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.
Film Producer Saul Zaentz has passed away at the age of 92. Many Tolkien fans will know him as the man who held the film rights to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings – but he was so much more: a true Hollywood legend, with countless film projects to his name. He won many Oscars, including Best Picture wins for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The English Patient, and my very favorite film of all time (perhaps with the exception of The Lord of the Rings trilogy) – Amadeus. Continue reading “Academy Award winning Producer Saul Zaentz dies at age 92”
The stars are aligned for today’s *live* webcast TORn TUESDAY, where viewers can be part of the show and ask questions directly to our celebrity guests! Today we are joined by the creative team behind the wildly popular “FELLOWSHIP! The Musical” — an award winning stage production that rips on the first book of Tolkien’s trilogy! I’ve seen it a few times and it’s hysterically good (check out TORn’s previous podcast interview here). Our special guests today include Comedy Central’s RENO 911! star CEDRIC YARBROUGH (who plays Gandalf) and composer ALLEN SIMPSON! There will be mischief aplenty as we also turn our attention to WETA Costume Contest winner NICOLE ROBERTS, who recently completed her trip to New Zealand and has great stories and surprise photos to share. Tune into our show TORn TUESDAY, hosted by Clifford Broadway (Quickbeam), by clicking to our Live Event page. As always, you can participate starting at 5:00pm PDT — There’s a built-in Barliman’s chat room or come in via Skype in TheOneRing.net’s Stickam page. Check out our LIVE Event section right here every week! [LIVE Event Area] (See All Times)
Can’t make it to New York City for the TTT Radio City Music Hall event? We invite you to stop by the TORn message boards where we’ll be hosting a virtual concert, giving you another way to celebrate and enjoy the great music from the LOTR films. The Virtual Concert will be conducted in four “Movements” — two on Friday, and two on Saturday. Each Movement will be in the form of a discussion thread covering several tracks from the TTT Original Soundtrack disk. So, break out your TTT Soundtrack disk and stop by to post a comment on your favorite tracks. We encourage our NYC-bound friends to drop in and share some thoughts on the Live Concert, too! The Virtual Concert will begin at noon EST Friday on our “‘Main” message board and will be available to participate in all weekend.
Tickets are now on sale for the highly anticipated The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, which will be presented live to film at Radio City Music Hall for two performances only, on Friday, October 8th and Saturday, October 9th, 2010. Following the success of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’s concert last October, the Academy Award®-nominated film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers gets the same treatment at the world-famous Radio City Music Hall. Beneath an immense 60-foot screen, Howard Shore’s Grammy®-winning complete original score will be performed live to Peter Jackson’s award-winning epic. Click here for high resolution images.
The music of Middle-earth will be brought to life by more than 300 musicians: Switzerland’s 21st Century Symphony Orchestra, The Grammy Award®-winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and renowned soprano Kaitlyn Lusk, all under the direction of celebrated Maestro Ludwig Wicki.
Last fall, over 10,000 people filled Radio City for The Fellowship of the Ring shows. The New York Times said “the music of Middle-earth soared at Radio City Music Hall,” while Entertainment Weekly said “it was a terrific night at the theater.” Continue reading “LOTR: The Two Towers Live at Radio City Music Hall – Tickets On Sale Now!”
TORn friend Charles Ross continues to gradually conquer the world with his One Man Lord of the Rings show. He is set to perform at the must see Edinburgh Fringe August 6 -16. TheOneRing.net is seeking a a fan who can attend the event to give us a spy report. We also want to hear from anybody planning to attend in a LOTR costume. Ross performed at our ORC event several years ago and was magnificent, hilarious and surprisingly touching. Read all the details inside. Continue reading “One Man LOTR hits the Edinburgh Fringe”
