[Bêthberry]

For those of you who like to keep abreast of the casting news and production progress of the musical, here is an article from a Canadian newspaper. Rather than link to it, I have copied the article as links like this are notoriously short-lived. It is from The Globe and Mail newspaper online. I had no idea Elijah Wood was another Great White North export.

Finding FrodoThe open auditions for next year's stage show of the Tolkien classic are shaping up to be a three-ring circus of wannabe hobbits, orcs and elves, ALEXANDRA GILL reportsBy ALEXANDRA GILL

Monday, April 4, 2005 Page R1

VANCOUVER -- There was no mistaking it for an audition of America's Next Top Model. The search for Frodo began in Vancouver on Saturday morning with the first open casting call for the $27-million stage adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, set to premiere in Toronto next February. Even by the self-effacing standards of reality TV's fame-hungry free-for-alls, it was not a pretty sight.

More than 300 wannabe elves, hobbits and orcs turned up to strut their crooked noses, lumpy bodies, pale skin and narrow-set eyes in front of casting director Stephanie Gorin at the Westin Grand Hotel. There are 52 roles up for grabs in what promoters are calling the most expensive production in the history of theatre. The casting directors are looking for conventional stage actors with unique singing voices, plus an ensemble of dexterous circus performers. As for physical appearance, they're interested in all shapes and sizes. Height -- 5 foot 7 and under for most of the parts -- is the only restriction.

"It's not often you hear of a casting call where they're looking for short singers with unusual looks," says Mike Rinaldi, a 30-year-old Vancouver actor who stands 5 foot 5, with a round bulbous nose and long, thinning hair.

"There are a lot of great-looking hobbits around here," he notes, as the hotel's second-floor lobby fills up with dozens more hopefuls, nervously practising scales, stretching and strumming their mandolins. "But I thought there would be more people in pointy hats with swords and stuff."

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Rinaldi, who once photo-doubled on a film set for Elijah Wood, the Canadian who plays Frodo in the Peter Jackson film trilogy, said his friends encouraged him to audition because he kind of looks like a hobbit himself. It would seem he also has the "feisty" presence and "secure baritone" voice the directors were looking for. Rinaldi's rousing rendition of Big Rock Candy Mountain, accompanied by his red ukulele, earned him a call back to read for the role of Sam, Frodo's stalwart hobbit companion.

"I was singing in C and they moved the pitch up to an F," he exclaims, after emerging triumphant from the audition room. "But they seemed to like it. They asked me to come back tomorrow."

This first round of cross-country auditions will continue in Toronto this Friday and in Montreal on April 29. Kevin Wallace, the British producer who has teamed up with David Mirvish (the Toronto impresario behind Les Misérables and The Lion King) and Michael Cohl (tour boss for the Rolling Stones) to mount the Toronto production, advises Canadian aspirants to choose simple songs that they're comfortable delivering without any libretto.

"What we're really looking for are interesting people who have something that draws you to them as storytellers, whether in song or in speech," says Wallace, speaking from London earlier this week. He and director Matthew Warchus will be arriving in Canada in early May for the second round of auditions, to be held in Toronto.

"Without being discourteous to the tradition of musical theatre, we're discouraging people from looking at this as a musical," explains Wallace, a former producer with Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group.

The music, which includes 14 landmark numbers, is being written by Indian composer A. R. Rahman and the Finnish folk group Varttina, with musical supervisor Christopher Nightingale. As Wallace explains, the score will give Middle-Earth a unique sound that, "for want of a better word, requires an ethnic vocal quality." There are, however, exceptions for certain leading roles.

"The person who plays Frodo has to be very comfortable singing, but he does not need a huge singing voice," he says. "It's a voice that needs to be able to deliver -- someone who can stand up at a party and people would really enjoy hearing him sing.

"Whereas Legolas, one of the elves, will be a soloist, accompanied by very exquisite music. His great strength will be his voice, probably a tenor, but he will also have to have a very beautiful aura about him. Gimli, on the other hand, is one of the Earthbound dwarfs and sings a beautiful lament. He must have a deep resonant voice, almost like a Welsh miner.

"And then there's Gollum, who has a very physical role and one big song in which the two characters within him communicate. It's a big virtuoso piece of singing that takes a traditional hobbit song and perverts it with a darkened delivery. The actor must have an unusual, folk-type voice and wide range."

Although the producers have worked out an arrangement with Canadian Actors' Equity that allows them to cast, if necessary, British performers in up to five lead roles, Wallace says the casting is still wide open and he is confident about the talent pool available in Canada. The only difficult aspect will be fulfilling the height requirements.

"How many actors are 5 foot 7 and under? A big wave of actors is automatically eliminated from the process. I do hope there are lots of short ones out there in Canada."

Back in Vancouver, there seems to be no shortage of smallish actors. Still, some of the casting assistants responsible for measuring the applicants just before they head into the audition room are surprised by the discrepancies they've found.

"You wouldn't believe how many people lie on their resumes," exclaims Melanie Crystal, as she measures J. P. Winslow, a 35-year-old folk singer who stands exactly 5 foot 6.

On a brief break midway through the day, casting director Stephanie Gorin already looks exhausted. By noon, she had auditioned 65 people, nine of whom were being called back the next day.

"We've seen all shapes, sizes, colours and types of voices," she laughs. "We've found a few potential hobbits, some circus performers and a lovely male singer who could be a Legolas. But you can't really tell until they come back and read."

Gorin couldn't believe the huge turnout, the biggest she's ever seen in Vancouver. "We've got 300 people to see today, in addition to two days of appointments that I've already done.

"And we're only one step into the journey," she says, shaking her head tiredly. "Imagine what it's going to be like in Toronto."