Lord of the Rings musical in London http://www.ndtvmusic.com/story.asp?id=ENTEN20070016272
People have read the book, seen the movie and now they watched the story unfold on the stage as Lord of the Rings made its debut on London's West End.
The Lord of the Rings musical is the most expensive production in West End history and the red carpet was laid out for the 12.5 million pound theatrical extravaganza.
The stage adaptation of JRR Tolkien's fantasy saga officially opened on Tuesday night with actors dressed as hobbits, elves and dwarfs, and pyrotechnics, special effects and a revolving stage aimed at recreating Middle Earth.
The $25 million show based on Tolkien's literary trilogy about a Hobbit named Frodo and his quest to rid Middle Earth of evil, has been trimmed and reworked since its Toronto premiere, which also earned mixed reviews.
Indian connection
There is an Indian connection to it also as the music for this was by our very own A R Rahman whose last work on West End was Bombay Dreams.
If one thinks that shifting from the Bollywood beats to a more haunting nordic feel was difficult well it is Rahman we're talking about.
As expected the stars streamed out for the red carpet after the spectacular theatrical extravaganza.
Mixed reviews
The musical opened to mixed reviews, with some critics praising it as brilliant and others calling it corny and "a thumping great flop."
The Toronto Star had renamed it "Bored Of The Rings," while Variety called it "a saga of short people burdened by power jewellery." But the London show won praise from some.
The Times called director Matthew Warchus' West End production a "wonder" and "a brave, stirring, epic piece of popular theater" complete with "charm, wit and jaw-dropping theatrical brio."
Actress Dame Judi Dench, who attended the premiere with other celebrities such as Andrew Lloyd Webber and Kevin Spacey, said: "For anyone who is a Tolkien fan, it is just a terrific treat. I have never seen the films, but I am a great fan of Tolkien's writing. It has wonderful choreography and the cast worked so hard."
But some critics did not like the three-hour musical by producer Kevin Wallace.
The Independent called it an "inadequate Tolkien adaptation," and said the storytelling is rushed.
Using the headline "Flawed of the Rings," The Sun said the show's melodies were "tune-free" and the lyrics were "swamped" by the massive band. (With AP inputs)