Lord Of The Rings

[JudasIscariot]

Posted: 1/24/08 at 10:41pm

Hey guys, I was searching and couldn't find a thread on this, if there is one, please point me in the direction.

That being said, do you think there is a chance of a transfer to Broadway? The music on the website is incredible, there is something about the score that is so refreshing. I'd love to get a chance to see it, but I really don't have the money to go to the West End.

Has anyone seen the show? What did you think of it?

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 1/24/08 at 10:44pm

I watched the show here in the UK in a half empty theatre and hated it, the sets and costume etc are fantastic but the show is long and dull, all spectacle and no heart.

The show is closing this year in the UK after a year and with a budget as high as it has i doubt it will have made it back.

so will it transfer to Broadway...i would say no!!

[Eos]

Posted: 1/24/08 at 10:48pm

I saw it in Toronto, and thought it was great. Not flawless, but taking a 1000 page epic story to the stage - you're gonna have some issues.

I remember the consensus on the board being that the production was so huge, it would be difficult and cost prohibitive to try and stage it on Broadway.
It sure was beautiful to look at, though!

[JudasIscariot]

Posted: 1/24/08 at 10:49pm

Well, I hope they do it anyway. :-P

The reviews I've read from London actually haven't been terrible. It would really be sad if it has no heart.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 1/24/08 at 11:03pm

really??? most of the reviews i read here in the UK just had praise for the set and lighting

[ruthiefan_felix]

Posted: 1/24/08 at 11:37pm

I hvae to agree that the show has no heart and quite long and dull but understandably so! The storyline's still to rushed. But it is a spectacle to watch and some parts are amazing!!!! The sets/costumes/lightings/effects are all amazing... so pretty much all the technical side are good, the cast was good as well. It's worth a watch once definitely!

[fetzles1490]

Posted: 1/24/08 at 11:43pm

I saw it in London in December, and I'm not a fan of the LOTR books or movies at all - I haven't read or seen any of them. That being said, I was totally unbiased going in. From the reactions I got from people I was with who are fans, the story line was DRASTICALLY reduced (it had to be, of course), and that was part of the reason the show lacks heart. The sets and costumes and EVERYTHING technical was absolutely gorgeous and flawless, and the actors were incredibly talented. The point where I think people lose interest is in the fact that the music isn't what drives the plot, as in most musicals. While it's excellent music sung by very talented people, it's still nothing more than an accessory.

I highly doubt it'll ever come to Broadway. The starting costs would be obscene. It would be nearly impossible to sell well for this show in the size theatre it would need. I still enjoyed it, though. =)

[winston89]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 12:55am

The reason why Toronto produced this show is simple. It was their answer to not getting a sit down production of Wicked. Prior to Wicked sitting down in Chicago they were looking at Toronto as another possibility. But, in the end they picked Chicago.

The city of Toronto thought that if they had a great show in their town that they could use their theatre district to get tourists to come visit them.

Thus, Lord of the Rings the musical was born.

I never saw the show considering that I live in NYC. But, it got world wide critics coming to the opening in Toronto. And my general opinion that I got from it was that the show didn't know if it wanted to be an epic play or an epic musical. It fell somewhere in the middle and it just didn't work.

[Tag]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 1:10am

Winston the reason LOTR came to Toronto in the first place was because at the time there wasn't a big enough theatre available in London.
It was never advertised as a musical. It was always referred to as a 'play with music' or a 'theatrical event'.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 2:22am

I'm seeing it next week, looking forward to see how they translate the text to the stage, even if the reviews were less than stellar. They just cut their prices across the board, so perhaps they're just trying to fill seats until they run out of steam (Thursday matinees are only 25 GBP - without a discount!)

[AJ1985]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 3:03am

Tag, I was at the press conference in the spring of 2005 and the emphasis was that it was ging to be a musical. There were going to be extensive sung segments as well as much underscored action. As the show evolved there was less singing and more underscoring and they changed the ads to call it anything BUT a musical.

Somehow LOTR is a property that just doesn't "sing."