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LOTR to Become a London Musical
PenguinRadio writes "Sky is reporting that Lord of the Rings will become 'the most expensive musical ever seen in London', sporting a price tag of 8 million pounds and a running time of nearly 3 and 1/2 hours."
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seriously, what? this is as dumb as 'Doonsbury on Ice'. All they need is a Rick Wakeman score to ensure that noone will want to remember this existed 5 years from now.
Rather surprisingly, they managed to turn the almost-as-complex His Dark Materials trilogy into what is, by all accounts, a fantastic stage show ... I'll certainly be getting tickets to see this...
Score:-1, Funny
Gollum crooning to the ring in his cave...
The Braying and Neighing of Barnyard Animals Follows.
/Obvious
I can't imagine elves jumping around a stage singing about forest like or whatever...
---
Never criticize religion on Slashdot. You will be modded down for "Troll" no matter how factual it is.
LOTR RINGS TO BE MUSICAL
Fresh from its runaway success at the Oscars, fantasy epic Lord of the Rings is set to hit the stage as a lavish musical, reports say.
Producers are planning to turn the book series into the most expensive musical ever seen in London, according to the Sunday Telegraph.
News of the musical version comes weeks after the final film installment of the trilogy, Return Of The King, won 11 Academy Awards.
The 8m production will see dozens of actors portray hobbits, elves, wizards and orcs in complex battle scenes.
"I have been in theatre for 25 years and I know the power of theatre in telling epic stories," said co-producer Kevin Wallace, a former collaborator of successful stage composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.
"I believe that we will be able to make a version of The Lord of the Rings that will be a brilliant piece," he told the newspaper.
The show, to open next year, would last a mammoth three and a half hours, Wallace said.
"If Shakespeare can put all England on stage in Henry IV, I am confident that we can put on the whole of Middle Earth and tell the story of the entire trilogy over that time," he said.
The three books in the Lord of the Rings series, chronicling the struggle between good and evil in Middle Earth, were written by
British author JRR Tolkien from 1954-55 and have proved enduringly popular ever since.
Nope. April 1st isn't for another 18 days. Nice try though.
-S
--- What parts of "shall make no law", "shall not be infringed", and "shall not be violated" don't you understand?
i'm calling it already - they are going to ruin this. Wow, i am really amazed that something like this is allowed. i'm not trolling, but damn who's responsible for this?
"The Ballad of Shelob."
I'll pass, thank you.
How long before people start having a backlash against LOTRs?
4000 recent awards, the actors are plastered on every talk show, multiple console games, 3 recent highly pushed movies --shouldn't they just take a breather?
Wouldn't waiting a few years and then bringing the story back in a different format be refreshing for the story?
Davak
Dear lord, this has to be a prank.
Please let it be a prank.
Please please let it be a prank.
Some people will apparently have rather strong feelings about this, I suppose.
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
break into song ala South Park... "Being a ring-bearer is totally gayyyyyyyyy..."
My vote for: Sarah Brightman as Arwen Nathan Lane as Sam Deborah Gibson as Galadriel Micheal Crawford as Gandalf Choosing Frodo would be difficult Are the actors going to have be on their kness the whole performance?
Yell & scream & rant & rave... it's no use... you need a shaaaave ~ Bugs Bunny
(Courtesy of Daily Telegraph)
I met him down in Mordor, he gave me the eye -
Da do Sauron-ron, da do Sauron,
And then he nearly slayed me, what a wicked guy!
Da do Sauron-ron, da do Sauron.
-CH
Now I'm no musical afficionado, having only been to one London musical - We Will Rock You - but there's a certain magic (no pun intended) I experienced that can not be acheived through film (that's not to say films are inferior, it's more of an apples and oranges comparison). With a big budget like that, I'm sure the stage props, effects and costumes will be fantastic and will portray the LOTR trilogy through yet another medium. Sure, the purists might complain that Bombadil's left foot was uncharacteristically two inches too far to the right, but for the fans that actually see natural light, then they'll be in for a treat.
What's next, a ten part HBO miniseries?
Mother, do you think they'll like this sig?
The moral and spiritual message of the books has been totally lost, corrupted in the very things it warns against. Maybe this world is too far gone to understand anymore. Moral message or action sequence? People want action sequence. Such as it is.
This should be interesting, but the article doesn't say anything about special effects. A lot of LOTR involves character, dialogue, fighting, etc and those can be fairly well adapted to a theatre, but there's also a lot of magic, which has to be a lot harder to represent.
Frodo puts on the ring several times, some in some very awkward places to vanish from - the table-top in the Bree inn, for example. This is what brings Frodo and Strider together, so I can't imagine them leaving it out, but it's gotta be awkward to do in a live performance.
Does anyone here have any idea how they can do these things on stage?
Adapting LotR to anything is a bold undertaking. Peter Jackson took the enormous risk to turn it into a movie trilogy, and succeeded, IMO, in the sense that apparently most avoid Tolkien fans seem to approve of his work, even though there are concerns about "streamlining" or "cutting corners" here and there. And I think Jackson deserves an enormous amount of credit for this.
Now, 10 hours of movies are yet quite different from 3 hours of musical. To bring this to the stage in a successful manner, a lot of streamlining and cutting will have to be done, with a tremendous risk of falling short of the original. I will admit that I was sceptical about the movies, and Jackson proved me wrong. I am even more sceptical here.
There are times where it's wise not to tempt fate, and pass on some challenges, instead of taking your shot at it and fail. Come up with your own original story and knockyourself out, no problem. But taint the work of Tolkien with a failed attempt of an adaptation, and people will remember you for a long time...
I'm not saying it's going to suck, but what's going to happen when people start comparing the play to the movies' grandiose battle-scenes?
didn't the film come out? Won't the musical tell the same story?
Jonathanjk.com
I think I speak for everyone here when I say "That's the worst idea I've ever heard, and I don't want to play."
Hobbit's scampering about on the stage in a chorus line?
The deadly dance of the orcs?
Sam's love ballad to Frodo?
I can just envision Gandalf dancing, tossing away his hat and staff for a top hat and cane.
There are so many reasons this needs to NOT happen.
Maybe we should start a slashdot "Write your Own Song" contest for the new movie.
"My name is Smeagol
Got eyes like an eagle
Like to eat fish
but I don't like beagles"
I don't know. Maybe you can do better.
"A lion, is eating, my foot off, somebody call a cop". Oops, that's Mel Brooks.
I've got a theory, that it's a Nazgul, A dancing Nazgul. No, something isn't right there.
(Frodo)
I've got a theory, that Bilbo is dreamin' And we're all stuck inside his wacky Broadway nightmare.
(Aragorn)
I've got a theory we should work this out.
(The Fellowship except Gandalf)
It's getting eerie, what's this cheery singing all about?
(Gimli)
It could be Elves, some evil Elves. Which is ridiculous 'cause Elves they were persecuted wicked good and loved Middle Earth and fairie power and I'll be over here.
(Merry)
I've got a theory, it could be lunchtime...
[crickets chirping]
Dude, where's my packet?
How is this any more "Interesting" than the first comment on this story?
Oh, because THIS comment's author isn't anonymous - oh yes, I can see now how a non-AC posted comment is automatically more Interesting.
Don't be surprised at the price tag. Most of it will go towards the cast. It is not going to be easy to find Hobbits, Elves, Wizards and Dwarves these day.
Indefinitely Detained US Citizen
Howard Shore is apparently touring the US with a 6-movement symphony version of his soundtrack.
One station will be Atlanta, where he will conduct the ASO (Hi Larry...).
through the eyes of the thousand audience.
And the evil in the air fogging the dark ceiling.
Here in Mordor... the King will lead from the right of the stage, the "Paths of the Dead", and sweep the thousands Sauron army on the floor to dust.
Hey, that's my password you are typing
Try using short-statured (as in, medical condition, about 3=4 feet tall) as they SHOULD have for the movie! That was my one gripe. Yes, I'm short-statured myself, how could you tell?
how are they going to dance and sing for 9 hours, and who is going to sit through a play that long???
The best part will be when they are pretending to ride horses everywhere, should make any serious scene look totally absurd.
I Am My Own Worst Enemy
I think I speak for everyone here when I say "That's the worst idea I've ever heard, and I don't want to play."
i hear you and agree. i mean, it was a large enough leap to turn such glorious stories loose with Peter Jackson (i'm not bashing him, hear me out) to make a movie. When i first heard about the movies being made, i was, honestly, afraid. Afraid of how bad they might fuck those wonderful stories up, ruining all the images i'd created of those worlds in my head.
All in all, i must say Peter Jackson did a great job, but this? Wow, i've got the same feelings again, but much, MUCH more so. i 've never liked this type of reproduction at all, but i just don't see LOTR working this way.
i'm afraid they are going to ruin it...and horribly so.
...will it be cheaper than the dvd box set?
Almost a year ago? Gandalf, it not only turns people invisible, but we can also go back in time!
LOTR contains enough poems and songs that if performed would satisfy the requirements of a musical. Is this what is being done, or is the actual story material being adapted into songs?
3.5h? Don't kid. The movies already suffered from six books (The Hobbit plus the five-books, usually three-volumes The Lord of The Rings) being too condensed.
Leandro Guimarães Faria Corcete DUTRA
DA, DBA, SysAdmin, Data Modeller
GNU Project, Debian GNU/Lin
...when the Fellowship sings "The Hills are Alive..." on the slopes of Carhadras?
Got mead?
After all, Legolas's antics were not far off....
/. Where the truth
Hmm, the only way I'm going to be able to go is if returns are *heavily* are discounted...
Plays violent online games as: Nerfherder76
Nice for a few chuckles.
they do it every year at the Bayreuth festival, don't they.
Oh wait - that's Wagner's Ring cycle.
Skot Nelson music is my saviour / i was maimed by rock and roll
Mr. frodo Mr. frodo
*everyone*: MR. FRODO MR. FRODO
Gollum: Can you get the ring?
Sauron: you know, that little thing?
Frodo: Im not sure, but i know I can sing!
*everyone*: MR. FRODO MR. FRODO
and so on..
Note to self: get smarter troll to guard door.
If it doesn't have Leonard Nimoy singing the ballad of Bilbo Baggins, it will fail for sure.
dupe, dupe, dupe, dupe ....
ITTM "most expensive bomb." HTH. Seriously, a single stage show for the whole trilogy will likely end up satisfying nobody. Jackson did ~3x that and still left out a number of things (Bombadil, Battle of the Shire, Frodo battles Godzilla, etc.). Maybe I just lack vision, but I don't see how one could compress the story by that much and not end up with plot holes through which one could drive a truck. Theoretically one could almost eliminate Rohan and the Ents,* as well as have all the battles offstage, but there would come a point (quickly, IMO) when the very things that make the epic compelling would start to be gutted. *For what it's worth, I like Rohan, Isengard, and the Ents. I think they're a big part of the story. I'm just saying that one could probably put together a coherent movie without them. It'd probably suck, but one could.
Stop learning! Only you can prevent esoterrorism.
The whole singing thing really wouldn't be my kind of thing to enjoy. But the orchestra I would definitely buy a ticket for.
You can actually find it out on a CD here and some Ogg and MP3 files in a another directory here
what's next? turning it into a book?
I think Mel Gibson ought to direct a musical of "The Silmarillion" done entirely in Elvish. Estimated running time: 13 hours!
That ought to cure the general public of their love for Tolkien's material in a big hurry!
"I hate every ape I see From Chimpan-A to Chimpan-Z"
No. Please no. This is a mockery. Don't let it happen. I'm thoroughly DISGUSTED.
The Richard Wagner version of the same thing runs considerably longer. (It's a group of operas collectively known as "The Ring Cycle". It literally takes days. I'm sure that it is the original inspiration for Vogon poetry.)
...Jackson is doing King Kong instead of "The Hobbit" or whatnot (apart from some legal issue as well)? You can't really go "wrong" with it, the story is known, people don't expect a deep story into the magic Middle Earth, and there's no need to change the plot that much, as it's already a movie and not a huge book.
It's basicly a breather - because no matter how it turns out, everybody will be concerned with what he has done and will be doing "Welcome to this press conference about King Kong" "When will we see 'The Hobbit' in cinemas??" "Um, this is about King Kong..." "Who cares, now tell us what do you plan to do next?"
Kjella
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
in response to questions, I wrote these lyrics myself and they are copyrighted in their entirety to me. Except for the bits by Joss Whedon and JRR Tolkien.
Dude, where's my packet?
Oh my God, I was wrong It was Earth all along
You've finally made a monkey
Apes: Yes, we've finally made a monkey
Troy: Yes, you've finally made a monkey out of me
Apes: Yes, we've finally made a monkey out of you
Troy: I love you, Dr. Zaius!
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
to be recited by a middle earthsman with a British accent
There once was a hobbit named Smeegle
This Hobbit sure turned rather evil
He beheld that darned ring
Yes, that horrid thing
That made desparate humans to wheedle
We must destroy that curse
Nothing could be worse
Than a crazy wizzard
With eyes like a lizzard
For evil, he has a thirst
I'll take my axe and you your bow,
And on this mission we'll go
We'll cross distant lands
And lend one another a hand
So let's get on with the show!
I hear Time Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber are doing the music. A snippet of the script has already leaked to the net:
Setting: Stern of ship as it sails West into the sunset.
Scene MCLXXXVIII
(Frodo stands on stool so he can be seen over stern of ship.)
FRODO SINGS:
Mem'ry
All alone in the Shire
I can smile at the old days
Life was beautiful then
I remember
The time I knew what happiness was
Let the mem'ry live again
(Gandalf, stage left)
GANDALF SINGS:
Don't cry for me, Middle Earth
The truth is I never left you
All through my wild days
My mad existence
I kept my promise
Don't keep your distance
(Chorus of elves, dwarves and men start dancing a-la Can-Can, stage right.)
CHORUS SINGS:
Frodo Baggins, Superstar
How tall are you, what have you sacrificed?
Frodo Baggins, Superstar
Do you think you're gay as they say you are?
(Adapted from the opening of The Producers, with apologies to Mel Brooks.)
... that ... soon we'll be going ... ... ... WAR!
Middle-Earth was having trouble, what a sad sad story
Needed a new leader to restore its former glory
Where oh where was he
Where could that lord be?
We looked around, and then we found
The Maia for you and me
So, now its Springtime for Sauron, and Middle-Earth
Mordor is happy and gay,
We're marching to a faster pace
Look out here comes the Orcish race
Springtime for Sauron, and Middle-Earth
Winter for Gondor and Rohan
Springtime for Sauron, and Middle-Earth
Come up Ringwraiths, go into your dance.
Nazgul Lord: I did get a magic ring, and that is why I'm the Witch-King.
Nazgul: Don't be stupid, be a braino, don't throw the ring in the volcano.
Springtime for Sauron, and Middle-Earth
(Clash of iron on iron)
Goose-step's the new step today
(Oliphant bellows)
Fell Beasts in the skies again,
(Fell Beast cries shrilly)
Mordor is on the rise again
Springtime for Sauron, and Middle-Earth
Corsairs are sailing once more
Springtime for Sauron, and Middle-Earth
Means
We've got to be going
You know we'll be going to
Bwaaaaahahahahahahahahaaaaaaahahahaaaaaaaaaaahahah a!'
Thank you.
Gregory Casamento
## Chief Maintainer for GNUstep
Mod me down, i don't care, but is there no end to the cheezy stories that are being posted as "news"? These days, over half of the main stories are absurd and it's just spamming up
G-Force music visualization
Rankin-Bass did "The Hobbit" and "Return of the King". Remember the toe-tappers "Where there's a whip, there's a way" and "Frodo of the Nine Fingers"? And that Godawful warbling singer?
I actually think it could be decent if it's done right. Professional stage people know how to grab the audience. I've been to several Broadway shows that I just knew would be crap, and 30 minutes in, I was swinging my feet and humming along just like everybody else. Musicals have a different vocabulary than film, and they just might pull it off.
Title: Now you see me, now you don't!
Synopsis: Frodo gets into mischief whilst playing with the mysterious ring left to him by Bilbo, embarrassing Sam in front of Rosy and placing the blame on Pippin! Hilarity and laughs ensue!
Sets: Bag End, The Green Dragon
*Sarumon* (Sung to the tune of *Spiderman*)
Sarumon, Sarumon.
Does whatever Lord Sauron can.
Casts a spell, any size.
Breeding orcs, just like flies.
Hey there, there goes Lord Sarumon.
Is he strong? Listen, Dork,
He's got armies of super orcs.
Can he change Isengard?
All night long, plotting hard.
Look out! There goes Lord Sarumon.
[more later]
*Rohan* (Sung to the tune of *Roxanne*)
[Lyrics open with Worntongue]
Rohan
You don't have to have to put up a good fight.
Rohan
You don't have to sell out your horsely might.
Rohan
You don't have to have to put up a good fight.
Rohan
You don't have to mourn King Theoden's fading light.
[Gandalf and friends, after freeing Theoden]
Rohan! (Put up the good fight)
Rohan! (Put up the good fight)
Rohan! (Put up the good fight)
[Umm, more later] Solomon Kevin Chang
"Twice half-assed makes an ass whole." --Solomon K. Chang
no, not Bangalore. But a place called Chennai (formerly Madras). One of India's foremost composers is doing the music
I briefly thought of doing a hobbit-flavored version of "Bye-Bye Birdie" in college. I had visions of Gollum dressed up in gold lamae, doing his Conrad Birdie boogey. He could be surrounded by swooning goblin hotties:
"One last Feeesh
Oh Precious, One last feeeesh
Riddle me! Suffer!"
Yup. I suppose that sitting through such a performance would be preferable to having your eyes put out by flaming weasels coated in barbed wire and hot sauce. But only barely.
That Iraq invasion has done wonders for our recruiting efforts.
100% fact
The problem is that, for the most part, really epic stories are simply not endemic to the musical theatre art form. How many have there been? And, of those, how many have truly been successful? Even theatre epics, like Show Boat or Les Miserables are still pretty small in scope when compared to something The Lord of the Rings because they focus pretty pointedly on people, whereas LOTR is about big events, big stakes, and even larger plot points.
Shrinking the story down to where it would it would on the musical stage, and still leave room for the things every play needs (exposition, characterization, and, probably most importantly, songs) would be almost impossible under the best circumstances, and most of the people involved simply aren't of the proven calibre necessary to pull all this off. Sure, A.R. Rahman had some kind of a success with Bombay Dreams, but what in Matthew Warchus's resume suggests he's even remotely qualified to handle something on this scale? He's talented, yes, but not with material of this size. His solution to staging one of Broadway's most traditionally opulent musicals--Follies--on Broadway in 2001 was to strip away everything that made it so oversized and, in its original production, so thrilling. If you do that with The Lord of the Rings, what's left?
So, while I wish them the best of luck, they're really facing a difficult struggle, and I'm not sure they will be able to pull it off. Under most circumstances, I would suggest that they rework the idea as an opera, or perhaps a series of operas, but of course, Richard Wagner already did that with Der Ring des Nibeluengen, and the less comparison The Lord of the Rings has with that, the better, I think. It will be unavoidable in any case, but critics (and audiences) will have their knives sharpened going into this, and it will have to be even that much better to win them over. I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy the challenges facing the creators of this musical.
--Matthew
"If the lights of Broadway blind me, I won't mind..."
There is an official website: www.thelordoftheringsmusical.com
That info aside, I know some of the people working on this and they are truly passionate fans of the book. I know nothing about the musical itself, but I'm more than willing to remain open-minded about it's quality until I learn more.
ObDisclosure: I work on Tolkien licensed products.
a running time of nearly 3 and 1/2 hours.
Only 3 1/2 hours?
They're going to cut Tom Bombadil again!
May we never see th
Too bad LOTR doesn't have any trolls. They could find plenty of them at .\
Indefinitely Detained US Citizen
one two three kick turn
turn turn kick turn
(as presented by Roger De Bris)
A lot of people seem to think this is a bad idea but what if they use the songs from the books rather then humorous ones like people have posted above?
Holy crap. And I thought it was expensive to see Phantom at $100.00 a ticket. Of course, that was in Toronto, so the prices might be cheaper here.
What might be the price for a partially obstructed seat I wonder?
- ------- There are ten kinds of people in the world. Those who understand binary, and those who... Huh?
2003-10-29 07:22:05 Lord of the Rings live musical from Bollywood (articles,lotr) (rejected)
Ape: Help, the human's about to escape.
Troy: Get your paws off me, you dirty ape.
Ape: [gasping] He can talk!
Apes: [in unison, rythmed] He can talk
He can talk
He can talk
He can talk
He can talk
He can talk
Troy: [singing] I can siiiiiing!
[funky beat of "Rock Me Amadeus" starts playing]
Female Nurse Ape: Ooh, help me Dr. Zaius!
Apes: [in unison] Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius
Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius
Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius
Oh... Dr. Zaius
Ape: Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius.
Troy: What's wrong with me?
Zaius: I think you're crazy.
Troy: Want a second opinion.
Zaius: You're also lazy.
Apes: [in unison] Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius
Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius
Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius
[one ape starts breakdancing]
Oh... Dr. Zaius
Ape: Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius.
Troy: Can I play the piano anymore?
Zaius: Of course you can.
Troy: Well I couldn't before!
[plays piano]
"You'll Never Make a Monkey Out of Me"
Troy: [singing] I hate every ape I see
From chimpan-a to chimpan-zee
No, you'll never make a monkey out of me
Oh my God, I was wrong
It was Earth all along
You've finally made a monkey
Apes: Yes, we've finally made a monkey
Troy: Yes, you've finally made a monkey out of me
Apes: Yes, we've finally made a monkey out of you
Troy: I love you, Dr. Zaius!
Sort of. At least in their animated "Return of the King" the orcs were singing "Where there's a Whip, there's a Way".
It's actually a catchy tune, for dreck.
144l. ph34r my 133t l3g4l 5k1lz!
I actually read about this a few months ago here. The music is going to be done by a Bollywood composer and a Finnish folk group, guaranteeing that the music will sound like it comes from another planet.
A pantomime cave troll. One guy standing on the other's shoulders, swinging a big club.
(Groan).
We're hobbits, we're hobbits in tights.
We roam around the forest running from fights.
We're hobbits, we're hobbits in tights.
We protect the ring from Sauron's lore, that's right!
We may look like sissies, but watch what you say or else Gandalf'll put out your lights!
We're hobbits, we're hobbits in tights,
Always on guard defending the ring, that's right.
[Dance number, chorus line style]
We're hobbits, MANLY hobbits, we're hobbits in tights. Yeah!
We roam around the forest running from fights.
We're hobbits, we're hobbits in tights.
We protect the ring from Sauron's lore, that's right!
We may look like pansies, but don't get us wrong or else we'll put out your lights.
We're hobbits, we're hobbits in tights (TIGHT tights),
Always on guard defending the ring, that's right.
When you're in a fix just call for the hobbits in tights!
And they have pointy hobbit ears!
And look at the clothes flying in the air behind Leonard Nimoy; it looks like they're stripping off, too.
Why, it's obvious they are man-starved bisexual hobbit girls, and nancy-boy Nimoy is giving them no satisfaction...
All in all, the stuff of a very perverted fantasy. Too bad Leonard Nimoy ruins it for me, although I am sure there are those for whom he makes it even better....
-ccm
Too much Law; not enough Order.
At least if it's going to be like Le Miz.
These kind of mega-musicals are pretty much soulless, special effects driven money making machines. Le Miserables the book is passionate, insightful, and spiritual. Le Miz the musical is a sentimental melodrama. I'd hate to see LotR get the same treatment.
LotR has a lot in common with Victor Hugo's book. On the surface it can be taken as an adventure tale, but there's much more to it. I've probably read the LotR trilogy once a year for the last thirty years. As a teenager, I read the books as a sword and sorcery swashbuckler. But over the years other things brought me back to the book over and over again.
These books have something that can sustain a person through his day to day life: they are fundamentally not about magic, but about hope. Hope is a quality that Tolkien, as a devout and learned RC, would count with faith and love as one of the three supreme spiritual gifts. This kind of hope is not simple optimism, but the ability to do what you think is right even if your outlook is not optimistic.
I think that there is perhaps just one point in the entire movie trilogy that truly captures the spirit of the books. That is when the Rohirrim have just expended their force on a deadly cavalry charge, and turn in dismay to see the apparently unstoppable mumakil bearing down on them. They simply reform the lines and do it again, even though it's clearly "hopeless" to do so. I almost leapt up and cheered, not just because it was a rousing piece of filmmaking, but because my first thought was "Tolkien would be thrilled to see this."
The thirteen year old me would be delighted to see LotR on stage with all kinds of showy stagecraft. The forty three year old me is not so delighted.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Everyone's joking and everything, but have you read the books? They're singing half of the time anyways!
Lookie lookie here.
Of course, the musical producers will cut out all the original songs and the whole thing will be 3.5 hours of bad music and worse dwarf-tossing jokes.
Free as in mason.
...way back in May '03.
Gollum's Song (sung to Sound of Silence)
My lovely Precious was the ring
Which I loved like anything
'Til a thief cam by to rob it
Was a filthy stinking hobbit
For many years,
I've crawled through filth and grime
Marking time
'Til I gets back, my Precious
This is the begining of the end by 2006 we will see musicals the likes of:
-2001 a space odesey (hey why not hal already sings "daisy" in the movie)
-Trainspotting 2 the musical: we gave up drugs to sing about them instead
and finally *gasp*
-Terminator the movie ("I'll be back... to dance the night away)
I am saturated, lotr wise, to the brim - the ubiquitous media coverage has gotten me to the point that I cringe every time someone mentions the Lord of The Rings. I used to read the books every now and then and every time I opened the book I imagined the characters a bit differently. As I write this I realize the fact that I didn't remember minute details worked it's magic on me - I loved to get to a random page and discover little details I haven't noticed before or have blissfully forgotten.
As for the making of the musical - I am certain they'll burst their coffers without the need of me actually seeing it. I just want to start forgetting... for now.
...with plans for sequels entitled "Die Walkure," "Siegfried," and "Gotterdammerung."
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
I feel the same way about this. Certainly it has every chance of being a dismal, laughable production, but the original source material has survived worse lambasting already at the hands of the Harvard Lampoon and a thousand poor imitators writing ten-book doorstop epics in homage to Tolkien. The original LOTR material is going to be just fine.
:)
Ahem. Last time I checked, Robert Jordan was up to thirteen, not ten, doorstops in his Wheel of time series.
I really wonder what J.R.R. Tolkien would say about this? And I don't care what his son thinks, that bastard is probably making boatloads of money off all of this... "thanks dad for writing one of the best epic trilogies ever and securing my future... now if I could just get a date with Liv Tyler"
:)
An the entire play will be conducted in the Elvish tongue... make sure you brush up on your Elvish
Ape: Help, the human's about to escape.
Troy: Get your paws off me, you dirty ape.
Apes: [gasping] He can talk!
Apes: [in unison, rythmed]
He can talk
He can talk
He can talk
He can talk
He can talk
He can talk
Troy: [singing] I can siiiiiing!
will all be chanting "sing, sing or show us your ring"
What are you listening to? (http://megamanic.blogetery.com/)
There's a lot of singing in the book... if they stick to "period" style music and Tolkein-esquue lyrics (instead of any 'Rent' style modern crap), they should be OK. Or maybe they could do it as an opera... Wagner-esque... sort of 'Lord of the Ring Cycle.' I just hope they don't go whole-hog on the spectacle and settle for a weak script and music. Even the movie script was iffy at times... it's no easy adaptation into any medium.
I saw a blacklight life-size puppet production of LOTR once when I was a kid... it was pretty slick... the set looked like a chessboard and all of the characters would pop up out of the floor and move around. Lots of pyro and crazy light effects...
Nope, Rober Jordan is at 10 (plus the prequel novel: New Spring.)
1) The Eye of the World
2) The Great Hunt
3) The Dragon Reborn
4) The Shadow Rising
5) The Fires of Heaven
6) Lord of Chaos
7) A Crown of Swords
8) The Path of Daggers
9) Winter's Heart
10) Crossroads of Twilight
I initially thought all the singing was some sort of Wizard Of Oz influence (the books were written from the late thirties to the mid fifties) but The Hobbit was written before Wizard Of Oz's 1939 release and its full of songs too.
The Peter Jackson movies don't totally ignore all the singing : Gandalf sings when he arrives in the shire in his cart (not in the book) and Bilbo sings when he leaves the shire (cut from a ten line stanza in the book to just two lines in the movie). I think when Sarraman does his avalanche thing that that was some sort of song.
I knew Peter Jackson was heavy... but... WOW.
It's called "The ring cycle" by Wagner. It's 16 hours long in total (4 operas, 4 hours long each).
I loved LOTR, but this is just fricken stupid.
Although, I must say that, despite the ridiculousness of its execution by director Terry Hands, who staged the entire thing as a Greek tragedy, there was some excellent music in it. "And Eve Was Weak" and "Evening Prayers" were ravishingly dramatic, "I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance" was heartbreaking, and "When There's No One" was very dramatically stirring, cutting right to the heart of what Margaret must be experiencing when she and her beliefs are rejected by her daughter. But for each of those brilliant, almost-operatic numbers, there were songs that were as ridiculous as those were profound: The Bye Bye Birdie-esque "Don't Waste the Moon," the leather bar "Do Me a Favor," and the nadir of them all, "Out for Blood," which found Chris's boyfriend and his cohorts dancing around a pig trough (a trap set in the stage) and smearing blood all over their chests.
But, yes, I think The Lord of the Rings has the capacity to surpass that in sheer "flop"itude, though, if it succeeds, it will probably be absolutely spectacular. As I said in my original post on this subject, I think it's one or the other, with almost no middle ground.
By the way, we must move in very different circles... A lot of the people I know look forward to talking about Carrie and its music, whether or not they actually saw it. It, like Moose Murders, has attained an almost mythical status among most serious New York theatregoers. So, if it's not appropriate to mention it in polite company where you live, come to New York, where you'll likely be welcomed with open arms!
--Matthew
"If the lights of Broadway blind me, I won't mind..."
I saw "The Hobbit" stage play in London in December, 2000. It was the worst professionally-produced play I have ever seen.
It wasn't really a musical, though there were a couple of songs in it. The play basically consisted of the actors chasing the scenery around the stage and wrestling with elaborate costumes while shouting their lines.
Your fantasies contain the seeds of important concepts.
The ring cycle is four operas nearly fours long each.
The cinemas were packed with geeks (in the interest of disclosure I myself am a geek), nerds, and a few generally fun seeking teens and 20-somethings, now look at the ticket lines on Broadway in NYC, I can't imagine the theater-going types glomming onto LOTR, and access, I don't know how prevalent theaters are in England, but in the USA, geeks are loyal, but i doubt a mass pilgrimage of the LOTR crowd to NY, while i would love to see this Succeed, but i doubt it.
Your -1 Flamebait modded:
UNFAIR! I see no flames, and based on your posting history I don't get the impression you intended to pick a fight..
Alito: A vote for Alito is a punch in the eye to put that bitch back in her place!