The Lord of the Rings musical has stormed into Melbourne, and the question on every Tolkien fan’s lips is can the magic of Middle-earth truly be captured on stage?
Adapted from one of the most beloved fantasy sagas ever written, it’s no small feat trying to cram Tolkien’s epic saga onto a stage, and this production certainly throws everything at it to try over a whopping three hour performance.
The source material, as anyone who’s lugged those hefty books around knows, is dense with lore and intricate world-building. Translating that to the stage means some things inevitably get streamlined or glossed over.
Don’t expect lengthy discussions about the intricacies of Elvish genealogy or the detailed history of the Rings of Power. The musical focuses more on the core journey and the emotional arcs of the main characters while keeping things moving along at a breakneck speed.
It took Peter Jackson 9+ hours to tell this story on screen, so it’s quite incredible that the creative team was able to cram it into such a tight show.
The excellent Aussie cast include Jemma Rix as Galadriel, Ian Stenlake as Saruman and Rob Mallett as Strider. We loved seeing the chemistry between Hannah Buckley’s Pippin and her cousin Merry, played by Jeremi Campese and of course the perfect casting of Terence Crawford as the wizard Gandalf.
Rarmian Newton’s Frodo captures a good sense of the character’s initial innocence and growing burden as he quests to destroy the ring of power and was backed up excellently by Wern Mak as his best friend Sam.
It was Laurence Boxhall’s Gollum that really stole the show with a performance that was quite something to behold; he really slimed his way into the scenes in search of his precious and stole the stage in every scene he was in.
The sheer scope of Lord of the Rings could have felt a bit underwhelming on stage, but thanks to some excellent set design, lighting and clever staging we felt it was brought to life.
There are some visually impressive moments such as the first appearance of the orcs, creepy puppetry of the dark riders or the Balrog, and a very cool puppet spider. The battle sequences against the dark forces of Mordor were also orc-estrated perfectly.
The cast were all triple threats as each actor-musician would pick up their instruments throughout the show to add to the story.
The songs themselves are… well, they serve the story, though none are likely to be stuck in your head for days afterwards.
So, is it a good show?
If you’re a die-hard Tolkien fan, you’ll appreciate seeing these iconic characters and moments brought to life in a different way. Just go in knowing it’s an adaptation, and some of the depth and detail you might love from the books will be condensed for the stage. Don’t expect a carbon copy of the novels or the movies, but do expect to have a great time.
For everyone who hasn’t been exposed to Tolkien’s masterpiece, this show will be a solid night out, with some very entertaining action, larger than life puppetry, impressive sets and lighting and a fantastic showcase of Aussie talent.
– The Plus Ones
