Little Delving
Beyond Here There Be Dragons
Lord Of The Rings: The Musical
Jun 20, 2006 07:23 PM Filed in:
Tolkieny
Goodness
Lothlorien by
Värttinä
Hi, Everybody!
Well
I did my little there and back again journey to Toronto, and
I’m happy to say that the weekend was a LOT of fun. I saw the
LOTR musical twice, Friday night and again Saturday afternoon, and
I am really glad I did. It was WONDERFUL!!! I kid you not. On
Friday night I was amazed and all caught up in the theatrical stage
wizardry on display, but on Saturday I just sat back and enjoyed
the whole experience. The 3 plus hours seemed to fly by.
Where
to begin? Well, of course trimming the entire trilogy down to just
over 3 hours means there had to be massive cuts in the story line,
but amazingly enough they managed to stay very true to
Tolkien’s Tale. In fact, I’d go as far as to say they
were more faithful to the text than PJ and the gang were. Arwen did
have a part in the musical, and I’d be interested to know how
much that role was influenced by the Arwen of the films, but she
wasn’t turned into as big a plot point as she was in the
movies. Instead she was used mostly in dream-like sequences where
she would move around stage unseen by
everyone
there yet indicating her presence in Aragorn’s thoughts. Her
presence added poignancy to Aragorn’s struggles, and she also
added some beautiful singing that served as background music for a
few of these scenes. It was both lovely and eerie.
They
also did some hinky stuff with Narsil having Aragorn run around for
half the show with a broken blade that he uses to prove his lineage
to a few doubting characters before the sword is magically
re-forged (off stage) and presented to Aragorn by Gandalf following
Helm’s Deep. Why is it that these movie/musical people think
they know better how to deal with the sword that was broken than
J.R.R himself? Hubris. Pure hubris.
Oh,
that reminds me, Gandalf doesn’t make his post Balrog
re-entry into the story until he appears in the nick of time to
save the day at Helm’s Deep. That was a bit of a surprise,
but all in all it was nothing too drastic.
Also,
since much of the action in Theoden’s hall was cut there was
no Worm Tongue. Instead Bill Ferney from Bree served as
Saruman’s all purpose lackey and bad guy through out the
story right up to killing him at the door of Bag End.
But probably the biggest cut from the story was the huge battle at Gondor. In the musical they
sort
of merged that battle with the final battle at the gates of Mordor
as the Big One which actually worked quite well EXCEPT it meant
that Eowyn’s encounter with The Witch King lost its place in
the story. In fact, though they portrayed the scene on the stage,
it really lost all its significance in the story because of the
huge cuts they had to make. Eowyn’s role was relegated to
three or four lines and her appearance on the battlefield. Bummer.
I think the Eowyn/Witch King scene in the LOTR books is one of the
truly great scenes in all of Literature, and I would have loved to
see it done justice, but I suppose that with so many cuts to make
even that great back story had to suffer.
Still, all in all, I would say that they did a pretty darn good job of telling the story in much of its glory, and, amazingly enough, through their theatrical wizardry, they managed to create many scenes of real beauty and suspense. It’s not a musical in any real sense of the word. Rather it’s more a live adaptation of the story with a musical score running behind it much like you have in a movie with the occasional outburst of song and/or dance which doesn’t seem nearly as intrusive as it sometimes does in traditional musicals.
And
speaking of the music, I thought it was Excellent! I have a feeling
perhaps not everyone would agree with me, but I loved it! Much of
the music has a very strong Nordic flavor to it thanks to
Värttinä, a
Finnish folk/pop group that helped compose much of it. (Kati, are
you familiar with them?) Well, I think that sound fits perfectly
with the mood of the show and it adds just the right sense of
darkness and danger even to the many scenes involving the Elves and
especially Galadriel. It also adds an otherworldly feel to the show
over all, and so even if your ears are not accustomed to the
sounds, I think if you experience it in the context of the story
you'll be as swept away by it all as I was. Speaking of Galadriel,
she in particular comes off edgier and less cuddly in the musical,
much more a being of power and substance with a strong hint of
danger to her. Her Dark Queen speech works very well because of it.
I think the whole Lothlorien scene may have been my favorite part
of the show. It was beautiful and very moving. And yes, there were
gifts given. 
What
else can I tell you? The opening scenes in The Shire were jolly and
festive and the hobbits all cheerful and appropriately plump. The
battle scenes were suspenseful and even epic in feeling though
there were never more than maybe 45 or so people on stage at any
given time. The lighting and stage effects coupled with that
incredible moving and ever-changing stage actually brought
Helm’s Deep to life, and the huge banners lifted on stage
flapped furiously in the wind just as you would imagine it on a
battlefield. It really was impressive.
In fact, given how well they brought Helm's Deep to life, I was mildly disappointed in Mount Doom and the final encounter between Frodo and Gollum. After all the build up it seemed to get not quite the weight and attention I would have expected. It was not a disaster by any means, it was good, just not the spectacular scene I allowed myself to expect given what I had already seen on stage. Oh, Gollum...
What
can I say except that he stole the show? From everyone. He was
amazing and every bit as creepy and tragic a character as you could
hope for. Truly a fantastic piece of physical acting. He was far
and away the crowd favorite! And the scene with Frodo and Sam
sleeping and Gollum "sneaking" worked REALLY well. Sam and Frodo
sing together a cheery little song called "Now and For Always"
trying to lift each others' spirits, and as they fall asleep this
very hobbity, folksy tune changes to a minor key and becomes the
musical motif for Smeagol and Gollum's struggle with the thought of
killing the sleeping hobbits. It was creepy and haunting, and you
could cut the tension in that theater with a knife! *shudders*
Until, finally, Gollum backs down speaking of the "She" who will
help him, the hobbits awake, and the the three of them wander off
stage again led by Gollum singing in his creaky little voice the
minor key refrain of "Now and For Always." Good theater!
You
know, I think really the only disappointing member of the whole
cast was Gandalf. I saw the main Gandalf on Friday night, and I was
not impressed with him in the least. He sang beautifully when
needed, but for the rest of the show he had absolutely no gravitas,
no presence at all. I remember reading one critic’s comments
that he came off as someone whom even Merry and Pippin could
ignore. Funny but true! But another advantage to seeing the show
twice is that sometimes the cast changes in fortuitous ways. On
Saturday I had the pleasure of seeing the understudies in the roles
of Gandalf and Elrond, and both of them were HUGE improvements!
They both had the booming speaking voices and weight of presence to
pull the roles off which I think made their scenes all the more
believable.
So,
on the whole, I would have to say that (amazingly enough) the LOTR
musical is a real winner. I would never have imagined that. In
fact, when I first heard they were going to give it a go, my
initial reaction was more like "Oh My God, WHY???" But the show
really does work, and I think it is definitely a must see for all
the Tolkien Faithful.
Unfortunately, for those theater buffs who come to the show never having read the books or seen the movies, there will be two at least and maybe three or four places where the action on stage takes such a huge leap of faith that they will not be able to follow, The Black Riders being swept away in the river, The Balrog, The Tree Tops of Lothlorien, The Huron devouring the Orcs at Helm’s Deep, and perhaps even the final struggle between
Frodo
and Gollum which takes place so fast that even I wasn’t sure
if I’d seen that finger being bitten off and Gollum
plummeting to his doom! Having seen it now for myself I can
understand why some of the true theater critics chewed it up and
spit it out in mild disgust. If they were amongst the lost and
confused I could understand their dismay, but for anyone familiar
with the story, the musical does work very well.
So, my friends, seeing the LOTR musical really was a great experience and one I think you should all have if the opportunity ever presents itself. And so, with all that being said, when are you all going to Toronto??? Or perhaps
London
next spring if the rumours be true.
Well, whichever it be, let me know and I’ll join you. Third time’s the charm, eh?
Hi, Everybody!
But probably the biggest cut from the story was the huge battle at Gondor. In the musical they
Still, all in all, I would say that they did a pretty darn good job of telling the story in much of its glory, and, amazingly enough, through their theatrical wizardry, they managed to create many scenes of real beauty and suspense. It’s not a musical in any real sense of the word. Rather it’s more a live adaptation of the story with a musical score running behind it much like you have in a movie with the occasional outburst of song and/or dance which doesn’t seem nearly as intrusive as it sometimes does in traditional musicals.
In fact, given how well they brought Helm's Deep to life, I was mildly disappointed in Mount Doom and the final encounter between Frodo and Gollum. After all the build up it seemed to get not quite the weight and attention I would have expected. It was not a disaster by any means, it was good, just not the spectacular scene I allowed myself to expect given what I had already seen on stage. Oh, Gollum...
Unfortunately, for those theater buffs who come to the show never having read the books or seen the movies, there will be two at least and maybe three or four places where the action on stage takes such a huge leap of faith that they will not be able to follow, The Black Riders being swept away in the river, The Balrog, The Tree Tops of Lothlorien, The Huron devouring the Orcs at Helm’s Deep, and perhaps even the final struggle between
So, my friends, seeing the LOTR musical really was a great experience and one I think you should all have if the opportunity ever presents itself. And so, with all that being said, when are you all going to Toronto??? Or perhaps
Well, whichever it be, let me know and I’ll join you. Third time’s the charm, eh?