Lord of the Rings Musical to Journey to London in 2007

According to Variety, Kevin Wallace, one of the producers of the big-budget Lord of the Rings musical that opened at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre on March 23rd, has stated that the show is headed for London--despite having sharply divided critics.

The reviews for Lord of the Rings--which began previews on February 4th--were mixed, but tipped more towards the negative. Most of the major critics from Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York--such as The New York Times' Ben Brantley and The Associated Press' Michael Kuchwara--were unimpressed, with the latter referring to it as  "lavish but disappointing ... a case of imagination overwhelmed by complexity." The London critics--such as Sam Marlowe of the Times of London--were generally more favorable.

Wallace stated of the show's future: "We are definitely going to open in London in 2007. There's a confidence in a certain sector of the industry that believes this will be a blockbuster of popular entertainment. Our market research during previews indicated the show is scoring strongly with the ordinary man in the street." Wallace added that the musical had a "95 % approval rating among nonregular theatregoers," and that tour operators have also been enthusiastic.

However, specific current sales figures are unavailable as Mirvish Productions authorized that they be withdrawn from public discussion. Prior to opening, the show was announced as having drawn an advance of over $15 million, however, and producers are now saying that the show "took in twice the amount at the box office the day after opening as it has been doing the day before."

"The consolidation of any show is in the three months after it opens. You've got to communicate to the public what it is. Now is the most crucial time," stated Wallace, who also said that the musical's creative team will "fine-tune" Lord of the Rings after a six-week break.

The 3-and-a half-hour musical condensation of Tolkien's hobbits-and-elves trilogy is directed by Matthew Warchus. The Lord of the Rings also features music by A.R. Rahman (along with the Finnish group Varrtina), and the book and lyrics are by Shaun McKenna. Rob Howell's elaborate sets feature three interconnected turntables with 16 elevators; he also designed the costumes.

The creative team spent over two years--and $27 million Canadian dollars--developing the show.  Simon Baker (sound), The Gray Circle (moving image design), Paul Kieve (illusions direction), Laurie Battle (Tolkien creative consultation), and Christopher Nightingale (musical supervision) comprise the rest of the creative team. The show is presented by Wallace and Saul Zaentz, in association with David and Ed Mirvish and Michael Kohl.

In a previous interview with Reuters, Wallace described the show's concept: "We are ultimately dependent on 50 actors and musicians to tell the story rather than technology…We are going to have to break new ground. It is a hybrid of text, music, spectacle and physical theater."

The show's cast--comprised of more than 70 performers--features actors from Canada, the U.S. and other countries. It stars Brent Carver (Parade, Kiss of the Spider Woman) as Gandalf, James Loye as Frodo, Evan Buliung as Aragorn, Peter Howe as Sam, Dylan Roberts as Merry, Owen Sharpe as Pippin, Gabriel Burrafato as Legolas, Ross Williams as Gimli, Richard McMillan as Saruman, Rebecca Jackson Mendoza as Galadriel, Carly Street as Arwen, Dion Johnstone as Boromir, Victor A. Young as Elrond, Kerry Dorey as Théoden and Kristin Galer as Rosie.

Ticket prices range from $44 to $99 ($56-$125 in Canadian dollars). Visit www.lotr.com for more information, or call TicketKing at (416) 872-1212 or (800) 461-3333. The numbers for group inquiries are (416) 593-4142 or (800) 724-6420.

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