Lord of the Rings musical closing this July

[Mithalwen]

No there was definitely no horse snogging or skateboarding but there were orcs on pogo-stick like crutches - does that count? It gave their movements an appropriately fierce energy but combined with the fact that the elves seemed to be signing makaton to the mortals it did seem to suggest that Middle Earth was populated largely by those with special needs... but that is one of my few quibbles about the production. There was a lot from the books that never madee it to the films - the Ranger's protection of the shire being a good example.

I do hope that Dave might make it down to see it. Treebeard was played as a tree shepherd ...and was very Yorkshire .... no prizes for guessing who he reminded me of

[davem]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

I do hope that Dave might make it down to see it. Treebeard was played as a tree shepherd ...and was very Yorkshire .... no prizes for guessing who he reminded me of

I'd like to go - from the clips I've seen on the show's site it all looks very impressive. However, I probably won't get the chance, given timescales & the fact that fans of the show will be snapping up the last few tickets.

[Sauron the White]

from Bethberry

Interesting comment here, StW. Which was the musical based on--Tolkien's books or Jackson's movies? I cannot recall reading anything which suggested the musical was attempting to put the movie on stage. It was to be an adaptation of Tolkien's LotR.

I was not at all suggesting that the musical play was based on the Jackson film adaption. In fact, the producers went out of their way to tell the world that they had not even seen the films. My point was only that it took 11 hours of film to adapt a 1,200 page book. I was using the length of the films as a comparison to both the book and then the play.

Mithalwen brought up the orcs on what she called pogosticks- actually they were some space age sort of crutches. I don't remember them as having any bouncing properties to them. They looked absurd and silly as everyone chased each opther around in sort of a Keystone Cops fashion while they dodged rising and falling elevators and hydraulic platforms. And then we had Saruman in a floor length leather coat looking like the twin brother of Otto Preminger in STALAG 17. That was a wonderful casting and costuming idea
In Toronto, Bormir was Black, Aragorn had charcoal marks under his eyes like American football players and the whole thing was like watching a movie using the fast forward control.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

Mithalwen brought up the orcs on what she called pogosticks- actually they were some space age sort of crutches..

I actually called them "pogo-stick like crutches" .

From the way the orcs moved I assumed them to be "sprung" in some way else they surely would have injured the actors. But funnily enough I didn't mug one of the orcs to get the exact construction mid performance....

[Nerwen]

This musical sounds very odd indeed. Why were the Orcs on crutches?

[Sauron the White]

Why were the orcs on crutches? Thats a really good question. I aksed myself the same thing when I saw it since it looked really weird and seemed to serve no purpose although Mithalwen suggests they may have been spring loaded to help them in backflips and other moves. That could very well be the case. If so, I did not realize it when I saw the play. When I saw it I simply thought they were crutches and gave them a type of "on all fours" look. It reminded me a bit of the Flying Monkeys from WIZARD OF OZ when they scurried on the ground fighting the good guys.

here are some links so you can see the actual stuff

An Overview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ngg7wcbwEU

Arwen Evenstar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS3LN5TUPHc

The Ringwraiths: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPF_Xiv7Dlw

Lothlorien: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxS_k_0eu_4

Star of Earendil: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft0GNgdVz0A

The Final Battle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td8QWBpYIlA

Flight to the Ford: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIqY66cP13s

Epilogue: Farewells: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Si6LAl6XhCw

Finale: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJrsb6_6nfo

The Road Goes On: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3yA7gRDgqE

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Nerwen

This musical sounds very odd indeed. Why were the Orcs on crutches?

I would guess that it harks back to the fundamental problem with Tolkien that you have humans playing humans, elves, dwarves, hobbits and orcs. In film you can play around with CGI, on radio you can use different voice types, in the flesh you are stuck with humans. In "Grand Opera" there are certain conventions linking vocal ranges and types to types of character - but with the different demands of musical this is not so possible. So you just have to somehow
make humans seem less human.

I think the crutches were to extend the limbs (Treebeard was a shepherd on stilts ) and give the orcs move a bit like chimpanzees - not human but not
totally alien. It was certainly quite scary ... and they were very agile. though not as impressive as Golum's head first crawl.

[Nogrod]

The music is going to be released in Finland the next week... So we're just waiting for a few days more... But looking at the clips Sauron provided it sounds good indeed. Or at least to my Finnish ears as I can clearly make out the Finnish themes from there...

From what I have heard of it the Toronto-show was more or less bad but the London production was somewhat better. So I do join the many here to see the next installment where it's better than in the two first ones...

But just talking of links aren't those links provided by Sauron the White as illegal as Davem's links in the "Microphones..." -thread? I mean in no way do I wish to see them go. Vice versa. I'd like to see all possible links come back.

Just asking...

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by davem

I'd like to go - from the clips I've seen on the show's site it all looks very impressive. However, I probably won't get the chance, given timescales & the fact that fans of the show will be snapping up the last few tickets.

I must book since a daytrip and a matinee is my best chance ... hope they make a DVD or something but you won't get the full effect