Review: THE LORD OF THE RINGS, The Watermill Theatre
As you arrive at the idyllic countryside Watermill Theatre surrounded by glimmering streams and enchanted trees, you are transported to ‘The Shires’ - home of the Hobbits. This production is one of the Watermill’s most ambitious projects yet, an intimate adaption of an epic tale and it most definitely delivers, on a monumental scale.
The story begins with Bilbo Baggins’ 111th birthday party, a bucolic, lively, immersive folksy festival, set in the sublimely beautiful Watermill gardens capturing everyone’s imagination from the onset, before being sucked into the main rustic auditorium -a theatrical world full of magic and legend. We follow Frodo (Louis Maskell) and his trusty sidekick Sam (Nuwan Hugh Perera) as they go on a dangerous quest to destroy the Dark Lord Sauron’s ring with Frodo’s bubbly cousins Pippin (Amelia Gabriel), Merry (Geraint Downing) and their growing entourage.
The masterful set design and special effects are nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece, as good if not better on this intimate stage than on any West End production. The lighting by Rory Beaton, sound by Adam Fisher, puppets by Charlie Tymms and set design by Simon Kenny, cleverly create the magical world of Middle Earth, with its rustic wooden finishes, atmospheric lighting, apocalyptic horses, climbing ladders, hydraulic platforms and an effective symbolic floral ring, that magically transforms into a huge sun.
The music by A.R. Rahman, Vattina and Christopher Nightingale is played in true Watermill style as the actor-musicians play the soundscape whilst performing in groups or solo numbers. The songs have a folk style befitting of the story but don’t consistently drive the narrative. Georgia Louise stands out as powerful Galadriel, with her angelic voice mesmerising the audience from above.
Maskell is charismatic as Frodo, with Hugh Perera standing out as he grows from Frodo’s loyal and lovable, comic companion Sam, to a truly heroic saviour. Matthew Bugg entrances the audience as grotesque Gollum with his acrobatic antics swinging wildly from balcony to balcony.
Great wars are lost and won, with each battle scene cleverly choreographed by Dani McCallum. Each performer is exaggerated and their in-depth characterisation takes on an almost Shakespearean charm. The cast is a collective force to be reckoned with.
Strangely compelling yet a little repetitive at times, the endless journey remains rather long at three and a half hours.
A perfect production for all ages and whether you know the story or not, this intimate adaption is truly spectacular and worth watching.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Marina Holmes Smith
The Lord of the Rings plays at the Watermill Theatre until 15 October, with further information here: