The Lord of the Rings Musical: What HAPPENED??

[@Jmo4567]

I had the privilege of watching this in the West End in 2007. This is easily the best musical I have ever seen. I still have no idea how they got Bilbo Baggins to disappear before eyes. I loved that Gollumn was literally climbing the walls and that the orcs were running through the aisles. I was mesmerised from beginning to end!! Beautiful music and story telling. I still talk about it to this day and now my children also love LOTR ❤

[@calliemyersbuchanan6458]

I suspect it was a VERY well done, peppers ghost effect.

[@FatherOfThor111]

​​@@calliemyersbuchanan6458 very. I figured second time. And it was delightfully simple. But so effective. Light. Mirror. Timing. If you saw it, that was why there was such heavy leaf-falling effect. They could get it all off stage without one really noticing it had been there. One second we are surprised he disappeared. The next our attention we have and overwhelming visual and narrated to the next chapter.

[@thepolymathacademy4891]

Yes same here and i was so young it felt so real, especially the wind machine!

[@FatherOfThor111]

@@thepolymathacademy4891 yep. But the thing it... It was right? If we had long enough arms we could have touched it. ...and I wasn't even that young.

[@sbskinner369]

Thank you for covering the Lord of the Rings Musical! Very few Tolkien KZbinrs talk about it and even fewer people have actually seen it.

[@EnglishFoxx]

Wow, this video brought back some fantastic memories that I had forgotten and some that I had clearly erased - Gollum in particular! I was lucky enough to see the show multiple times as a student in London. I’ll never forget hearing Laura Michelle Kelly’s breathtaking performance of Lothlorien for the first time. The talent involved really did make this production, even though all else seemed to fail them! The show was an enormous feat not just in the staging but also as you quite rightly point out, story telling! But as a Tolkien fan the music was what kept drawing me back to the show and I was sad to see it leave. The soundtrack still gets a regular play in our house, much to the dismay of my suffering husband and children!

[@cloudambient]

The music and visual effects were some of the most stunning EVER put on stage.

[@eph6640]

“Moderate to severe” lol describing Tolkien fandom like it’s a case of chronic pain

[@chrism7395]

For a not-insignificant portion of the fandom, 'chronic pain' seems apt!

[@habersmashery]

I saw the London production as a teen, and I still remember it! Mostly I agree with your parents. The good bits were VERY good, and the awkward bits were awkward. So many of the visuals were fantastic. The hobbits catching fireflies, the aerial elves in Lothlorien, Gollum 'swimming' down from the ceiling, the revolving stage, the Cat & The Fiddle scene, the orcs on stilts (someone screamed as the interval ended and they entered down the aisles from the back of the theatre). Weirdly I don't remember the Balrog! There were so many clever visual touches. And the sountrack was wonderful. I still listen to it today, particularly Galadriel's two songs and 'Now & for always" The struggle the show had was that you just can't depict battles as big as Helm's Deep or Minas Tirith on a little theatre stage with a cast of 40. Even with projections and little vignettes of moments in the fight, the scale just didn't come across. So the plot went: Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo and Sam leave for Mordor and we follow them for a bit, everyone else stages a big battle to cover for them, the end. Most of Two Towers, and Return of the King had to be skipped. This messed with the scope of the story, where it's a few tiny people in a vast world, with the fate of multiple peoples riding on their success and contributing to it. There just isn't time to get to know everyone well enough to care about them in a 3hr show. I do think there might be a way to do the story well. HelloFutureMe has suggested making the story SMALLER on purpose, and only following Frodo and Sam once the Fellowship splits. That way you could keep the story close and personal, and give the audience the time to really care about those characters. And you'd still have the big set pieces and puppets like the Mumakil and winged Nazgul. I think something like that could work.

[@FartoTheClown]

Without having seen it, I have to say that I quite admire the ambition behind this musical. And to it's credit, some of the songs that I've manad to track down online are beautiful. Like Howard Shore levels of beautiful.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

It was definitely an ambitious project, with some absolutely stellar moments! (The Lothlorien scene will always be jaw-dropping)

[@wildpendulum]

I've found songs from this musical long time ago and fell in love with it. Truly magical, powerful and in my opinion true to the spirit of Lord of the rings.

[@charliecastle]

I actually own a copy of the original cast recording and always thought the music and effects were to die for, sadly trying to smoosh together three books into one show just isn't possible. That being said, seeing the show as a child will still be one of the most treasured memories I have.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

The music and effects were definitely impressive! Unfortunately, without the structure of a solid story to lean on, I don't think it could have withstood the test of time...definitely an incredible look into what is possible in terms of spectacle/scale though! Thanks for the comment!

[@Feuermiss1405]

I'm late to the party but @charliecastle with cast recording, do you mean just the audio or an actual legal recording of the musical? Because if it's the latter, I would be super interested in that, I'm doing academic research about Tolkien adaptations nad have only found the soundtrack so far

[@helenfox-noble2557]

Had the absolute pleasure of seeing this musical twice. It's the best musical I have ever seen. It had all the elements that make a show great. The choreography, the songs and special effects were phenomenal. So very sad it closed as it really deserved to keep running. It's the only musical that really blew me away with its complex and magical sets. It needs to be brought back as I need to see it again.

[@delaneyford2106]

I wish there was a full bootleg somewhere because I’m so curious on how the story was edited from the books since the director never watched the movies. I absolutely LOVE the cast album, I think every song is gorgeous and needs more recognition

[@neumondlicht2811]

There is a sound recording on youtube with few scenes and pictures. They fused Theodin and Denetor. Had a lot of focus on Sam an Frodos journey. Arwen took over some parts from what I remember

[@hotbeare15]

I've seen a full video on KZbin recently

[@WillyRaubach]

I saw the production in 2007 at a preview for 5 Pounds! The stage mechanics were amazing.

[@mattbrewster8504]

This is the best I’ve found yet. Only acts 1 and 2, but… just wow! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oovZmZeBbJetsNEsi=PbfrMVe_ERJJ-A0t

[@emmajochum8682]

I've never seen the show, but I've been a fan of the soundtrack for years at this point. That being said, I have a hard time seeing how one could successfully cram aaaaalllll of that story into a single musical. Barring them trying again with a musical for each individual book, I'm fine with just existing in the same world as the soundtrack. Shout out to "The Cat And The Moon" as an awesome pump-up jam

[@wildpendulum]

Shout out to "The Final Battle" for epicness!

[@catherine3750]

I remember going to see it! When I was around the same age! I still listen to the music on Spotify!

[@Automalice]

I LOVE this musical. Sadly, I never got to see it when it was in London. I ALMOST got to see it in Chicago this summer but had to have an operation instead. I’m hoping in the future more productions of this musical will come out ❤ I can still remember every single Elvish lyric in Lothlorien hahahaa

[@arancadney]

I saw the new version of the musical last week! Rebranded as an immersive musical tale, but it was simply amazing, one of the best shows I've ever seen (I've seen a lot) I knew it had been on in the early naughties and had been gutted I hadn't watched it. The new version is stripped back and smaller scale, but it's the same show at heart, simply stunning and beautiful. The cast all play the music and it's partly outside. It's being shown at the Water Mill Theatre in Newbury, it feels like being in the shire, and is on until October, check it out!!

[@minissa2009]

So do they kind of read the script and sing the songs like a reader's (singers?) theatre? Did they keep the choreography? I'm really curious now that bits and pieces are on YT.

[@arancadney]

@@minissa2009 It was a full reproduction of the musical but in a smaller theatre. The immersive bit was because it started outside in the shire, as it was in the real English countryside it felt just like the shire. The characters were chatting, and playing games with the audience during the prologue, Bilbo's birthday party. Then you go inside for the show as Frodo goes inside bag end, the story then takes off fully which was incredible, then back outside for the epilogue when the story returned to the shire. It worked really really well!

[@minissa2009]

​@@arancadneyThanks so much! I'm working my way through the upload of the 2007 production posted on YT. Sound and video are a little uneven but at least I can imagine what the production looked like. I really appreciate you replying with this description! Waiting for it to come to the US!

[@amostyx]

I got to see it as well. I thought it was a fantastic production, and I really hope it goes on tour. If you search for "Lord of the Rings Watermill" there's a couple of videos available.

[@stumclellan5988]

Phenomenal, wasn't it?

[@TheStoryMastersTales]

Something I heard from someone who worked on the show, was that the Balrog at the end of the end of act One was created by origami. A huge fold-up monster. Also had a lovely "Peppers Ghost" effect of Bilbo vanishing.

[@kathryngliot7147]

That orc scarred me for life... on the flip side, I'm pretty sure I still have confetti from the Balrog hidden amongst my hoarded things back home

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

You have a piece of history!

[@Timthebaritone]

The absence of a SINGLE ACTUAL TOLKIEN SONG, is what I find most alarming. He wrote hundreds after all.

[@skadoodah]

I think the music, and visuals etc are gorgeous. Part of me really wishes it would be revived but with a severe rewrite or something. Lothlorien and Now and for Always are just such beautiful songs and I feel sad that its' forgotten for all it's good and remembered for its' bad.

[@Oakleaf012]

Lothlorien gives me chills still. I used to be able to sing every word

[@amazingabby25]

It’s getting revived in the UK now 😊

[@alice5790]

good news on the revival part!!

[@minissa2009]

@@amazingabby25 I just looked at that cast's version of Now and for Always. What a voice on the guy I assume is Frodo and hubba hubba is he a looker! I got the impression it's the music and script but with minimal staging. Do you know anything about it?

[@andrewbabbans]

I was there in 2007! All i remember is Laura Michelle Kelly belting the Lothlorien song while doing aerial yoga hanging from the roof. That alone was worth the price. 😂 still gives me goosebumps

[@emby_mb]

I have seen it several times in London and loved it. I never thought that this wonderful book would ever be adaptable for the stage.

[@joeymatthews7980]

Rankin Bass’ Hobbit was my intro to tolkien, and I saw the Musical LOTR before the films or reading the books. The plot was definitely minimal, but I remembered following it quite well, the later half being more condensed than the fellowship sections. To me it was like watching an opera based on Greek or Roman mythology. You’re there for the spectacle, and if that interested you enough, maybe you’d go back and find the source material to have a better understanding of what you just saw.

[@lookouthill11]

Never seen it but I’ll be forever grateful for the song “Wonder” which is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard.

[@melfree2545]

The Watermill production was absolutely amazing. Amazing. Obviously they had to really, really compress the timeline but my goodness, it is a fun adaptation.

[@hotbeare15]

I saw it and really enjoyed it. I immediately bought the CD and play it still. Lothlorien was amazing and makes the hairs on my arms tingle all these years later.

[@neumondlicht2811]

So I watched it :D in London. My family and I went and are all big Tolkien fans. The plot was lacking yes, but I thought visually and musically it was amazing. I still have earworms of the songs years later. There are snippets online and the soundtrack is on youtube, too. I honestly loved it. I think it was a great musical.

[@a-shadow-in-the-soul]

I have the cd, without having seen the actual musical. The music was fantastic! Some of the songs were so poignant and beautiful.

[@greenrockgirl5150]

As someone who has never seen it I have to say that while the musical may have been flawed, I still find the music absolutely gorgeous and I would kill to see all of the affects they pulled ofd

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

It definitely had some impressive moments!

[@Gloria_Cook]

I was hoping someone on KZbin had covered this musical! Glad to hear a little bit about it, from someone who actually saw it no less!

[@KinMusicUK]

I saw the show twice during its run in London. Still one of my favourite musicals I have ever seen. I think the songs were/are incredible. I still regularly listen to the music from it! (which is what led me tofind this video) I hope they one day do another version of it for an anniversary, but I doubt it!

[@astronomicafilms]

Thanks for this video. A few years ago I found and bought a LotR: the Musical hardcover book from a yard sale. I never knew it existed before that, let alone had any idea about the production- thank you for filling in a gap in my LotR knowledge!

[@cj4631]

Still one of the best things I’ve seen on stage! The Drury Lane version was mind blowing! Visually stunning but also brilliantly written with some gorgeous performances.

[@tecpaocelotl]

I'm surprised it was made. I remember hearing they were working on a musical, but didn't know it was out there.

[@bernardrichards9247]

One of my best friends introduced me to the cast recording years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. Thank you for covering this!

[@robertpearson8798]

As a LOTR fan from the late 70’s and living an hour from Toronto I certainly remember this show being put on but resisted going to see it. It seemed at the time to be a bad idea and history seems to have proven me right.

[@saintcot3094]

I saw this twice in London and must say thought it was the best musical I have ever seen. I still get goosebumps today when I hear the music. It is one of those memories I will never forget .

[@MrLucidjake]

It's showing again this year at The Watermill Theatre, UK.

[@davidgrahamchannel]

I actually saw the London production twice. I enjoyed it but I think people expected too much of it and didn’t take it for what it was. There was no way they could condense such a work but for me it was worth seeing for the visuals and the female performances. Some of the music wasn’t musical theatre memorable but for me there were enough songs that were and those songs were beautiful and had a lot of depth to them. Especially the songs sung by the two female leads. For those who didn’t get to see the show just look up the cast album on KZbin and I’m sure you will see/hear what I mean by that. Because it was more of a visual and immersive experience it was certainly worth the price of a West End ticket and I have fond memories of seeing it.

[@FatherOfThor111]

Funny I went super critical. "This will never work on stage and a musical " Read negative vibes and crossed arms upper gallery at a preview. End act one , claps and screams of joy from siad gallery over how wonderful they had transported me into a whole new dimension and forged new ground to what Theatre could be.

[@Kai-Xi]

I never knew about the Lord of the Rings musical, but my middle school did a Hobbit musical that I enjoyed, from what I can remember of it

[@ShaneHampsheirTV]

The songs are truly beautiful. 'Lothloren' and 'Wonder' give me tingles every time! 'The Road Goes On' and 'Now And For Always' are two of my favourite songs ever too. Well done to the songwriters.

[@gerardphelan7996]

I saw the musical on 8 Dec 2007, half way through it's London run, but I have no memory of it. However in my annual newsletter, which was written in the following days I was enthusiastic: "Spectacular is a word that underplays the experience of the Lord of the Rings musical I saw in December. One was not watching the Fellowship in the mines of Moria with the fiery Balrog, one was there with them! I too have "The Official Stage Companion", by Gary Russell, a beautifully produced hardback guide to the design, creation and production of the musical, a gift I received at the time. Maybe my longer term thoughts on the production are better revealed by knowing that 16 years later I still have not read it. Thank you for your videos which demonstrate that you have carried out detailed research into Middle Earth and its peoples.

[@johnsaporta4633]

My daughter and I have had many conversations about the adaptation of the book into the movie (with your help), and I agree a stage adaptation of such a massive book would be damn tough. Maybe an opera trilogy, a la Wagner's Ring series? One needs lots of time, and illusion of lots of space to make this adaptation a success. It could happen. So cool for your parents to join you. Thanks Jess's mom and dad! You should be proud of your daughter's hard work!

[@macsView]

Very late to this party (just found your channel and I'm loving it) but my mind is blown. I was in my second year of university for THEATRE TECHNICAL PRODUCTION in 2006 in TORONTO when this thing showed up. We talked about it at length in our courses. We marveled and studied the set pieces and costumes. We all imagined this future of high budget technical shows to lift us in our future careers. I'm certain we had at least 1 instructor who was working on the thing. And it was so wiped from my memory that I am still trying to think who of my friends might recall if I actually saw the thing. As a student I doubt I would have been able to afford the tickets, but maybe I went to a preview? I'm almost certain I did as I remember the stage moving, even typing this I remember Merry's lav mic failing and not getting fixed until almost intermission. Holy crap I was there. It was horrible. Thank you for reminding me. #rankinandbasswasgoodfightme

[@nataliebeaupre9819]

I live in Toronto and I was 27 when this was playing here. I completely forgot it existed until this video.

[@kingkong381]

I remember hearing about the show at the time, but as I'm from Scotland, a family trip to London for a 10 year old boy to see a LoTR musical simply wasn't in the cards. Only many years later did I come across the songs on KZbin, and they definitely appeal to my tastes. The biggest impact that any of the songs had on me only came a few years ago, though. When my Dad passed away, I spent a lot of that day helping my Mum and siblings, speaking to relatives who came to pay their respects and the undertakers who came to collect his body. Needless to say it was an emotionally draining day and when I went to bed that night, I stuck on a pair of earphones and put my liked songs on shuffle. Eventually Wonder from the LoTR musical (I think in the show its a song sung by Galadriel) came on, and I was particularly moved by the following lyrics: Out of death, life Out of night, day, glory from sorrow Out of grief, joy Out of storm, comes strength for tomorrow Out of dust, gold Out of fire, air, comfort forsaken Out of rage, calm Out of loss, find, glory awaken Corny as fuck I know but they were lyrics I needed to hear at that moment.

[@Pixis1]

As a big fan of both Lord of the Rings and musical theater, this show is a guilty pleasure of mine. I never got to see it onstage so I can't speak to whether it worked or if the story was coherent. All I know is that I really enjoy the music from it. I love how they integrated Quenya into the lyrics. I love the tongue-twister of a song they sing in Bree. I love Gollum's Jekyll & Hyde style duet with himself. And "Now and For Always" is a beautiful song that perfectly captures Frodo and Sam's bond and the indomitable nature of hobbits. Musically, I thought they portrayed the story well. But maybe it works better as a soundtrack album than as a stage production. That said, there's apparently a revival of this show in the works for 2023. I'm very curious to see how it fares. It would be awesome if they filmed a performance of it.

[@srs9130]

I was lucky enough to have seen it. In that same theater as you. My friend got me a ticket for my birthday. I remember loving the production and the songs. I'm not sure if i remember the actual story though. But i wish I'd known it was playing again earlier this yr, as i did love it then

[@SirNigelGresley4498]

It's just been revived for a limited two month run at The Watermill Theatre, Newbury; I went to see it for my Birthday, and I think it was a fantastic revival. The setting - a delightful watermill converted into a little theatre, set among the beautiful English countryside that inspired the Shire - was a perfect match for the story, the actors were spirited and friendly, the production design was in many ways inspired (despite the fact that, as a LARPer I recognised several pieces of costume from my own wardrobe). It was better than the London production by far - and probably less people will see it over the run than saw it in one night in London.

[@oriannedyck6864]

I learned something new!

[@leonwilkinson8124]

That there was a musical is news to me. I get a sense of what the producers were trying to accomplish. Wish I'd seen it. Your parents are adorable, Jess, and you appear to be a wonderful family, which gives me a good feeling.

[@kaitlynreynolds5192]

Those of you who got to see this show are very, very lucky. Speaking as someone who has never left the U.S., was 6 years old when the show was actually running, and only heard about it 6-7 years after the show shut down during my first LOTR phase in 5th grade. Fortunately for people like me, someone was able to compile audio and video from various sources to piece together almost the whole show for anyone to see on KZbin!

[@ncjhood]

I remember seeing the musical when I was about 12/13 and the image of the Balrog sticks in my mind. Otherwise, I don't remember very much about it. Two ideas on how you could adapt Tolkien for stage. One is based on the Ring Cycle: Wagner managed to present pretty indepth Germanic/Norse mythology in his operas. However, he did take 4 pretty lengthy operas to do so. Perhaps an opera, given its epic scale, would be more suited to LotR, and you could have one per book. As an alternative, for a stage play (rather than a musical) perhaps one of the tales at the heart of the Silmarillion could work i.e. Beren and Luthien or the Children of Hurin. Though they rely on wider context for the fullest meaning, in some ways they are self-contained stories that I think could be made similar in tone to a Greek or Shakespearean tragedy. If all else fails, Farmer Giles of Ham would make a great pantomime!

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

I think the spectacle of it was definitely the most lasting for me as well! And I totally agree! I'd love to see Tolkien onstage, but it would definitely thrive much more with some of his other works. Other than a multi-part format, I don't think LotR itself is viable. I'd love a Greek tragedy inspired interpretation of Turin's story or an opera or ballet of Beren and Luthien. I think any stage adaptation would have to rely very heavily on style, rather than literal interpretation, especially if you didn't want to have an insane budget or scale. It's also funny you mention Farmer Giles, because I have wanted to do a shadow play/storybook version of this story for a while now. Maybe someday! Thanks for the comment and the great thoughts!

[@PumpkinMozie]

I’ve never seen the show but I really want to!!! I’ve loved the soundtrack for years. The music is really beautiful.

[@JoeyArmstrong2800]

I remember reading the headline in a Toronto newspaper "Bored Of The Rings" - ouch.

[@Accio_Eloise]

I was so lucky to see this show on stage in London at the Apollo Theatre. I was 15 and i thought it was breathing. My brother bought the CD whilst we were there and i immediately uploaded every song to KZbin. After the release of Hamilton I found a big uptick in the amount of comments and likes my videos were getting, so i checked the stats and the viewership had spiked dramatically! I really hoped it was going to be the start of its return. So sad that show just disappeared. I remember the website saying "coming soon" in 213 (I think it was) and getting so excited! Now, even the website is gone.

[@michaelalderman6815]

I only recently found your channel and am trying catch up on your oeuvre. I thought I knew a lot about Tolkien but I learn something new from each of your videos. This video really floored me! I had never heard of this musical. Unlike Professor Tolkien I have no objection to fantasy as such on stage. I have no more problem suspending disbelief that a sprinkling of fairy dust can impart the ability to fly than that Dianna Rigg is an 11th century Scottish queen (The Old Vic, 1973). I’ve found the original cast album on Apple Music and I’ve listened about a third of it. It’s not bad. I’m hoping I can find a video of the whole production. Thanks for your work.

[@Reposessor]

the lotr musical is so underrated! The Road Goes On and Lothorien are two of my all time favourite songs

[@ameliaroseillustrations]

I can’t believe I didn’t know this existed!! I love and hate it, as Gollum loves and hates himself 😭😭

[@barrypurves7176]

I loved every second of it, more than the films probably. And yes a great use of Pepper's Ghosst

[@wielderofspoons]

This musicl has stayed with my since I got to see it in 2007, some of the visuals and the music was too nice to forget. Also it invoked the same magical feeling I got from my first literary encouters with Middle Earth which were more ethereal and magical than that of the movies so it remains quite special. I just wish there had been more evidence left behind for people to experience it now

[@MCRF4NthomasTragedy]

The fact that you said what you say at 11:39 (to 48) a year or so before Rings of Power dropped is NUTS. Wish someone would have told ol' Benzoids that...

[@kc-lp6wg]

I worked FoH in Toronto for this production and your video is giving me severe flashbacks. Helm's Deep used to break down on the daily. On double shows, the delays used to give us less than a 30 minute break between shows. Michael Terriault (Gollum) used to hang at stage door in his full make up and a bathrobe because he didn't have enough time to get his make up re applied.

[@tombombadil5197]

This show has been revived at the Watermill Theatre in the UK. Its running until October. I saw it this weekend at it was one of the best things I've ever seen live. It's an intimate theatre and thr show starts and ends in the garden outside.

[@amandanorris8]

Bruh! I was just thinking about this randomly. I couldn’t remember ANYTHING cept the beginning when they were in hobbiton…there were fireflies think? And the orcs in the audience….and yes…the stage moving was crazy.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

There were fireflies for sure! I think it was part of the pre-show or prologue. It's funny how the same parts stuck for everyone :)

[@lizzychrome7630]

I had heard of this, but I didn't know it was so elaborate!

[@shannonh2105]

They’re currently doing a run of the show in New Zealand. With a lot less special affects compared to the west end but I still enjoyed myself

[@apparition668]

I would say the music itself (as that is my only frame of reference) was really quite pleasant. "Now and For Always" is really quite a moving number...

[@thijsbos]

I am a BIG lotr fan, and I have never heard of this, but I would LOVE to watch this crash

[@JPH1138]

It's funny, I only know that this happened because when I was searching for Tolkein music on KZbin the renditions of the Prancing Pony songs from this musical came up. Funnily enough I heard the news about them PLANNING this musical in, I don't know, 2004 or something back when I spent most of my time online on the IMDb forums for LOTR, but I never heard about it actually going into production and coming out or anything. In contrast I do have very clear memories of the great Hobbit stage play in the 90s I saw where Gandalf, Elrond and Bard were actors but the entire rest of the cast were puppets. I was doing a quick Google and it looks like, remarkably, it may have only been an Australian/New Zealand production.

[@stumclellan5988]

I love the Lord of the Rings books and Middle Earth has been in my imagination since I was about 8 years old. I find musical theatre really quite a difficult genre to like - the songs often feel contrived, even manipulative. My wife and daughter saw the restaging of the LOTR musical at the Watermill on September last year and I joined them for a second time. I have to say I was unexpectedly bowled over by it. I can imagine it being overblown and entirely messy on a large scale, but this honed down version was exquisite.

[@colehamilton5917]

Can you please admit that the music for this show was beautiful?

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

I certainly didn't object to it, but it didn't really stick with me the way other musicals do. I totally get people that love it though, there are certainly some stunning pieces in there!

[@colehamilton5917]

@@Jess_of_the_Shire It has been my dream Ince I was a child to make a Lord of the Rings stage musical--even before this musical came out. I think it is doable if you have the opening number at the Council of Elrond and do something similar to the Finnish miniseries--keep the focus on Frodo and Sam when the Fellowship splits up.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

@@colehamilton5917 it would definitely be an interesting challenge! I think the main problem is the sheer amount of Story you have to fit in, so paring it down like you said would be wise. I wish we could see stage adaptations of some of his other stories as well though! I'd love a dramatic greek-style piece about the fall of Turin Turumbar, or a ballet or musical of the tale of Beren and Luthien. I wish you luck in your musical-writing ventures!

[@benbrown8258]

One of my friends who was a harpist with an opera used to shout her revulsion at some of the 40 and $50,000 Harps because the quality of the sound was not what her educated ear would prefer. To us normal Mortals we were transported by what we could hear. I think knowing the context as well as the symbolic significance of some of the characters is what caught my attention in the musical. In contrast I think the Amazon series will find many fans because it has a story that unfolds even though you have a symbolic Mary the mother of Jesus just about making out with Judas which doesn't follow actual Tolkien or the Bible. Is that good theater and is it faithful to the author? Perhaps. And perhaps someday a better theatrical production might be created but I found this one enjoyable inspirational and memorable.

[@Oakleaf012]

I never got to see the musical myself, which seems to be a blessing and a curse. I was, however, utterly obsessed with the London cast soundtrack as a young teen deep in my lotr phase (I say phase like it ever really ended lol). The visuals I did see in clips were entrancing, the song for Lothlorien STILL gives me goosebumps. I think you’re right that there was no way this could ever work, it’s simply too much world and story for a stage play. And yet, perhaps because I never saw it except in my head, there’s something about the idea I just can’t stop loving. There was clearly so much thought and care put into the sets, the effects, the costumes, the music (they worked with a Finnish folk band to get the sound of the language that had most inspired Elvish). And I think there’s something beautiful about turning Tolkien’s story, which is fundamentally musical, into a story told through music. Maybe it’s better for me it only lives in my imagination and in clips I found on KZbin. But I can’t help but be glad that it exists, a different and beautiful vision of a beloved world… even if the reality of such a show was an impossible dream.

[@Mrnickstr89]

Love this show although it’s not the greatest adaptation of the books for the stage. I think critics were overly harsh towards it- mostly because it was just so new and completely different from what most theatre had been like up until that point. Bummed the show never came to the USA and/or that the international tour never came to fruition.

[@gordonmacdowell8117]

If they wanted to cut run time for the play, they just needed to have most of the journey via giant eagle and then have a random Hobbit remark: "Imagine if we had walked all that way!".

[@commentking1257]

It’s funny I actually knew about this musical not because of Lotr but because of my background in theatre. I found the cat and the moon while researching for Broadway Wishes a student run groups where we would show musical numbers to raise money for the make a wish foundation. I loved it from a lotr, a realistic, an almost Irish, and a purely musical standpoint. The rest of the show is never gotten into because it seemed so lost that it didn’t feel worthwhile to look for.

[@thekiss2083]

I saw an EARLY Toronto preview (spring of 2006) and yes, there were many technical problems. The 3-layered rotating stage element that allowed for such creative scene compositions broke down several times and led to multiple awkward delays mid-act. I agree with Jess's parents here that the story moves by too quickly even at 3+hours to really register. The 2023 production cutting so much of the non-Hobbit material is the best option honestly, especially since the Hobbits have most of the best songs. I later bought and really love the London cast album--the music is gorgeous and is this production's standout feature. The Elves in particular have such a beautiful, alien musical style that sets them apart from the other races in ways the films never quite accomplished. Absolutely check out that cast album if you're interested, it's $20 well spent if you can track it down somewhere.

[@sbl195207]

I bought the music from the musical. Now and for always is my favorite. You have "cool" parents.

[@kathleenhensley5951]

I heard of it when it was on stage but I never had the money to bother with it. I tend to agree Tolkien. There are things that can be done stage and can't be. It probably would have been better if they did a 'Globe' version of it, but I doubt they would have even considered it. I love William Shakespeare done pure and simple, with all the words. I agree that Tolkien's stories are too complex.

[@Shadowace724]

I have been reading Tolkien since 1976, never heard of the musical. I am however, going to Evil Dead the musical next month :)

[@kairi99roxas]

Completely different but related, a small community theater group in my town made one called "one musical to rule them all" where they took well known theatre songs and changed the lyrics to fit the story, it was so much fun, you still needed to know the story to understand what was going on but it was great

[@femoman]

I actually saw this back in the day, and I did really enjoy it! The scope, the music, the general look of it all was brilliant, but there were issues. For one, they tried their hardest to condense the whole story into a single play. I have never seen any LOTR adaptation that did this successfully. Even the Bakshi film, for all its condensing, only got as far as the Battle of Helms Deep. It really should've been staged as a two-parter, like The Cursed Child or Henry IV or something. Also some of the casting just didn't work and the effects ranged from beautiful to laughable (particularly the Balrog and the Ents).

[@TheMetallingOne]

at 1:10 when jess said hi, i actually though it was video feed of her mom and for a split second i legit thought she was an immortal elf ..or a vampire, freaked me out. but turns out im just dumb and it was just jess with a low res camera

[@danielsturman6241]

I saw it too! Was waaaay up in the gods, and on the night we saw it the balrog didn't work or inflate?

[@dapeach06]

You need to do a video on the LOTR musical that WASN'T a failure: "Fellowship! A Musical Parody" I saw it in NYC and it was hilarious!

[@Magickyaaron1987]

I watched the updated version of this at the Watermill last year...One of the best things I've ever seen, and I've seen a bunch being a stage actor myself. This was phenomenal. The instruments are fully implemented, you've got Merry and Pippin running around with a Cello on his shoulder and a mandolin across her back. Some of the harmonies too, chef's kiss. Check out - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIiYfZ-Xe86Uqpo 'Now and for Always' as a taster. I think it's transferring to Chicago...or Toronto...that way anyway

[@montagnarde1794]

I've never seen it performed, so I can't speak to the coherence of the plot, but I have listened to the music. A lot of it seemed kind of new age-y in a way I didn't necessarily detest, but I preferred the movie soundtracks. That said, I unironically love the hobbit numbers, especially the drinking song, the Cat and the Moon. A real banger!

[@adamsingleton7771]

I had the pleasure??? of seeing this in early 2008 on a educational tour with my university theatre department the acting was not great but from a technical perspective it was outstanding. I think about Gollum climbing headfirst down and never seeing a rope come off of him.

[@Sky-Queen]

After initially watching this video, I went on a deep dive for this musical, watching other reviews of it, listening to the album, and researching its history for myself. I managed to find a recording of it, though I didn't finish watching it and now I have to track it down again. The audio and visual quality was practically nonexistent, but I was able to tell that when Gandalf came in to talk to Frodo about the ring, he just would not stop yelling at him and it was honestly hilarious. XD It's really sad that this musical didn't do well and isn't more well known. I absolutely love the soundtrack. (Now and for Always is to DIE for!) From what I can tell, the biggest problem with this musical was its plot. I think if we could get a good writer to sit down and fix the script, this musical could have a real chance of being good. I hope that happens some day. I desperately want to see this performed on stage!

[@minissa2009]

Me! I volunteer!

[@TrekBeatTK]

The music is lovely and i wish I could have seen it.

[@stevescoolcollectibles5182]

I saw this in London… why no one ever did a full dvd filming of it before it shut down is beyond me. Even more perplexing as there are several musical numbers professionally shot from the west end show. Why did they not film the whole thing? Or perhaps they did and it was never made available. The show was stunning but in hindsight does not suit a theatre audience. It was too dark and patrons too far away to see what was going on and get involved with the characters. There were also wayyyy too many songs. But what an impressive production.

[@mattmclaren3067]

So I saw this musical at 16 in Drury Lane. The only bits I remember vividly are Frodo and Sam's song, the execution of the orcs and Laura Michelle Kelly belting interchangeably. It was compelling but not the most memorable experiences ever.

[@veselinnedkov643]

I can imagine what mess the story must have been, but I disagree about the music. I love that soundtrack just as much as the movies one, I only wish there was more of it.

[@femoman]

Also, believe it or not this show is actually getting a revival! A smaller theatre in the UK is showing it, and making it a semi-immersive theatre show. I'm not sure exactly what that will entail, but apparently the opening scenes of the birthday party in the Shire will take place on the green outside the theatre building, so... if nothing else, it'll be interesting :p

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

I think I heard about that! I'm honestly very excited by the prospect, I love immersive theatre

[@matticussacko]

The revival is at the Watermill Theatre in beautiful Newbury. Fortunate as I am to live only a 90 minute drive from the place, I had the immense pleasure of seeing it a few weeks ago and my God, it was incredible! I sincerely hope this production gets the global exposure it deserves.

[@frankchavez519]

It sounds like it should have been three plays, similar to Peter Brook's approach to The Mahabharata in the 1980s.

[@minissa2009]

I only happened upon it on YT about a year ago. I was able to find a video of it with really bad sound but was able to play the music at appropriate times from another video. I have to admit that, while I liked Arwen getting a song and she and Aragorn getting IIRC the happy ending reprise, Aragorn's part of the story seemed really muddled, especially in Rohan. I do like the music, and the scene with "Now and For Always" actually captures the scene where Frodo and Sam are talking about the story they've landed in right before they cross into Mordor. If you're actually reading this a year after you did the video, do you know what's up with a revival of the show? What little I saw looked like the one revival of Sweeny Todd that was done with really minimal staging and the actors playing some of the accompaniments themselves. Oh, and I lost count of how many times I'd read it somewhere around 30. I even read the Silmarillion on my rereads, albeit a "good parts" version. Tolkien is my literary god.

[@jimaparks]

I’ve never heard of this play, and now I hope I forget about it soon. On the other hand, here is the trailer of probably the best dramatic depiction ever of a Tolkien work. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oouunX-ohMinoNE

[@TheGFeather]

I saw the musical during its Toronto run. While I agree that it was not a good stage performance, there are some gems within it. The 'hobbit' songs are very memorable. Now and for Always is my favourite, but The Road Goes On and Cat and the Fiddle are excellent as well and have stuck in my mind for years. I fully accept that a good chunk of the music is not easy, or the sort of thing that has people humming as they walk out of the theatre. And I'm not entirely certain they were intended to be. A good portion of the music feels like it's aiming for contemporary classical composition rather than stage musical composition. The sort of thing that gets academics in the classical music world excited while looking down their nose at the work of mainstream composers for movie and stage. But the songs that are directly connected to the hobbits capture the spirit of them very well, on the surface simple and catchy, but with lots of complexity happening within the score. While Howard Shore's musical interpretation of Middle Earth is a masterful body of work and will likely live in most people's minds as the definitive soundtrack, Rahman's songs have a place in that soundscape as well. Sit by the firelight's glow Tell us an old tale we know Tell of adventures strange and rare Never to change, ever to share Stories we tell will cast their spell Now and for always

[@farseer123456789]

I got to see it twice in Toronto and really liked it. But I'm a massive lotr fan so I'm super biased. Not everyone can sit through an almost 4 hour musical. To me the soundtrack is more in line with the Tolkien books than the Peter Jackson films (which is also incredible). Some things just aren't meant for the stage.

[@tomhoornstra1954]

I'd never even heard of it. And now I know why.

[@davidsachs4883]

I saw a stage version of the hobbit on stage and very much enjoyed it. Granted expectations are much lower for a children’s community theater production Some musicals are just strange. My sister-in-law once got us to watch “Cannibal the musical“. That’s a strange little play. Just because reviews are good or bad doesn’t mean you’ll like or dislike a play. The reviews for an all male production of “taming of the shrew” were mostly all negative. After the play I saw one of the supporting actors and went up to shake his hand and told him I enjoyed the play, it was much better than I was expecting. I mostly remember that instance because my wife told me I shouldn’t have worded the compliment as if my expectations were low. But both reviews read hated the play so my expectations were very low.