Lord of the Rings Musical to Open at Drury Lane in June

By: Jun. 23, 2006
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According to the BBC News, the hit Toronto production of the musical The Lord of the Rings, previously announced to be London-bound, will begin previews at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on May 9th, 2007, for a June 19th opening.

The 3-and-a half-hour musical condensation of Tolkien's hobbits-and-elves trilogy, which is directed by Matthew Warchus, will follow The Producers into the Drury Lane; the Mel Brooks musical shutters on January 9th. 

The Lord of the Rings, which received mixed reviews when it opened at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto on March 23rd, will be revised for its London run.  Not only will it be cut from three and a half to three hours, but the third act will be rewritten.  It will be one of the most expensive shows to play the West End, according to the article.

The Lord of the Rings 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 Kevin Wallace and Saul Zaentz, in association with David and Ed Mirvish and Michael Kohl.

"It probably does have a European sensibility, a British sensibility in terms of the use of text and the use of the spoken word. It's coming back to its spiritual home," said Wallace of the show, which was originally to have premiered in London.  The Lord of the Rings' mixed reviews generally praised its opulent production design, but were less enthusiastic about the actual content of the show.

The show's Toronto 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.

The Lord of the Rings plays Tuesday to Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with matinees on Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday at 1 p.m.Ticket prices range from $26 to $125 (Canadian), and are available for purchase through TicketKing by calling 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333. Groups of 20 or more may call 416-593-4142 and 1-800-724-6420. Tickets may also be purchased at the box office of The Princess of Wales Theatre (300 King Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) or online at www.lotr.com.

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