ISRAEL AT WAR – DAY 579
Get The AJN Newsletter by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up
You don’t have to be a fan of J R R Tolkien’s fantasy book The Lord of the Rings and have seen its epic films that premiered two decades ago to enjoy the new musical version that had its Melbourne premiere at the Comedy Theatre on May 1.
Many in the opening night audience for The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale were obvious fans, dressed as if they were extras in the production, but while the action draws on Tolkien’s original saga, it has been reworked into a self-contained wondrous adventure.
In true The Lord of the Rings style, this production runs for just under three hours including interval, but it moves at a rapid pace. There are animated puppets depicting prehistoric animals and magical special effects reminiscent of those in the stage production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Yet it is the musicians, doubling as actors and busy moving around the stage with instruments in hand, who elevate the enjoyment in the way that was successfully done in recent shows such as Come From Away, Once and The Choir of Man.
The original music is by Oscar winner A R Rahman, Finnish folk band Varttina and Tony Award winner Christopher Nightingale and ranges from ballad to folk. Among the most moving numbers are The Cat and the Moon and Now and for Always.
This is a production where it is worth getting to your seats early to catch some of the cast playing their instruments, dancing around and wandering into the aisles for some banter.
The musical starts with the Hobbits in the Shire celebrating Bilbo Baggins’ 111st birthday and members of the audience are invited to join in a rendition of Happy Birthday.
At the party Bilbo (Laurence Coy) gifts his nephew Frodo (Rarmian Newton) his most precious belonging, a gold ring, and mysteriously disappears.
Frodo has no idea of the power of the ring before he is visited 17 years later by the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Terence Crawford), prompting him to set off on an adventure across Middle-earth to Mordor.
Frodo is joined by his friend Sam (Wern Mak), fellow Hobbits and leaders of threatened communities banding as the Fellowship on a mission to vanquish the dark lord Sauron (Ian Stenlake).
Along the way they are helped by the leader of the elves of Lothlorien, Galadriel, played by Jemma Rix in a small role where she can show off her powerful singing voice.
Laurence Boxhall gives a fine performance as the whimpering Gollum who bounds across the stage and swings from ladders as he befriends Frodo in an attempt to steal the ring.
Among the spine-chilling lifelike animals encountered during the journey are the enormous spider Shelob and the Nazgul with skeleton horse heads.
The action in The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale moves at breakneck speed in the second act with plenty of drama and surprises, highlighted by impressive lighting, projection and sound effects leading to a dramatic climax.
The musical plays in Melbourne until June 8 followed by a season on the Gold Coast.
Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale is at the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne. Bookings: lotronstage.com
