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Lord of the Rings musical opened in February at The Princess of Whales Theatre in Toronto, Canada.

Hobbits and wizards join in a musical extravaganza on stage

Alicia Morrell MOR02026@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

Singing hobbits and dancing wizards lit up the Toronto stage for the first time in the recent world premiere of Lord of the Rings the musical.

The world premiere production occurred in February with performances at The Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Canada. The theatrical production cost $27 million Canadian dollars, or $23.5 million American, more than any other stage production in history, according to an article in Entertainment Weekly.

“With a thrilling score, a spectacular design and an ensemble of over 65 actors, singers and musicians, The Lord of the Rings is the biggest, most ambitious theatrical production ever staged,” according to the official Web site, lotr.dynalias.com/main.html

Unlike the big screen adaptations, the musical version of The Lord of the Rings combines all three books into one three-hour, three act production, including two 15-minute intermissions.

The music consists of an original score by Indian composer, A.R. Rahman, and the popular Finnish folk group, Vørttinø, whose Enya-esque like sound gives the musical an eerie background, according to an article in the Toronto Star.

Director Matthew Warchus is at the helm of the production. “To read the novel is to experience the events of Middle-earth in the mind’s eye; to watch the films is to view Middle-earth as though through a giant window. Only in the theatre are we actually plunged into the events as they happen. The environment surrounds us. We participate. We are Middle-earth,” said Warchus in a Toronto Star article.

Tickets range from $78 - $125 Canadian dollars and can be purchased online at the official Web site lotr.dynalias.com/main.html.