It was the most expensive stage show to date when it opened in Toronto in 2006; but after just one brief year in London, The Lord of the Rings musical closed in July 2008. Now it is being revived, at a small theatre in Berkshire, UK.
The Watermill Theatre, near Newbury in Berkshire, will present an immersive, partially outdoor production of the musical this summer. Their website states that it will be a ‘brand new intimate production’; it will of necessity be massively scaled down from the $25million West End production. Even if the Watermill Theatre had the budget, they don’t have the space which the Theatre Royal Drury Lane production required. The Watermill Theatre’s website tells us, ‘Bursting out of the theatre and into the Watermill gardens, be immersed in the magical landscape of Tolkien and join an ensemble cast and large-scale puppets on an epic journey celebrating the power of friendship and common goodness to conquer unimaginable evil.’
It’s exciting to think that the work will be seen by more people than were able to see it during those brief two years in Toronto and London. It’s not the first attempt to revive this musical; back in 2013, Playbill announced a world tour, planned for 2015 and starting in New Zealand, but nothing more was heard. This time, however, the dates are set (July 25 – Oct 15 this year), and tickets go on sale later this month.
BATS Theatre in Wellington, NZ is well-known to our Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie family. Many of the New Zealand actors from the films have performed there, and back in 2011, to save the theatre from eviction, Peter Jackson bought the building in which they are housed. It’s a local theatre which particularly supports new and emerging talent.
Now BATS Theatre are having a fundraiser, supported by Richard Taylor and Weta Workshop. Part of the fundraising effort includes a chance to win epic prizes, including having prosthetic make-up done by Taylor himself! You can read all about it here; there are only a couple more days to enter, so don’t delay, if you’d like to support a worthy cause and maybe win something incredible.
From Middle-earth to Mother Goose… Ian McKellen has often spoken of his love of pantomime – a passion he shares with fellow actor Adam Brown (Ori in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy). McKellen debuted as a Dame at the Old Vic back in 2004; and last year Brown wrote and directed a pantomime at the Newbury Corn Exchange. (He’s part of a team who write and direct – and who will be at it again at the Corn Exchange this coming Christmas!)
Now they will appear in pantomime together, in a production of Mother Goose. The show will run in London (at the Duke of York’s theatre) Dec 15 2022 to Jan 23 2023. Before that, Mother Goose starts out in Brighton; and in the early part of 2023 it will play in Liverpool and Oxford.
Brown got in touch with TORn to let us know how excited he and McKellen are to be reunited on stage. We’re excited too; and for our fellow panto fans, tickets can be purchased here.
Ian McKellen has called it his ‘last big Shakespeare part’ – and now you have another chance to see it! Last year’s high acclaimed Chichester Festival Theatre production of King Lear will play at London’s Duke of York’s theatre, (which happens to be the theatre where McKellen made his West End debut, 54 years ago), from 11th July this summer.
Updated 11/3/17 – From time-to-time you, the fans, email TORn about events of interest to other fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and/or Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. As a service to our readers, we decided to created this new feature: a listing of upcoming events to keep everyone apprised of where they can hook-up and commiserate with other fans, learn a thing or two, or just plain enjoy the fandom that we’ve all come to know and love. From Howard Shore concerts in Paris, to fan get-togethers in Kentucky and South Carolina, to exhibitions in Staffordshire, U.K., it’s all listed here! The list will be updated periodically as past events drop off and future events are added. If you know of an upcoming event, please let us know either in the comments section of this story, or by emailing spymaster@theonering.net. – TORn, ‘Together in Tolkien’
As we mentioned on our Facebook page last week, Sylvester McCoy is currently appearing (along side fellow geek-favourite Robert Picardo, of Star Trek: Voyager fame), in a play in the Edinburgh Fringe. Dan Freeman’s comedy A Joke stars McCoy and Picardo, along with Richard Oliver – and is a brilliant piece of absurdist comedy and meta-theatricality. Cleverly written, the play is performed in the round (or square, to be more accurate), and plays with and subverts the expectations of humour.
Freeman’s piece is startlingly good, as are the three players. Packed with delightful, laugh out loud moments, as well as thought-provoking writing, this is definitely one to see. If you’re in Scotland, you have until Saturday 26th August to catch it. If you’re not in the area, well, perhaps you can help to bring the play to other venues; or help to support a filmed version of the show. Check out details on Freeman’s website, here.
You can read All Edinburgh Theatre’s review of the show here; and full details on how to get tickets are here. TORn’s greendragon saw the show last week and was absolutely charmed by it; do see it if you can!