LOTR musical?

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Chris227, Oct 9, 2008.

  1. Chris227

    Chris227 Lieutenant Commander

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    Sep 5, 2007
    I can remember this being big news a few years ago...so what happened?
     
  2. Professor Zoom

    Professor Zoom Admiral Admiral

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    Sep 16, 2004
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    I met the guy who played Gimli in the Toronto production. He and I were doing some temp work together...

    I don't know what happened...my guess...the show was very expensive to produce and in the end, I bet, failed to capture the interest from the movies.
     
  3. Mooch

    Mooch Commodore Commodore

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    Jun 6, 2001
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    Canada
    It was very expensive and sold poorly. The Toronto run was cancelled early and followed by a short run in London as I recall.

    edit: according to wikipedia, the London run was actually fairly successful.
     
  4. Twilight

    Twilight Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2003
    I've seen it!

    Saw it in London in May of last year.

    I *hated* it.


    The stage itself though was the coolest thing I've ever seen. It was incredible - it rotated and split into multiple levels to create mountains or valleys or, say, the walls of Mordor. The costumes were gorgeous too - the production values were simply through the roof for that production.

    But the play - say it with me - suuuuuuuuuccked.

    It completely butchered the storyline of LOTR to the point that it was utterly incomprehensible. The entirety of The Two Towers was enacted in a 5 minute abstract dance number - I'm not joking. The dance began with the forging of Saruman's army and ended, 5 minutes later, with their defeat at Helm's deep. The next scene, as I recall, was Frodo and Sam crossing the plains of Mordor.

    Whaaa?! :wtf:
     
  5. Gaith

    Gaith Vice Admiral Admiral

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    May 11, 2008
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    Oregon
    Also saw it in London; it was fantastic. The staging was a technical marvel. The story was very well-plotted for its three-hour or less running time, largely keeping the focus on the hobbits. It definitely had an epic feel, and got very moving at times.

    My one quibble was that Gandalf was a bit of a jerk. He did a fair amount of exposition, and had to speak quickly to move stuff along, and while the guy was obviously trying not to copy McKellen, the Gollum guy was just as obviously doing the movie version.

    Oh, and it woulda been nice if they'd licensed some Howard Shore music. A lot of the battle-type score was loud and mythic without having the film score's sense of purpose. And the songs were largely forgettable.

    Okay, that was more than one quibble, but I still thought it was an awesome show. Especially when you've got free tickets. ;)