Lord Of The Rings The Musical By Andy Dykes

Lord of the Rings the musical arrives on Drury Lane after a popular stint in Toronto. Riding on the coat tails of the Oscar winning trilogy of films and billed as a visual spectacular, the stage version is hotly anticipated by the London crowd. Tonight the Theatre Royal is packed with theatre-goers eager to see just how Tolkien's voluminous tale, previously boiled down to three lengthy movies, could be further condensed to one three-hour musical.

However, the show's billing as a musical serves only as a shaky premise on which to base dancing orcs and deftly choreographed, slightly camp fight scenes. Musical numbers themselves are few and far between and when they do occur are instantly forgettable. Where the films make use of special effects and the books rely on the reader's imagination, the stage version struggles to depict some of the action.

Characters try to compensate by pointing into the distance and describing what they see.

Time constraints mean that vast swathes of the layered storyline are cut from the show. The resulting holes in the plot are filled by the characters having brief discussions about the event that is supposed to have occurred, a narrative trick that gets annoying very swiftly. To the show's credit, the orchestra and the Indian vocal stylings of the elves provide a stunning accompaniment to the onstage action.

Lighting is employed in some striking visual tricks and superb use is made of the revolving stage; manipulating it from woodland to mountain landscapes and castle battlements.

The show's high point occurs offstage between acts two and three as gruesome orcs foray into the terrified audience while an elaborate scene change takes place behind the lowered curtain. Up close, the costumes and makeup show off remarkable attention to visual detail. But this is nothing more than a gimmick. The show itself is bum numbingly dull and curtain down sees punters racing for the exits, very much bored of the rings.

For more info. and tickets go to www.lotr.com

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