hey, I don't have a third eye in the middle of my forehead!"). I can't imagine the hassles involved in trying to do this without the Internet.

Speaking of offline stuff, I'm starting to send out queries and submissions to print publications again; I've been spoiled by pubs which accept e-mail submissions. Fortunately I remembered that U.S. postage rates had increased before putting together my SASEs. I still have a pile of U.S. stamps from previous visits (specifically for SASEs).

I don't blame some editors for preferring snailmail submissions, with the increase in e-mail spam as well as writers who think that the convenience of e-mail means they can get away with sloppier queries and e-mail letters. I'll be ranting more about this in an upcoming Will Write For Chocolate column.

Oh dear. Lights just flickered again...probably there's some hydro wire out there, heavy with ice from last night. I'd better get back to work in case we lose power later on.

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Xlibris, Writing.com and Demon Squirrels

It's been just over five years since Xlibris shut down Inkspot. Seems strange to think it's only been five years; it feels like much longer than that to me.

Looks like Xlibris sold my old domain to Writing.com. I found this out accidentally while looking for writers' communities online, saw "Inkspot.com" listed under Writing.com. When I checked out Inkspot.com out of curiosity, I saw that the domain (which is still listed on some writers' resource sites and books) is now being used to funnel traffic into Writing.com.

Yes, I did feel a twinge, and it did bring back some not-so-great memories. But this time I was able to focus more easily on the positivestuff that came out of that whole experience. Since Xlibris shut down Inkspot, for example, I keep running into people, both online and offline, who tell me how Inkspot had helped them in some way.

For those of you not familiar with the whole situation, you can see my Woodpile Philosophy: A Practical Application. You can also see this Wired article about the shut-down.

Photo to the top right: Some of my favourite work-at-home clothes...yellow Christmas socks from Sibylle, homemade Oreo flannel pants made by Lyanne. Working at home can come with its challenges, but one of the benefits is that I can wear whatever I'd like. My "office outfit" is always geared much more to comfort than style. :-D

POLL: What are YOUR favourite comfort/comfy clothes?

Birdfeeder update: My SquirrelBuster feeder has still managed to thwart all squirrels! I'm very pleased. It was more expensive than the other feeders but has been worth every penny in terms of saving me much anti-squirrel frustration. Though those furry little demons are now turning their attentions to my other feeders:



My friend Cathy gave me this heart feeder for Christmas. The birds loved it, especially the red-breasted nuthatches. Unfortunately, so did the squirrels. The feeder disappeared COMPLETELY a couple days ago; I have no idea where it's been taken.

Grrr.

Thanks to Walter for my very cool Lord of the Rings Valentine's card:



The scan above doesn't do this Valentine justice...the paper has a shimmery texture. Almost blinding in the right light, really. Fortunately my office is completely devoid of sunlight, so my eyesight is safe for now. I have posted the card up on my magnetic board. :-)

Getting together with Allison and Jodi tonight for an Urban Tapestry practice. We'll be going over songs in prep for our concert with Franklin at FilKONtario.

Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud Recently finished this last book in The Bartimaeus Trilogy. Enjoyed it quite a bit, and more than the second book. The demon is my favourite character. :-)

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Poetry FAQ: A Young Poet's Guide To Poetry and Poetry Writing

My Life In A Nutshell has been updated! (see above) Thanks to my friend Andy, who sometimes posts as "aiabx" on Blatherchat, for being such an inspiration. Andy pointed out that he hasn't worn a beard in five years, but I guess he's always worn a beard in my twisted Cartoonland imagination (and Jeff's, since he didn't notice either). :-)



Will Write For Chocolate has been updated! The comic has nothing at all to do with Valentine's Day, and the column is an interview with Deborah Ng (pictured to the right), a work-at-home mother who quit her day job to become a freelance writer...and is now so successful that she has more than enough work to keep busy fulltime. Thanks to Blork Blog for mentioning my strip yesterday.

And a new online project ('cuz clearly I don't have enough of them...): I'm pleased to announce the launch of Poetry FAQ: A Young Poet's Guide To Poetry and Poetry Writing, part of a project (wow, that's a lot of 'p's) that my friend Rand Bellavia and I are working on these days. Rand will be contributing a column and other content for this site soon.

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Valentine

The photo on today's Blatherings is of Flatmouse, one of Jeff's favourite childhood toys. Jeff gave it the name, and isn't quite sure how it became so flat, or how its weird-looking nose got bent.

Whatever flaws Flatmouse might have, it's clear the little guy has been well-loved.

Jeff and I went through the same thing most longterm couples go through. Lots of movie-type romance in the beginning, with flowers and candlelit dinners and romantic letters. When the initial flush of heady romance faded, I was disappointed.

The first fight was a bucket of cold reality in the face and I remember thinking, "I guess it's over, then." But it wasn't. We had more fights, and it still wasn't over.



We'll have been married fifteen years this August. Jeff and I aren't perfect; we've both made mistakes. But we accept each other and love each other, warts and all...a sign of a true friendship, really, and true friendships are a rare thing, not to be passed over lightly.

As for missing the heady flush of early romance with its flowers and romantic letters and candlelit dinners...well, I've realized that it's far easier to write a romantic letter than it is to live up to one. It's all tied in with my desire to live life rather than just talk about it. Jeff and I still have the occasional candlelit dinner but even when we don't, the romance is still there: a different kind of romance, a subtle undercurrent that permeates everything we say and do, providing comfort and strength.

Fact is, I love the guy like crazy and feel incredibly lucky to have him in my life. Here are just a few of the things I love about Jeff.

Happy Valentine's, my love.

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