It is the most expensive theatrical production in history. Now The Lord Of The Rings musical is coming to Britain. Tanya Gold ventures backstage to find a smoking Gandalf, giant spiders and Frodo wondering where he put that ring. This is the story of how some hobbits danced, died and maybe – just maybe – came back to life. It begins in 2001, when a producer called Kevin Wallace sees a script for a musical of The Lord Of The Rings. Wallace has never read the book, but he wants a smash show to launch his production company and so, with an oedipal snap at his former boss, Andrew Lloyd Webber, he goes to Saul Zaentz, the legendary producer who owns the rights, and begs to stage the monster. Zaentz agrees, Wallace raises £12.5m, and in March 2006 his musical version of Tolkien’s trilogy makes its world premiere in Toronto. [More]

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