LOTR stage production satisfies

First, as a Tolkien devotée, I believe the production was largely successful. The producers, crafts-people, actors and musicians re-created the story beloved by millions . The essentials of a fellowship amongst and between ordinary folk and Middle Earth’s nobility, united to confront evil with the power of love, sacrifice, commitment and perseverance, shines forth. The essentials are there, albeit pared down to the bone in some spots. It is not a musical in the strictest sense of the word. It is essentially a play, with the selective and well-placed use of music.

Music is used to wonderful effect here. What stood out for me were the haunting vocals of the Finnish group Värttinä. They have the earthy, tribal sound often heard in African and Slavic music, that carries the eternal themes of passion, triumph and loss in its very sounds. The rest of the score by A.R. Rahman is NOT Howard Shore, but then it cannot and should not be. It is a subtle yet effective version of the contemporary musical style. The two types of music were well combined by music supervisor Christopher Nightingale. Three “show tunes” stand out for me. The happy, whimsical The Road Goes On and Sam and Frodo’s duet on Mt Doom . A third is the rollicking tavern song, just before the Hobbits become enmeshed in the snares and patterns of the Ring’s world. The audience had to practice considerable restraint to not dance in the aisles

The visuals are breathtaking in a way different from what can be created on celluloid. Overall, there is a very effective sense of oppressiveness in the tangle of vegetation that often formed the backdrop and that draped the upper levels of the theatre. This nicely reflects the intrusion of an old and passing world of Elves and large-scale heroic deeds upon the innocent world of the Hobbits. In addition, I especially enjoyed the image of horse-like waves racing past the ford of Bruinen projected on long, diagonal sheets of material. Good effects were achieved with an economy of time and space.

The staging was clever and minimalist, given little time for moving about elaborate sets. The ringed opening served as a scrim on which to project some images, such as those in the prologue. The climb to the upper reaches of Lothlorien was achieved with the central circle of the stage descending as the characters climbed up the ladder, so that when they arrived at the top, they were flush with stage level again. Movement and flight were well represented on a multi-level stage, whose components moved independently. The agile actors had to have eaten their carrots so that their night-vision was intact! I must say that it did feel a bit rushed in places, but not to an unforgivable degree.

Special mention goes to two elements. The first was the Balrog , whose fiery breath was felt right to the back of the theatre in a rather clever manner. Secondly , Lothlorien was accomplished with vocal effects, floating backdrop lights and tiny candles carried by Elves, every bit as effectively as in the film with all manner of special CG (computer-generated) effects.

Just as in Tolkien’s novels, the Dark Lord does not appear as a character, but is menacing presence behind all the atmosphere and action of the story. Aragorn was ably though portrayed by understudy Matt Cassidy, but I would hope that Evan Buliung’s version would have more punch. Arwen (Carly Street) played an important role, despite having relatively little air time, carrying the emotional themes of the kingly hero’s quest and of sacrifice for love. Galadriel made a powerful impact as the sorceress that Gimli dreaded. What Cate Blanchett could do with subtle glances and a little CG , Rebecca Jackson Mendoza (Queen of Alderan in Revenge of the Sith) did with a commanding, reverberating voice and a head dress to die for. Its crest of white feathers and jewels reminded me of a waning moon with on a wind-swept cloudy night.

Characters were largely intact, though some were Missing In Action, namely Denethor, Faramir, Eomer, Tom Bombaldil and Wormtongue . There was a quick reference to Tom at Gandalf’s penultimate parting, which must have been confusing to all but Tolkien readers. Sadly, Eowyn’s conflict and her infatuation with Aragorn was barely hinted at, although she dispatched the Witch King as required .

Legolas had an unexpected role, serving as a herald for the chorus of Elvish voices that provided much of the spiritual tone of the action. The actor Gabriel Burrafato‘s rich, powerful voice was like a robust red wine . There is a nod to the warrior competition with Gimli, but without the time to do more than briefly sketch out their growing friendship. The show stealer, evidenced by the roar of applause during the bows, was once again Gollum. Michael Therriault conveyed the dual nature of this tortured fellow with all the agility and pathos of his film counterpart.

Sam and Frodo shone from the inside, without the need for Hollywood good looks. They were almost homely country denizens , yet their humour, sincerity and good singing voices carried the fellowship theme well. It was a pleasure to see them perform (Sam being played by understudy Peter van Gestel)

The production is not without faults . I fully accept that the complexity of Tolkien’s work cannot be fully represented in a time frame and with the physical limitations of staging. Even so, I believe there were significant problems. First and foremost, was Gandalf. Brent Carver , the award-winning Canadian actor, just did not bring off the range nor the power needed. He was at his best as a gentle and helpful grandfather of sorts, showed signs of being the wise counsellor, but generally was a pale version of the beloved wizard. Sir Ian McKellen has no competition to worry about. The effect was a bit sad, though because it is a loss of quality in a central character. I was tempted to defend Carver with the observation that many of his lines were rushed by the strict time constraints of the tightly-controlled production.

The actor playing Saruman, however, suffered no such pallor, despite similar limitations. With his pencil-thin, brush-cut height Mohawk, Richard McMillan was a powerful presence and rather upstaged his wizardly opponent, even after Gandalf’s transformation. He also did a fine turn as Sharkey in the scouring of the Shire.

The other disappointment came in the crucial scene where the Ring is destroyed. Perhaps by miscue or just bad choreography, the fall appears too slow, as if Gollum deliberately stepped off the edge to writhe about on the slowly descending platform. The element of a dramatic fall was just not there. The gadgetry seems to have failed the production here.

Finally, the horror and hopelessness of the gallant few versus hordes of Orcs just was not conveyed. The stylized battle movements of the good-guys, reminding me of sword-form in T’ai Chi Chuan, were actually very pleasing to the eye but needed some sounds effects. The paltry few Orcs were not a believable foe and this reduced the impact of the victory.

All in all, it was a grand and satisfying performance. I hope that the company continues to iron out the difficulties so that many more can enjoy this version of The Lord Of the Rings.”