The Lord of the Rings (theatre) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

This article is about the major theatrical production. For other uses, see The Lord of the Rings (disambiguation)
The Lord of the Rings (disambiguation)
The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel by J. R. R. Tolkien.The Lord of the Rings may also refer to:- Film :* The Lord of the Rings , a animated film by Ralph Bakshi...

.

The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...

is the most prominent of several theatre

Theatre

Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...

adaptations of British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

author J. R. R. Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...

's epic high fantasy

High fantasy

High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s...

novel

Novel

A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....

of the same name, set in his world of Middle-earth

Middle-earth

Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....

. The show includes music by A. R. Rahman

A. R. Rahman

Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...

, Christopher Nightingale, and the band Värttinä

Värttinä

Värttinä is a Finnish folk music band which was started as a project by Sari and Mari Kaasinen back in 1983 in the village of Rääkkylä, in Karelia, the southeastern region of Finland. Many transformations have taken place in the band since then...

, with book and lyrics by Matthew Warchus and Shaun McKenna. Lord of the Rings tells the tale of a humble hobbit

Hobbit

Hobbits are a fictional diminutive race who inhabit the lands of Middle-earth in J. R. R. Tolkien's fiction.Hobbits first appeared in the novel The Hobbit, in which the main protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, is the titular hobbit...

who is asked to play the hero and undertake a treacherous mission to destroy an evil, magic gold ring without being seduced by its power. Though sometimes described as a "musical", Warchus/Rahman/Värttinä

Värttinä

do not characterize their productions as musical theatre

Musical theatre

Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...

. Indeed, both productions were specifically noted to be theatrical adaptations with vital musical elements, but not with the structure of a musical, per se.

Toronto

London-based theatre producer Kevin Wallace

Kevin Wallace

Kevin Gerard Wallace was in-house producer with Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group for eight years, where he was responsible for Celebration, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 50th Birthday Concert at the Royal Albert Hall starring Glenn Close, Antonio Banderas, Sarah Brightman and Elaine Paige, ...

and his partner, Saul Zaentz

Saul Zaentz

Saul Zaentz is an American film producer and former record company executive. He has won the Academy Award for Best Picture three times and in 1996 was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award....

—stage and film rights holder and producer of the animated film version of 1978—in association with Toronto theatre owner David Mirvish

David Mirvish

David Mirvish, CM, O.Ont is a Canadian art collector, art dealer, theatre producer and son of the late "Honest" Ed Mirvish, Toronto discount department store-owner and artist Anne Lazare Macklin....

and concert promoter Michael Cohl

Michael Cohl

Michael Cohl is a Canadian concert promoter, theatrical producer and touring impresario. He is the former Chairman of Live Nation, the largest live entertainment company in the world. Cohl now runs S2BN Entertainment, with offices in Miami and Toronto...

, produced a stage musical adaptation with a book and lyrics written by Shaun McKenna

Shaun McKenna

Shaun McKenna is an English dramatist, lyricist and screenwriter.-Biography:Shaun studied at Maidstone Grammar School and the University of Bristol...

and Matthew Warchus

Matthew Warchus

-Life:Warchus studied music and drama at Bristol University. He has directed for the National Youth Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Donmar Warehouse, Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Theatre, Opera North, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Welsh National Opera, English National Opera and in the West...

, and music by A. R. Rahman

A. R. Rahman

and Värttinä

Värttinä

, collaborating with Christopher Nightingale.

The three-and-a-half-hour-long three-act production, with a cast of 65 actors, was mounted in Toronto, Canada, at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Princess of Wales Theatre

The Princess of Wales Theatre is a 2000-seat theatre located at 300 King Street West in the heart of Toronto's Entertainment District in the downtown area...

, at a cost of approximately C$

Canadian dollar

The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...

30 million. It was promoted as a spectacle of unusual scale. It starred Brent Carver

Brent Carver

Brent Carver is a Canadian actor.Carver is known for a variety of stage and film roles, including The Wars, Kronborg: 1582, Lilies, Larry's Party, Elizabeth Rex, Millennium, Shadow Dancing, and Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love...

as Gandalf and Michael Therriault

Michael Therriault

Michael Therriault is a Canadian actor. He attended Etobicoke School of the Arts in Toronto, Sheridan College in Oakville, and was a member of the inaugural season of the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre Training in Stratford, Ontario.After spending seven seasons at the Stratford...

as Gollum, and was directed by Matthew Warchus and choreographed by Peter Darling, with set and costume design by Rob Howell. The production began performances on February 4, 2006 and had its press opening on March 23, 2006. It received mixed notices from the press. and had its final performance September 3, 2006.

The show played to almost 400,000 people in Toronto. It was nominated for 15 Dora Awards, winning 7, including "Outstanding New Musical" and awards for direction, design and choreography. Richard Corliss of Time Magazine described it as "ingenious" and a "definitive megamusical".

London

The shortened (three-hour) and significantly re-written show began previews at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...

on May 9, 2007, with its official premiere June 19, 2007. The same creative team as the Toronto production was involved in the London production, with only three cast members reprising their roles from Toronto—James Loye

James Loye

James Loye is a British musical theatre/theatre actor best known for playing the male lead of Frodo Baggins in the Toronto and London production of Lord of the Rings the Musical....

(Frodo), Peter Howe (Sam) and Michael Therriault

Michael Therriault

(Gollum). The production featured a cast of 50 actors and reportedly cost £12 million (approximately US$25 million), making it one of the most expensive musicals ever produced in the West End

West End theatre

West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...

.
The National Geographic Channel

National Geographic Channel

National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...

produced a 50 minute television program as part of their INSIDE series that followed the London production from the first day of rehearsals to the first performance. Since July 2007 the program has aired on international National Geographic channels in over 30 countries, and on PBS in the United States.

On May 31, 2007, it was reported that a preview performance had been suspended after a cast member (Adam Salter) caught his leg in the moving stage and was taken to hospital during the performance of the evening of May 30. Salter made a full recovery and later rejoined the production.

The London production, which starred London's original Mary Poppins Laura Michelle Kelly

Laura Michelle Kelly

Laura Michelle Kelly is an English actress and singer who achieved critical acclaim in the role of Mary Poppins in the musical of the same name.-Musical theatre:...

as Galadriel, received mixed reviews. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...

called it "a brave, stirring, epic piece of popular theatre" and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

gave the show a four star rating, calling it "a hugely impressive production". While the Toronto version was dubbed "Bored of The Rings", the London production was labelled by The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...

as "Flawed of The Rings". However, it proved popular with audiences, being nominated for 7 Whatsonstage Theatregoer's Choice Awards in 2007 and 5 Olivier Awards in 2008, including book and lyrics, lighting (Paul Pyant

Paul Pyant

Paul Pyant is a British lighting designer, whose designs have been featured in the West End, on Broadway and in opera houses around the world.-Life and career:...

), sets and costumes (both Rob Howell) and sound. Abbie Osman later replaced Kelly as Galadriel on February 4, 2008. On June 19, 2008, many of the original cast members left the production, having not extended their contracts for the final month. They were all replaced by their respective understudies.

The production took its final bow on July 19, 2008, after 492 performances over a 13-month run.

Act I

Mr. Bilbo Baggins

Bilbo Baggins

Bilbo Baggins is the protagonist and titular character of The Hobbit and a supporting character in The Lord of the Rings, two of the most well-known of J. R. R...

of the Shire

Shire (Middle-earth)

The Shire is a region of J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, described in The Lord of the Rings and other works. The Shire refers to an area settled exclusively by Hobbits and largely removed from the goings-on in the rest of Middle-earth. It is located in the northwest of the continent, in...

holds a magnificent party. Following a surprise announcement that he is bequeathing everything he owns to his nephew Frodo

Frodo Baggins

Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...

, Bilbo vanishes. Frodo soon learns from the wizard Gandalf

Gandalf

Gandalf is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a wizard, member and later the head of the order known as the Istari, as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West...

the Grey that Bilbo's magic ring

One Ring

The One Ring is a fictional artifact that appears as the central plot element in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy novels. It is described in an earlier story, The Hobbit , as a magic ring of invisibility. The sequel The Lord of the Rings describes its powers as being more encompassing than...

holds unimaginably evil power. The Dark Lord Sauron

Sauron

Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...

’s agents are abroad in search of it. Frodo must leave the Shire at once and seek advice from the Elves

Elf (Middle-earth)

In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Elves are one of the races that inhabit a fictional Earth, often called Middle-earth, and set in the remote past. They appear in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings, but their complex history is described more fully in The Silmarillion...

at Rivendell

Rivendell

Rivendell is an Elven outpost in Middle-earth, a fictional realm created by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was established and ruled by Elrond in the Second Age of Middle-earth...

. All is not lost—magic still resides in Middle-earth, and the Rangers of the North

Rangers of the North

In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Rangers of the North, also known as the Dúnedain of the North, were the descendants of the Dúnedain from the lost kingdom of Arnor...

guard the wilderness beyond the Shire's borders.

The One Ring corrupts any who use it, no matter how noble their intent. Only little folk like Hobbits, who live far from the intrigues of Men

Man (Middle-earth)

The race of Men in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth books, such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, refers to humanity and does not denote gender...

in distant lands, have some resistance. The great wizard Saruman

Saruman

Saruman the White is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He is leader of the Istari, wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form by the godlike Valar to challenge Sauron, the main antagonist of the tale, but later on aims at gaining...

the White has already succumbed to the seductions of power and seeks the Ring for his own ends.

Frodo and his friends arrive at the Prancing Pony Inn at Bree

Bree (Middle-earth)

Bree is a fictional village in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, east of the Shire and south of Fornost Erain. It is thought to have been inspired by the Buckinghamshire village of Brill, which Tolkien visited regularly in his early years at Oxford...

expecting to meet Gandalf. In a moment of weakness, Frodo puts on the Ring and is attacked by Black Riders

Nazgûl

The Nazgûl are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium...

. The Hobbits flee, aided by the ranger Strider

Aragorn

Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...

.

Arwen

Arwen

Arwen Undómiel is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium. She appears in his novel, The Lord of the Rings, usually published in three volumes. Arwen is one of the Half-elven who lived during the Third Age.-Literature:...

Evenstar sings of longing and loss in the sanctuary of Rivendell where Elrond

Elrond

Elrond Half-elven is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Hobbit, and plays a supporting role in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.-Character overview:...

Half-elven

In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Half-elven are the children of the union of Elves and Men. The Half-elven are not a distinct race from Elves and Men, and must ultimately choose to which race they belong...

holds a great council. The Ring cannot be destroyed by any earthly means. Nor can it be hidden, as Sauron's will acts like a magnet drawing it to him. It must be taken in secret to the Dark Lord’s realm of Mordor

Mordor

In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Mordor or Morhdorh was the dwelling place of Sauron, in the southeast of northwestern Middle-earth to the East of Anduin, the great river. Orodruin, a volcano in Mordor, was the destination of the Fellowship of the Ring in the quest to...

and melted in the supernatural fires of Mount Doom

Mount Doom

Mount Doom is a volcano in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. It is located in the heart of the black land of Mordor and close to Barad-dûr, it is approximately high. Alternative names, in Tolkien's invented language of Sindarin, include Orodruin and Amon Amarth...

where it was forged.

A Fellowship of nine is formed to carry out this quest: the Ringbearer Frodo Baggins; fellow Hobbits Sam Gamgee

Samwise Gamgee

Samwise Gamgee, later known as Samwise Gardner and commonly as Sam, is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. Samwise is one of the chief characters in Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, in which he fills an archetypical role as the sidekick of the protagonist, Frodo...

, Merry Brandybuck

Meriadoc Brandybuck

Meriadoc Brandybuck, usually referred to as Merry, is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured throughout his most famous work, The Lord of the Rings....

and Pippin Took

Peregrin Took

Peregrin Took, more commonly known as Pippin, is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. Pippin is introduced as a Hobbit who plays a major role as one of the companions of Frodo Baggins, in his quest to destroy the One Ring.Peregrin was the only son of...

; Gandalf, Strider, the warrior Boromir

Boromir

Boromir is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in the first two volumes of The Lord of the Rings , and is mentioned in the last volume, The Return of the King....

, Legolas

Legolas

Legolas is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. He is an Elf of the Woodland Realm and one of nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring.- Literature :...

the Elf, and Gimli

Gimli (Middle-earth)

Gimli is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. A Dwarf warrior, he is the son of Glóin ....

the Dwarf

Dwarf (Middle-earth)

In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Dwarves are a race inhabiting the world of Arda, a fictional prehistoric Earth which includes the continent Middle-earth....

. They head East into danger.

Gollum

Gollum

Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings....

, a tormented creature who possessed the ring before Bilbo, is on their trail. In the old Dwarf mines

Moria (Middle-earth)

In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Moria was the name given by the Eldar to an enormous underground complex in north-western Middle-earth, comprising a vast network of tunnels, chambers, mines and huge halls or 'mansions', that ran under and ultimately through the Misty Mountains...

Gandalf sacrifices everything to save his companions from the Balrog

Balrog

Balrogs are fictional demonic beings who appear in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. Such creatures first appeared in print in his novel The Lord of the Rings, though they figured in earlier writings that posthumously appeared in The Silmarillion and other books.Balrogs are described as...

, an underworld demon.

Act II

The mystical Galadriel

Galadriel

Galadriel is a character created by J.R.R. Tolkien, appearing in his Middle-earth legendarium. She appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales....

offers a respite in her timeless haven. But violence splinters the Fellowship soon afterwards. Merry and Pippin unleash chaos when they awaken the ancient Ent

Ent

Ents are a race of beings in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy world Middle-earth who closely resemble trees. They are similar to the talking trees in folklore around the world. Their name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for giant....

s in Fangorn Forest

Fangorn forest

Fangorn in J.R.R. Tolkien's Legendarium, was a forest located in the fictional world of Middle-earth and was the home of the tree shepherds, the Ents. It was named after the oldest Ent, Treebeard or Treebeard after it. Tolkien did, however, state that there was confusion about the two...

. In the Lands of Men

Gondor

Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...

to the South, the elderly Steward

Denethor

Denethor II of the House of Húrin is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Return of the King, which is the third and final part of his novel The Lord of the Rings. In the novel, he is the 26th and penultimate ruling Steward of Gondor....

(Boromir's father) is roused from a dark enchantment, and Gandalf's miraculous return with an army of giant Ents turns the tide at a crucial battle. The Orcs

Orc (Middle-earth)

In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings, Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings — Morgoth, Sauron and Saruman...

are destroyed and Saruman cast down. Gollum, ensnared by the Ring's power, guides Frodo and Sam towards Mordor.

Act III

If the remaining Fellowship members can draw the Eye of Sauron away from Mordor, the Ringbearer might have a chance to complete his mission. Strider takes up his reforged ancestral sword and reclaims his inheritance as Aragorn, the long-lost King. Defeating the Dark Lord will win him Arwen's hand in marriage. Gollum betrays Frodo and Sam in Shelob

Shelob

Shelob is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. She appears at the end of the fourth book, second volume , of The Lord of the Rings.-Literature:...

’s lair. Galadriel casts protection spells as the army goes to war

War of the Ring

In the fictional high fantasy-world of J. R. R. Tolkien, the War of the Ring was fought between Sauron and the free peoples of Middle-earth for control of the One Ring and dominion over the continent. The War of the Ring took place at the end of the Third Age. Together with the Quest of Mount Doom,...

and Frodo and Sam climb Mount Doom.

The Ring's destruction ushers in a new age, the Dominion of Men

Dominion of Men

The Dominion of Men is a period in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium that follows the events of The Lord of the Rings and the Third Age.-The End of the Third Age:...

. After being celebrated as heroes in the City of Kings

Minas Tirith

Minas Tirith , originally named Minas Anor, is a fictional city and castle in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings. It became the heavily fortified capital of Gondor in the second half of the Third Age...

, the Hobbits return home to a drastically changed Shire. Sam is reunited with his beloved Rosie, but not all things can be healed. Magic is leaving Middle-earth. Arwen, who is giving up her immortality to marry Aragorn, grants Frodo her place on a ship sailing west to the Blessed Realm

Valinor

Valinor is a fictional location in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the realm of the Valar in Aman. It was also known as the Undying Lands, along with Tol Eressëa and the outliers of Aman. This is something of a misnomer; only immortal beings were allowed to reside there, but the land itself,...

of the Elves. There, he may find rest from his cares and wounds. Life in the Shire has come full circle, but nothing will ever be the same again.

Casts

Character	Toronto Cast	Original London Cast	Final London Cast
Bilbo Baggins Bilbo Baggins Bilbo Baggins is the protagonist and titular character of The Hobbit and a supporting character in The Lord of the Rings, two of the most well-known of J. R. R...	Cliff Saunders	Terence Frisch
Samwise "Sam" Gamgee Samwise Gamgee Samwise Gamgee, later known as Samwise Gardner and commonly as Sam, is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. Samwise is one of the chief characters in Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, in which he fills an archetypical role as the sidekick of the protagonist, Frodo...	Peter Howe
Rose "Rosie" Cotton	Kristin Galer	Kirsty Malpass
Frodo Baggins Frodo Baggins Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...	James Loye James Loye James Loye is a British musical theatre/theatre actor best known for playing the male lead of Frodo Baggins in the Toronto and London production of Lord of the Rings the Musical....		James Byng James Byng James Byng is an English actor and vocalist. Acting since the age of ten, James made his West End debut in the title role of Oliver! at the London Palladium. He played the same role in the national tour of Oliver! and at the Royal Charity Gala Hey! Mr. Producer, honoring theatrical producer...
Gandalf the Grey/Gandalf the White Gandalf Gandalf is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a wizard, member and later the head of the order known as the Istari, as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West...	Brent Carver Brent Carver Brent Carver is a Canadian actor.Carver is known for a variety of stage and film roles, including The Wars, Kronborg: 1582, Lilies, Larry's Party, Elizabeth Rex, Millennium, Shadow Dancing, and Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love...	Malcolm Storry	Andrew Jarvis
Peregrin "Pippin" Took Peregrin Took Peregrin Took, more commonly known as Pippin, is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. Pippin is introduced as a Hobbit who plays a major role as one of the companions of Frodo Baggins, in his quest to destroy the One Ring.Peregrin was the only son of...	Owen Sharpe		Stuart Neal
Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck Meriadoc Brandybuck Meriadoc Brandybuck, usually referred to as Merry, is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured throughout his most famous work, The Lord of the Rings....	Dylan Roberts	Richard Henders Richard Henders Richard Henders is a British actor.He is best known for his portrayal as Prince Rilian in the 1990 BBC adaptation of The Silver Chair. He has also appeared in dramas such as Pie in the Sky, Foyle's War and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries Henders played the role of Merry in the 2006 musical...	Ben Evans
Elránien Gildor Inglorion Gildor Inglorion is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He was a Noldorin Elf of the House of Finrod. In The Lord of the Rings he met Frodo Baggins and his friends in the Shire...	Monique Lund	Alexandra Bonnet
Saruman the White	Richard McMillan	Brian Protheroe Brian Protheroe Brian Protheroe , of a Welsh father and English mother, is a musician and actor.-Career:Protheroe joined a local church choir when he was twelve years old, and started piano lessons at about the same time. The music of Cliff Richard and The Shadows inspired him to start learning the guitar...	Tim Morgan
Barliman Butterbur Barliman Butterbur Barliman Butterbur is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings.Butterbur was the owner of the Inn of the Prancing Pony in Bree. He was a fat, bald Man, but as Bree was inhabited by both "Big Folk" and "Little Folk", i.e. hobbits, he had two hobbit employees:...	Shawn Wright	Tim Parker
Bill Ferny Bill Ferny Bill Ferny is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.Ferny lived in Bree near the end of the Third Age. He spied on Frodo there, and was witnessed by Meriadoc Brandybuck relaying details of the hobbits' adventures at the Prancing Pony to one of the Nazgûl.After the...	Patrick McManus	Michael Hobbs
Aragorn Aragorn Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him... (Strider)	Evan Buliung	Jérôme Pradon Jérôme Pradon Jérôme Pradon is an actor and singer who has performed in the West End, Paris and various other places around the world. He was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France on 3 June 1964.- Theatre :...	Robbie Scotcher
Glorfindel Glorfindel In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Glorfindel is a name used twice for an Elf appearing in the tales of Middle-earth. He is introduced in various material relating to the First Age of Middle-earth, including The Silmarillion. The second instance is for a character of The Lord of the Rings, which...	did not appear	Alma Ferovic
Arwen Undómiel	Carly Street	Rosalie Craig
Lord Elrond Elrond Elrond Half-elven is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Hobbit, and plays a supporting role in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.-Character overview:...	Victor A. Young	Andrew Jarvis	Michael Hobbs
Boromir Boromir Boromir is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in the first two volumes of The Lord of the Rings , and is mentioned in the last volume, The Return of the King....	Dion Johnstone	Steven Miller
Gimli Gimli (Middle-earth) Gimli is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. A Dwarf warrior, he is the son of Glóin ....	Ross Williams	Sévan Stephan
Legolas Greenleaf	Gabriel Burrafato	Michael Rouse
Gollum/Sméagol Gollum Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings....	Michael Therriault Michael Therriault Michael Therriault is a Canadian actor. He attended Etobicoke School of the Arts in Toronto, Sheridan College in Oakville, and was a member of the inaugural season of the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre Training in Stratford, Ontario.After spending seven seasons at the Stratford...
Haldir	Fraser Walters	Wayne Fitzsimmons
Lady Galadriel	Rebecca Jackson Mendoza Rebecca Jackson Mendoza Rebecca Jackson Mendoza is an Australian actress, singer and dancer.-Early life:Rebecca Jackson Mendoza was born in Melbourne, Australia to a Filipino father and German Australian mother. She first came to national prominence as half of the pop duo Jackson Mendoza, with her sister Natalie...	Laura Michelle Kelly Laura Michelle Kelly Laura Michelle Kelly is an English actress and singer who achieved critical acclaim in the role of Mary Poppins in the musical of the same name.-Musical theatre:...	Abbie Osmon
Treebeard Treebeard Treebeard is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The eldest of the species of Ents, he is said to live in the ancient Forest of Fangorn and stands fourteen feet in height and is tree-like in appearance, with leafy hair and a rigid structure. Fangorn Forest...	Shawn Wright	Michael Hobbs
Steward of the Lands of Men Denethor Denethor II of the House of Húrin is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Return of the King, which is the third and final part of his novel The Lord of the Rings. In the novel, he is the 26th and penultimate ruling Steward of Gondor....	did not appear	Tim Morgan	Tim Parker

Musical Numbers

Act I

Prologue ('Lasto i lamath') – Arwen
Springle Ring – Company
The Road Goes On
The Road Goes Ever On (song)
"The Road Goes Ever On" is a title that encompasses several walking songs that J. R. R. Tolkien wrote for his Middle-earth legendarium. Within the stories, the original song was composed by Bilbo Baggins and recorded in The Hobbit...

– Frodo, Sam, Pippin, Merry, Company
Saruman – Female Voices
The Cat and the Moon – Frodo, Sam, Pippin, Merry, Company
Flight to the Ford – Glorfindel, Female Voices
The Song of Hope – Arwen
Star of Eärendil
Eärendil
Eärendil the Mariner is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is depicted in The Silmarillion as a great seafarer who, on his brow, carried the morning star across the sky.-Etymology:...

– Arwen, Company
Lament for Moria
Moria (Middle-earth)
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Moria was the name given by the Eldar to an enormous underground complex in north-western Middle-earth, comprising a vast network of tunnels, chambers, mines and huge halls or 'mansions', that ran under and ultimately through the Misty Mountains...

– Gandalf, Gimli

Act II

The Golden Wood – Company
Lothlórien – Legolas, Galadriel, Company
Lothlórien (reprise) – Galadriel, Company
The Siege of the City of Kings – Female Voices
Now and for Always – Frodo, Sam
Gollum/Sméagol – Gollum/Sméagol

Act III

The Song of Hope (Duet) – Aragorn, Arwen
Wonder – Galadriel
The Final Battle – Galadriel
City of Kings – Company
Epilogue (Farewells)
Finale – Company

Lyrics

Much of the lyrics are taken directly from Tolkien's novels, poems and related work. 'The Road Goes On' is loosely based on Bilbo's walking song

The Road Goes Ever On (song)

"The Road Goes Ever On" is a title that encompasses several walking songs that J. R. R. Tolkien wrote for his Middle-earth legendarium. Within the stories, the original song was composed by Bilbo Baggins and recorded in The Hobbit...

spoken by Bilbo and Frodo in The Hobbit
The Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...

and The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes of the epic novel The Lord of the Rings by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It takes place in the fictional universe Middle-earth. It was originally published on July 29, 1954 in the United Kingdom...

respectively. 'The Cat and the Moon' takes its lyrics from Frodo's drinking song in The Fellowship of the Ring. 'The Song of Hope' includes Elvish lyrics

Quenya

Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...

, which are a reworking of Galadriel's lament (The Fellowship of the Ring), though the song is sung by Arwen

Arwen

in the musical. 'Lament for Moria' takes lyrics from Gimli's lament in The Fellowship of the Ring.
The song 'Lothlórien' is performed by Legolas as an introduction to Galadriel. At the same point in the novel Legolas sings about the Elf-maiden Nimrodel

Nimrodel

In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the name Nimrodel may refer to:*Nimrodel, an elf who was lost while trying to reach her beloved.*The Nimrodel, a river in Lothlórien near which Nimrodel dwelt....

, and although the two songs share a similar sentiment their lyrics are unrelated.
The lyrics to 'Wonder', performed by Galadriel, are almost identical to the Song of Eldamar—a lament sung and played on the harp by Galadriel in The Fellowship of the Ring. http://www.lyricstime.com/rivendell-the-song-of-eldamar-lyrics.html
Many of the songs feature lyrics in Quenya

Quenya

, one of the fictional languages developed by Tolkien, despite the fact that the Elves during the Third Age

Third Age

The Third Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The history of Middle-earth is to be taken fictionally as a history of the real Earth....

communicated in Sindarin

Sindarin

Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....

. It is likely that the writers opted for Quenya because Tolkien had developed this language the most.

Original London Cast Recording

The London original cast recording was released on February 4, 2008, and features 18 musical numbers from the show. The CD release was accompanied by a DVD with superior sound quality and DVD bonuses. Disc 2 features an alternative version of "The Song of Hope (Duet)" and a slideshow of production images.

External links

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