16. Turn Off the Dark Lord.

The Lord of the Rings musical. (No, really.)

Jared, Oriana and Ned talk about Ned’s choice of topic: the Lord of the
Rings stage musical. Growing out of a failed German attempt to stage a
version of The Hobbit in 1997 and eventually turning into a high level and
high budget production that ran in Toronto in 2006 and London in 2007, the
musical attracted both a lot of attention and a lot of talent, from future
Tony winners to regular standbys on the London stage and beyond, not to
mention a remarkable combination of composer A.R. Rahman and the Finnish avant
garde folk group Värttinä on the music itself. And yet, in the end, it was a
flop in both of its incarnations, not making back the considerable investment
made into it, and it’s essentially disappeared now. What can we make about
what the production was like from the scattered bits of evidence that’s
available online or in print? What elements about it succeed and which other
ones needed much more work? Is it worth reclaiming in the end or is it
something that was simply an attempt that didn’t work? And above all else, why
in the world are the songs almost entirely unmemorable?

Jared’s
doodle,
putting the ‘leg’ in Legolas.

Take Your Pick! Do please join us for the
ultimate Tolkien fancast episode on July 18th, or catch up with the webcast
later if needed. (And hey, subscribe to Megaphonic’s YouTube
channel while you’re at it?)

By all means listen in for the Tolkien content in Episode 72 of It’s Just a
Show, but explore the whole series!
It’s marvellous, as is the show it loves and talks about in detail.

The news about The Nature of Middle-earth
is absolutely major.

Do check out Vinyar Tengwar! It’s a wonderful
publication.

HarperCollins’s
announcement
about Andy Serkis’s new audiobook of The Hobbit.

Variety’s news story confirming that Amazon’s series as well as other
productions are good to go again in New Zealand.

The Daily Mail’s
interview
with Morfydd Clark.

The new casting
announcement for
extras for the Amazon series.

Peter Jackson’s fond memories of Ian
Holm. (Brian
Sibley
had some good thoughts too.)

The archived
website
of the stage musical.

Gary Russell’s official ‘companion’
book to the musical can be found via tons of second-hand
sellers and remains the key source of information for the history of the
entire production.

A B-roll of scenes from the
Toronto production.

The New York Times’s review of the Toronto
production...wasn’t thrilled.

The National Geographic
documentary about
the London staging of the musical.

An official ‘behind the scenes’
video from the London
production.

The New York Times once
more, on the run
up to the London staging.

A (London) Times
piece
also on the run up.

Scenes from the London
production.

The 2007 episode of the UK podcast Musical
Talk about the London
production, literally recorded in the audience between acts and after it
ended. (A great on-the-spot listen!)

The
Guardian
wasn’t taken by it. (The same reviewer had given the Toronto
one
a chance.)

TheOneRing.net provided a very helpful
breakdown about what was changed or altered from the
book in the London staging, along with a couple of comparative notes to the
Toronto one.

News
from when the London production wrapped up. (And a fan
tribute -- there are fans of
this musical, no lie!)

The London cast recording is streaming in various locations (like this
one).

Do yourself a huge favor and check out A. R. Rahman’s
work.

Similarly, Värttinä will never steer you wrong.
(As Jared recommends, give an ear to their 2000 album
Ilmatar
sometime.)

Laura Michelle Kelly, to give her full
name, continues to thrive on the stage in both the UK and the US after her
stint spinning through the air and singing as Galadriel (though like all of us
is currently waiting everything out).

Jason Robert Brown would have been great for
this. But alas.

Rob Howell has gone from strength
to strength since this production, picking up two Tonys for design among other
honors.

Hamilton! You’ve heard
of it, we’re willing to bet.

Michael Thierrault’s thoughts
on playing Gollum onstage in both productions is worth a watch.

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