windemere | The Lord of the Rings on Stage (Reply)

Firstly, it’s not a musical. Really.

Secondly, this may just be the most impossible review I have ever done. This production cannot be fairly compared to anything else (though perhaps The Lion King comes close). It’s unlike any I’ve ever seen on stage. And to compare it to the books or to the movies is rather unfair as well. It would be like comparing a song to a painting. The books are amazing in their own right. The movies in theirs. This, this is amazing simply for what it is.

Which is an amazing achievement. I won’t comment on the level of acting, or the singing ability, or really anything to do with the actors themselves, because I don’t have the knowledge to properly judge them. Though I do feel compelled to say that the actor that played Pippin, nailed it.

But I can comment on the production itself. I’ve seen some of the most famous stage productions that have passed through Toronto at one point or another. I remember quite clearly being awed into silence when I saw The Phantom of the Opera as a child. That awe never really went away. And each production I have seen since then has only increased the respect and admiration I have for anyone involved in a major stage creation.

Firstly, and I feel this is an integral point, both in a review, and to the production itself: the stage is the most amazing invention I have ever seen. It both revolved, and separated into upwards of 10 levels at a time (possibly more) to form a circle. I was overwhelmed simply by this alone. But the use the choreographers made of this amazing engineering feat, is no less than awe-inspiring. And I will give the actors a huge amount of credit for some of the stunts that were pulled while the stage was both moving and dividing. It made the Moria scenes spectacular, as well as the Helm’s Deep montage. But the use of the centre section in Lórien was ingenious!

The costumes were spectacular. As impressive as they were in the movie. Though I rather felt sorry for the actor who played Aragorn, who wears the same thing for the entire 3.5 hours. Everyone else gets to change. The detail and design that went into some of the gowns, especially Galadriel’s, just blew me away.

The music was quite well done. I am a devote fan of Howard Shore’s composition, but this one was still quite well done. It fit. There were only about 5 major songs the entire production, though 3 of them were themes that were repeated. The Elven theme was especially poignant. But the songs fit well (especially the one sung at Bree, which is based on the Merry Old Inn song that Tolkien had Frodo sing in Bree) and aren’t as strange to hear as I might have thought. Is it a little weird when, sitting in Mordor, Sam launches into a song about telling stories? Not one bit. I can almost picture Sean Astin doing it! Well, perhaps not.

Things were changed. Jackson changed things too, but we all (or most of us) got over it. I got over it this time even faster. To take 1500 pages and shorten it to a 3.5 hours production is nothing short of impossible, unless sacrifices are made. But they were reasonable sacrifices, and they made sense. But I was shocked by how much they did leave in. Things that Jackson cut out from the beginning. And yes, before anyone asks, the Scouring of the Shire is in. Although, the people I saw it with, who have never read the books, but love the movies, weren’t at all impressed by yet another ending! All in all, however, it flowed fairly well, though some of the running sequences were a touch long and seemed to drag, the rest of the scenes fit together well. There were none I wish were longer, or that more detail should have been added.

My only problem with the plot line was the inordinate amount of time it took before Aragorn was revealed as Isildur’s heir. It’s an integral part of the books, but the production seemed to hold it back, simply to give Frodo the shock of his life at the end. I was getting a little anxious, I’ll admit. Although, in the interim, watching Evan Buliung who played Strider, was more than worth it. :D And Gabriel Burrafato’s Legolas (brown haired!) wasn’t bad eye candy either. Although, if you ask me, he sang far too much.

Sitting here this morning, trying to find the words that failed me last night when I was asked what I thought, is one of the most difficult writing assignments I’ve ever had. I hope I find better words come July, when I will enjoy my second viewing with relish. There was, at times, so much to see on stage, and so much happening everywhere, that I’m sure I missed something important.

I’ll give only one warning: don’t drink anything before you go.

~Amy/Aromene