Wabbit said:
I'm thinking Lord of the Rings as a musical. We could finally give those elf songs a chance to shine! *shudder*
I have tickets. I'll let you know what I think.
Published: Sunday, February 05, 2006
TORONTO (CP) - Despite a two-day delay to fine-tune the production and some first-night mistakes, theatregoers say the new Lord of the Rings musical has been worth the wait.
The Toronto show had its first preview performance on Saturday night and the diehard Lord of the Rings fans in attendance gave it rave reviews.
Twenty-five-year-old Leah Hashimoto said she's read all the books, seen all the movies and still her high expectations were met.
The mistakes Saturday night actually made the experience more memorable, she said.
"There were some little technical difficulties but it was kind of better that way," she said. "You get to see how the production works and how there are mistakes at the beginning. It was really good, it was fun."
The long-awaited show hit a snag early last week when producer Kevin Wallace decided to cancel the first two opening-night previews set for Thursday and Friday, saying more time was needed to fine-tune the show.
Hundreds of fans - including many who planned to come from out of town just for the performances - were left disappointed.
Liam Kearns, 36, from Vancouver, travelled to Toronto specifically to see the show and said he felt lucky his show wasn't cancelled.
After taking in the production, he said it was definitely worth the trip, and added he wasn't bothered by the technical glitches.
"I knew this was just a preview," he said. "It's 95 per cent perfect already, so when it opens it'll be a big event, I'm sure."
He said the show is something really unique for the theatre and should impress frequent theatregoers while still appealing to the general public.
"It's not really a musical in the tradition sense, it's really a stage extravaganza. There's music but it's a dramatic play," he said.
"And for people who haven't gone to the theatre, this is a good venue for them to break into becoming theatregoers."
He said he was impressed by how well the story was translated to the stage, especially since Hollywood special effects couldn't be employed.
"They did an excellent job, they relied on the story to tell itself," he said. "And the choreography and the stage fighting - you can tell they'd been working on it for months and months."
Fifteen-year-old Kaitlin Marrin said she was impressed by how well the sets and characters were portrayed on stage.
"Gollum's costume is really creepy and he (plays) a really amazing role. You just watch him and all the behaviours that he does are really amazing," she said.
The pint-sized hobbits also looked just the right size on stage, she said.
"They look like they're four-feet-tall while everyone else looks like they're six-feet-tall; they pulled it off really well."
Kearns said knowing the story and its characters isn't essential to enjoy the play, so even those who don't know an orc from an ent can follow the story.
Hashimoto said newcomers might actually enjoy the show even more because they'll be kept in suspense, unlike most fans.
<-- this is my stunned face. I'm really sorry I ever mentioned it now! I'll be having nightmares about capering elves! *shudder*
