Theatre-O-Rama
Last night, I saw the Lord of the Rings play/musical. I hadn't planned on seeing it because it pretty much scared me, but the ticket was a birthday present from one of my best friends, so I had to go. And I ended up very much enjoying myself.
On the level of theatrical spectacle, it succeeds admirably. The set and costume designs are amazing. The whole stage is enveloped in a tangle of branches that extend into the auditorium and can convey the terror of Mordor or the wonder of Lothlorien depending on the lighting. The Black Riders are chilling and beautiful and Shelob is unbelievably creepy. (Through a combination of puppetry and lighting and performance, they've actually managed to put a believable, 15 foot high spider on stage.)
The battle scenes are also extraordinary. Everything about them--lighting, choreography, the constant reconfigurations of the incredible moving stage--combines to produce scenes the are truly awe-inspiring. I don't think it hurts that they used Terry King, an extraordinary fight co-ordinator who's been working with the RSC for years.
And then there's the music. The fact that this was to be a musical was the thing that made me most nervous. I have to admit that mostly the songs in the books make me cringe and these days I skim them if I look at them at all. But the music was wonderful. The highlight for me was undoubtedly Galadriel's song, which had a dissonant, otherworldly quality and was clearly written by the Finnish group Varttina. But even the extended song and dance in the Prancing Pony was a joy to watch. It may stop the action cold, but it's so energetic and full of good cheer that you can't complain about it.
What's not so good? Well, there's not much subtlety in the area of character development. Boromir gets totally short-changed. Faramir, Denethor, Eomer and Grima Wormtongue are missing entirely. Eowyn gets hardly any time at all. ("I want to fight." Followed immediately by "Whee, I killed the Witch King," and then she's gone.) Brent Carver, who is usually so very good, seems to be seeing how fast he can get through Gandalf's lines. And I have to say, that if you weren't well-acquainted with the books and/or movie, I'm not sure how much sense it would all make.
But in the end, I'm very glad I saw it.
On the level of theatrical spectacle, it succeeds admirably. The set and costume designs are amazing. The whole stage is enveloped in a tangle of branches that extend into the auditorium and can convey the terror of Mordor or the wonder of Lothlorien depending on the lighting. The Black Riders are chilling and beautiful and Shelob is unbelievably creepy. (Through a combination of puppetry and lighting and performance, they've actually managed to put a believable, 15 foot high spider on stage.)
The battle scenes are also extraordinary. Everything about them--lighting, choreography, the constant reconfigurations of the incredible moving stage--combines to produce scenes the are truly awe-inspiring. I don't think it hurts that they used Terry King, an extraordinary fight co-ordinator who's been working with the RSC for years.
And then there's the music. The fact that this was to be a musical was the thing that made me most nervous. I have to admit that mostly the songs in the books make me cringe and these days I skim them if I look at them at all. But the music was wonderful. The highlight for me was undoubtedly Galadriel's song, which had a dissonant, otherworldly quality and was clearly written by the Finnish group Varttina. But even the extended song and dance in the Prancing Pony was a joy to watch. It may stop the action cold, but it's so energetic and full of good cheer that you can't complain about it.
What's not so good? Well, there's not much subtlety in the area of character development. Boromir gets totally short-changed. Faramir, Denethor, Eomer and Grima Wormtongue are missing entirely. Eowyn gets hardly any time at all. ("I want to fight." Followed immediately by "Whee, I killed the Witch King," and then she's gone.) Brent Carver, who is usually so very good, seems to be seeing how fast he can get through Gandalf's lines. And I have to say, that if you weren't well-acquainted with the books and/or movie, I'm not sure how much sense it would all make.
But in the end, I'm very glad I saw it.