Lord of the Rings Musical

[elvenprincess971]

Posted: 12/7/04 at 7:17pm

Its true. lol. www.lordoftheringsmusical.com. Opening in london, autumn 2005. Does anyone else think that this is a terrible idea? lol.

[Plum]

Posted: 12/7/04 at 7:26pm

This has been discussed about 15 times already, but no, I don't think it's a particularly bad idea. I hate the source material, but I think it's well-suited to an opera.

[BEKA531]

Posted: 12/7/04 at 7:28pm

how on earth could they fit it into a show that stays under 3 hours? the movies are all 4 hours each. and Lord of the Rings, to MUSIC?

*ponders idea*

that just won't work.

[B.B. Wolf]

Posted: 12/7/04 at 7:30pm

You know, I've thought about a lot actually. At first I thought that the weighty subject matter and epic tale were better suited for opera. Then the thought of the Council of Elrond coming out in recitative gave me nightmares. If it's going to come to the stage, which is a mistake, then a musical I think is the best style for it. You can make the music as operatic in scale as you want, but they still have to come back down to earth after their last note and have dialogue.

[UnsaneLily87]

Posted: 12/7/04 at 7:34pm

As a major fan of the movies and books, I'd have to say...no.

As it was said earlier, it's much to involved to be shown over 3 hours--hell, it was hard enough turning the series into 3 3 hour movies.

[elvenprincess971]

Posted: 12/7/04 at 7:43pm

sorry, i looked and didnt find any recent previous discussions. my bad. but i agree, that there is way too much in depth content in the books (and movies) to make it into a musical. Also, i just cant imagine choreographed orcs or elves.

[Jwaa]

Posted: 12/7/04 at 7:52pm

Notice how the composer has only ever done Bollywood stuff and Bombay Dreams.....this seriously worries me.

all i can say is innnteresting!

haha, cant wait to see this.....it'll flop further than a soggy pancake or will turn into a hidden masterpeice!?

[rockfenris2005]

Posted: 12/7/04 at 8:23pm

What next? lol. The Bible the Musical

[Plum]

Posted: 12/7/04 at 8:32pm

Didn't you know that Val Kilmer IS Moses in The Ten Commandments?

[Rose_MacShane]

Posted: 12/7/04 at 8:38pm

I have to say, I'm a major Lord of the Rings fan. However, I'm not in love with the idea of it as a musical. That is the kind of material that is very easy to screw up. As Plum said, it could work as an opera, but only in the hands of a very gifted composer. And from what I've heard of "Bombay Dreams," I'm a little worried...

[pab]

Posted: 12/7/04 at 8:40pm

BEKA531 wrote: "how on earth could they fit it into a show that stays under 3 hours? the movies are all 4 hours each. and Lord of the Rings, to MUSIC?"

Have you ever read a book called LES MISÉRABLES. People also said that there was too much material to ever make it a Broadway show and that setting it to music was a bad idea.

[kangaroo]

Posted: 12/7/04 at 8:54pm

This information has been up for about 2 years. I guess I'll have to see... It does incorporate two of my favorite things... Lord of the Rings and music.
I think it should be fun, and I hope that I get the oppurtunity to see it.

[billygoatgirl300]

Posted: 12/7/04 at 8:59pm

I think that this either going to be very good or very bad. I was wondering if they are going to use the songs from the book or write brand new ones.

[kangaroo]

Posted: 12/7/04 at 9:04pm

I think that they're going to do a little bit of both. That way the hardcore book fans will still have some of the songs/poems from the actual book... but they also create new songs that will go along with the musical, and will add more to the story. They are going to add at least one Hobbit song... because everyone would love it.

I do agree... it is going to be very good or very bad

[elvenprincess971]

Posted: 12/7/04 at 9:26pm

on the comment on les miserables being a long boook into working musical:

Les Miserables the musical, while keeping the general main plot, does lack the intricate detail that comes with its original novel. But the details making Les Miserables the novel so long usually included history of Paris (i.e. The chapter on the architecture of the sewers) as well as others did not add to the story, so they are easily taken out. While all that little detail may not be the most necessary thing, in LOTR it definitely is, which is why i dont think it is going to work. As for an opera, it would be more along the lines of Carmina Burana, and not be a broadway show, to make it good. Just an opinion.

Updated On: 12/7/04 at 09:26 PM

[JBSinger]

Posted: 12/8/04 at 2:57pm

Like most novels that translate to the stage, something is lost along the way. though i feel the story has Operatic weight fo Wagnerian scale (I hear the echoes of the Howard Shore score), I think a musical version could be successful if handled properly. I'm sure it would be heavy in special effects and the storylines would be paired down to Frodo/Sam journey and the return of the king to the throne. Remember the bad animated LOTR movie? It condensed the story as well. As long as they keep the heart of the story alive with cool "world music" with earthy/fantastic sets, I think it could a wonderful show.

Posted: 12/8/04 at 3:00pm

I dont know about this. It seems that London is getting into the BIG musicals again. Remember the Big Messy Flops... Metropolis and TIME? I mean I loved the music from both show but it was MESSY BIG ASS FLOPS

[BWayBoy88]

Posted: 12/8/04 at 3:05pm

I dont think this is a good idea, but they need to get Christopher Fitzgerald to be Frodo.

[elvenprincess971]

Posted: 12/8/04 at 5:14pm

When putting LOTR on stage, as previously said, there would have to be enormous amounts of special effects. I mean, think of the grand scale on which Tolkien wrote every part of that novel. The wars? they just wouldnt be the same without hundreds of thousands or orcs and uruk-hai all at once.

If put on though, i think this show will give a ton of actors jobs, if the people putting it on want to do it justice

[Jwaa]

Posted: 12/8/04 at 7:22pm

ooooh noooo, i just had a terrible thought.

With what you just said, about them needing a huge set....all im picturing in my head is the old Woman In White cheat, it worked ok in that show......but you can jus tell theryre going to have a projector shining down teh image of thousands of orcs etc, arrrgh please say they wont do that!!!!! eeeek!

[LyTeMyCanDyI]

Posted: 12/8/04 at 7:39pm

OMG! NO! WUT IS HAPPENING TO BROADWAY?????
NOT ONLY WAS IT THE WORST MOVIE I EVER SAW, IT WILL BECOME THE DEATH OF BROADWAY FOR ME. I HOPE IT NEVER MAKES IT HERE.

[elvenprincess971]

Posted: 12/8/04 at 7:45pm

I mean, the idea of putting lord of the rings into a musical soundtrack sounds okay, but really, realistically, unless they are planning to omit every huge battle scene, the balrog and other large creatures, etc, they really can't do it. Not to mention they would probably be breaking the labor code for actors (depending on their contract) for sitting in a makeup chair.

[elvenprincess971]

Posted: 12/9/04 at 1:26am

*bump*

[Phantom05]

Posted: 12/9/04 at 10:36am

Oh my god! Can we all please just chill out for a while. Why is it that every time any idea for a new musical arises, you just jump all over it and condemn it. Also, for those of you who don't like the idea because of the movies, remember, it was a book series long before the movies were ever filmed. For those of you with reservations about A.R. Rahaman, give him a chance. Don't criticise him for Bombay Dreams, and definitely don't criticise him for one of the only styles of music most of you have probably heard from him. He has done some wonderful work, and for many different projects. Lets not begin to kill a shows reputation before anything has even been released....

Just my two cents!

See Ya!

Phantom05

[Cadriel]

Posted: 12/9/04 at 10:43am

Unless it's about as long as Wagner's Ring cycle, I don't think a Lord of the Rings musical will be anything but funny. But there is one of Tolkien's works I'd love to see on stage.

If anyone's read the Silmarillion or the poem in Fellowship of the Ring, they know the story of Beren and Luthien (who is also called Tinuviel); it's a great story about love, mutual devotion, and heroism, and it'd work wonderfully as a very different kind of theatre piece - something of a cross between a ballet and an opera, but without the unbearable conventions of opera.

That would be something, there.

-Wayne