New Chicago Shakespeare artistic director Edward Hall is off to a bold start, scoring prize imports, and the production of The Lord of The Rings:A Musical Tale now receiving its U.S. premiere at The Yard on Navy Pier is one such bounty. As a devoted and longtime member of Tolkien fandom, I anticipated this show with excitement and trepidation: how does one boil down an epic tale whose boxed set of books runs almost 1500 pages? It took Peter Jackson three films to tell this iconic tale of good versus evil, a quintessential hero's journey where the hero is actually a “halfling”. And if JK Rowling’s musical took 2 shows, and Wagner’s tale of gods and men takes 4 operas to make a Ring Cycle, then why only one musical for one of the greatest stories in the English language? Why not take two shows to unwind this tale?
But we are beings of short attention spans, and it costs a fortune to create a musical, and so here we are in Chicago this summer: a production that has been whittled down to just under 3 hours of playing time– the intermission with the dazzling skyline view and some specialty themed cocktails takes you well over that 3 hour mark. This is a wondrous and immersive experience for the LOTR fan, so cosplay your fave character and head to the gorgeous confines of Chicago Shakespeare Theatre for a fantastic evening.
Book and lyric writers Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus have done a solid job of laying out most of our favorite characters in a way that feels like meeting old friends with a new lens. Spoiler alert: all of Rohan and a big chunk of Gondor is missing, and I mourned that loss. The score, by A.R. Rahman, Värttinä and Christopher Nightengale is lovely and atmospheric, though I am not sure there are any singable anthems in this world music mix. Having the musicians on stage and having cast members play instruments is one of the treats in this show. Another one of the highlights of this rendition of the story is that it is not so white English. It’s past time that a story about different “races” like Elves and Dwarves and Hobbits is more diverse.
Rory Beaton’s lighting combines with Simon Kenny’s scenic design to create a magical Middle Earth here for us in Chicago. Special shout out to Charlie Tymms whose puppet design along with Ashleigh Cheadle’s(original) and Lindsey Noel Whiting’s (Chicago)puppet direction makes the Black Riders and Shelob into truly terrifying creatures. The Balrog is a visual feast that could be a tad less pretty, more scary. George Reeve’s projection design brings so much theater magic to the stage. Director Paul Hart weaves this mostly Chicago cast into an ensemble of the highest quality. Jeff Parker’s Sarumon/Elrond gave an interesting yin and yang to those character arcs. Tom Amandes inhabits and enhances Gandalf. Spencer Davis Milford’s Froddo is absolutely loveable, and Michael Kurowski’s Samwise Gamgee is steady and true. Eileen Doan’s Merry gave Ben Mathew’s Pippen great fun to play with. Will James Jr.’s Aragorn is kingly from the Prancing Pony (first act for those of you who have not memorized the story). Matthew C. Yee’s Boramir was arrogant and doomed. One of the stars here is Tony Bozzuto’s Gollum who climbs down from the rafters for a spectacular entrance. Every member of this cast is insanely talented and fully committed to telling the story no matter what the script dishes out.
And this for me is where the show needs more work: as a fan of the source material who is a music theater devotee, I loved how the show starts with audience interaction with the characters, and I was overjoyed seeing all the “greatest hits” of plot points. Give me a great big scary spider, oh yes lets see those swords glow, oooo love it when Bilbo disappears for his birthday and finally finally we get to Mount Doom. But I know this story like I know my children’s names and the words of my religious services. After all, I watch the Peter Jackson extended version of all three films once a year. I am not certain that someone who does not already know the story will glean a plot line here that will move them or change them. It reminds me of the immersive exhibits of artist’s paintings that are so popular now: Immersive Van Gogh or Immersive Picasso where you see the works but cut up, animated and out of context so you are looking at different things and you might not recognize the work that the animations are drawn from. It pleases your eyes but does it strike your heart? The second act felt more like an exhibition of vignettes of beloved plot points than a coherent story where evil might clearly win. And who in this abundance of characters am I to feel for and worry about? There needs to be a larger dark army about to overtake our characters: there were only a handful of Orcs, as delightful as their choreography was, that I thought Gandalf could overpower by himself. If I didn’t already have deep feelings for the Fellowship of the Ring characters would I even understand parts of the second act without a cheat sheet? Perhaps we need to lose some of the beloved greatest hits plot points and pare the second act down to get to what is most important.
And so I ask: what ultimately is the story that McKenna and Warchus want us to take home? Asking myself this question now is one of the benefits of attending this show: it throws me back to the book and questioning myself on important ideas about man and meaning, war and doing the right thing even if there is very little hope it will change anything. I’ve called up other superfans and started a conversation. Perhaps this show is the appetizer that sends you to the original feast of Tolkien’s writing. The immersion now is that I am in world with LOTR and thinking many thoughts about the ideas that the story takes on : and that is the theatre’s great gift.
If you are a LOTR fan, this is a must see show to put on your summer list before the production heads to New Zealand! The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale is playing Tuesdays through Sundays through September 1, 2024 at Chicago Shakespeare’s The Yard Theatre on Navy Pier. For tickets and information go to https://www.chicagoshakes.com/productions/the-lord-of-the-rings/
Photo by Liz Lauren
For more reviews go to https://www.theatreinchicago.com
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