MUSICAL
THEATRE
Book
& Lyrics by Shalin McKenna and Matthew Warchus, adapted from JRR Tolkien’s
novels
Music by A.R. Rahman, Värttinä & Christopher Nightingale
At Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, until 8 June 2025
Stars: ***1/2 (3.5)
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 3 May 2025. KH
 |
| Lord of the Rings, Melbourne cast |
The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale, is an ambitious and vivacious stage adaptation of J.R.R Tolkien’s beloved novels that brings Middle-Earth to life through a creative fusion of music, song, puppetry, projections, illusions and movement.
As the audience enters the theatre to take its seats, a crowd of Hobbits sing and romp cheerfully on stage and rove amongst the audience, adding a lively pre-beginning to the production.
With direction by Paul Hart, the multi-talented cast of actor-singer-dancers performs with energy and conviction and many also play instruments for the folk music infused score, giving the production a vibrant texture.
Puppetry is used to striking effect, especially in the depiction of the Dark Riders. These ghostly, spectral horses are genuinely haunting, gliding across the stage with eerie elegance and creating some of the most memorable visuals in the show. The giant spider in Act Two is less successful.
Among the performances, Laurence Boxhall as Gollum is a show-stealer. Played with muscular physicality and a guttural, disturbing vocal tone, the character’s split personality is compelling and deeply unsettling. Although it is clearly inspired by Andy Serkis’s iconic film portrayal, Boxhall brings it to life with his unique stage presence.
Rarmian Newton as Frodo Baggins, the Hobbit, provides a strong emotional core to the story as he journeys not only over Middle-Earth but from naivete to strength and courage. Frodo is tasked with taking the Ring to the Fires of Mordor, and he carries this burden of the Ring with vulnerability and resolve.
Terence Crawford’s Gandalf is suitably majestic and authoritative, providing moments of warmth, wisdom and startling magic throughout the journey. Jemma Rix brings power and beauty to Galadriel, the Elvish queen, and her appearance and song were highlights. Rob Mallett’s Aragorn is compelling, dignified and rich-voiced.
The production is successful in many ways, but there are some noticeable issues.
The staging is overly cluttered at times and, although some of the choreography (Anjali Mehra) is effective, other dance and movement routines feel amateurish or awkward and do not serve the narrative or characters. Galadriel's appearance lacks the elvish magic she deserves, and her costume is disappointing; it looked like a gold, 70s jump suit!
The Elvish characters’ dance moves lean oddly into 1960s hippy territory, undermining the mystical, ethereal quality often associated with elves in Tolkien’s world.
While not without its flaws, The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale is a bold and heartfelt retelling of Tolkien’s classic. It may take creative liberties, but its ambition and moments of theatrical magic make it a production worth experiencing.
KATE HERBERT
Cast
Laurence Boxhall as Gollum
Andrew Broadbent as Elrond
Hannah Buckley as Pippin
Stefanie Caccamo as Arwen
Rohan Campbell as Boromir
Jeremi Campese as Merry
Ruby Clark as Rosie
Terence Crawford as Gandal
Wern Mak as Samwise Gamgee
Rob Mallett as Strider
Connor Morel as Gimli
Rarmian Newton as Frodo Baggins
Conor Neylon as Legolas
Jemma Rix as Galadriel
Ian Stenlake as Saruman
Ensemble: Georgia Anderson, Gianna Cheung, Nicholas Cunningham, Cameron Davey, Natasha Dumlao, James Frampton, Anthony Garcia, Jonathan Gardner, Matt Hourigan, Esther Lukins, Jayme Jo Massoud, Patrick Schnur, James Whiting and Zayneb Zerzouri.
Creative Team
Director – Paul Hart
Musical Direction – Andrew Bevis
Choreographer & Movement Director – Anjali Mehra
Lighting Designer- Rory Beaton
Projection Designer - George Reeve
Original Sound Designer - Adam Fisher
Fight director – Dani McCallum
Puppet Designer – Charlie Tymms
Magic & Illusions – Adam Mada
No comments:
Post a Comment