West End Wednesday: THE LORD OF THE RINGS
The Lord of the Rings is a 2006 West End musical based on the popular mythological book trilogy, ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J.R.R Tolkien. The musical tells of Frodo, a Hobbit who must go on an epic journey to destroy an evil magic ring and save his land of Middle Earth before it’s too late, without being seduced and consumed by the ring’s dark power.
In 2006, a collection of producers including Kevin Wallace, theatre owner David Mirvish and concert promoter Michael Cohl, alongside the stage and film rights holder Saul Zaentz, set about producing a musical adaptation of The Lord of the Rings to premiere in Toronto. The team gathered Matthew Warchus to direct, and collaborate on the book and lyrics with Shaun McKenna, and A. R. Rahman and Varttina collaborating with Christopher Nightingale on the music.
The musical initially opened with a whopping 3.5 hour running time and at a cost of $30million Canadian Dollars. The initial cast size that debuted at The Princess of Wales Theatre was 65 strong, including Broadway star Brent Carver as Gandalf, Michael Therriault as Gollum, James Loye as Frodo and Peter Howe as Sam. The production premiered on 4 February 2006, with an opening night of 23 March. Despite its impressive scale in set and costume design, the musical received mixed reviews and closed on 3 September 2006.
The musical itself was significantly reworked before transferring to London’s West End, opening at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in May 2007. The production had a reduced cast size, all of whom were new bar Loye, Howe and Therriault and a run time of three hours. This production cost £25 million, making it one of the most expensive musicals in West End history. The production was directed by Matthew Warchus, with choreography by Peter Darling, set and costume design by Rob Howell, lighting design by Paul Bryant and sound design by Simon Baker. Joining the three original cast members were Laura Michelle Kelly as Galadriel, Rosalie Craig as Arwen, Jerome Pradon as Aragorn and Malcolm Storry as Gandalf. Due to the scale and budget of the production, the musical had a huge industry budge and even had a documentary made about it for the National Geographic channel chartering its development from the first day of rehearsals to first performance.
The musical also made its way into the public eye when one of its cast members hurt their leg in a piece of onstage machinery during an early preview. This caused the show to cancel several previews. However, Adam Salter, the injured actor, returned to the production once he made a full recovery. The production opened to mixed reviews, some citing it as an epic stage experience whilst others stated that its spectacle merely overshadowed issues within its book and score. The musical extended one month past its initially booking period before closing, with some actors not renewing their contracts. Their roles were taken over by their understudies. The production closed on 20 July 2008, making it one of the biggest commercial flops in West End history. The production was nominated for 5 Olivier Awards, but failed to win any.
News of a world tour was announced in 2013 but as of yet, its status remains unknown.
Besties, The Lord of the Rings gets a bad rap. It’s one of my biggest theatrical regrets never having seen it and I urge you to listen to the cast recording because the score is simply stunning.
Cast recording available on streaming services and documentary available in parts on YouTube.
FACTS:
Music: A. R. Rahman, Christopher Nightingale and Varttina
Lyrics: Matthew Warchus and Shaun McKenna
Book: Matthew Warchus and Shaun McKenna
Theatre: Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Run: 9 May 2007 – 20 July 2008 (492 performances)
OLIVIERS:
(NOMINATED) Best New Musical, Best Set Design/Best Costume Design – Rob Howell, Best Lighting Design – Paul Bryant, Best Sound Design – Simon Baker.
