The Lord of the Rings review: an enchanting musical at Watermill Theatre
Playful and energetic, this Tolkien tale contains moments of real wonder
When it came to the West End in 2007, “The Lord of the Rings” was a “notorious flop”, said Dominic Cavendish in The Daily Telegraph. A spectacular mega-musical, incorporating folk, Bollywood influences and pop, it had cost a record-breaking £12.5m to stage, at the 2,000- seat Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and closed after 13 months. So this “enchantingly intimate”, scaled-down staging at the lovely Watermill Theatre, outside Newbury, is a form of redemption for the show.
Directed by Paul Hart, it draws in its audience with magnificent “clarity and verve”, said Judi Herman on What’s On Stage. Breathtaking set and costume design; shrewd lighting; thrilling sound, projection and choreography; inventive puppetry and fight direction – all these elements have been blended “seamlessly and with wondrous imagination to tell the sweeping tale in little more than three hours”.
Controversially, this delightful theatre lost its entire Arts Council funding last year, said Clive Davis in The Times. Here, it “weaves magic on a budget that might not even cover a month’s sandwiches on a Peter Jackson film set”. Hart makes impressive use of the Watermill’s unique spaces, said Dave Fargnoli in The Stage. The performance begins outdoors on the venue’s riverside lawns, with “cheerful hobbits capering and singing as they gather for the long-awaited party at which a fateful secret will be revealed”. Later, the action “plays out among the atmospheric wooden beams and benches of the intimate auditorium”. The evening is not flawless: it is an “overstuffed” musical that remains clunky in places, and non-Tolkien aficionados might struggle. But it’s playful and energetic, and contains moments of real wonder.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The 20-strong cast, many of them actor-musicians, are superb, said Mark Lawson in The Guardian. In particular, with his extraordinary ability to contort both his torso and his vocal cords, Matthew Bugg as Gollum “makes a formidable case for the superiority of Equity members over CGI”. This “spectacle of compression, by aiming small, brings big rewards”.
The Watermill Theatre, Bagnor, Berkshire (01635-46044; watermill.org.uk). Until 15 October. Rating ****
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'New arrivals are more than paying for themselves'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
6 stylish homes in Portland, Oregon
Feature Featuring a wall of windows in Collins View and a historic ballroom in Portland Heights
By The Week US Published
-
What's next for US interest rates?
The Explainer Stubborn inflation forestalls anticipated rate cuts
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
6 stylish homes in Portland, Oregon
Feature Featuring a wall of windows in Collins View and a historic ballroom in Portland Heights
By The Week US Published
-
Tom Crewe's 6 favorite works that challenge societal norms
Feature The novelist recommends works by Margaret Oliphant, Patrick White, and more
By The Week US Published
-
On the trail of India’s wild lions at Sasan Gir National Park
The Week Recommends The sanctuary is a 'roaring' conservation success
By The Week UK Published
-
Recipe: almond marmalade cake
The Week Recommends This syrupy cake can be toasted for brunch
By The Week UK Published
-
Properties of the week: houses with enchanting gardens
The Week Recommends Featuring pretty homes in Hampshire, Devon and West Sussex
By The Week UK Published
-
Venice Biennale 2024: from the good to the bad to the downright 'bizarre'
The Week Recommends Central exhibition features the work of some 330 artists
By The Week UK Published
-
Sunset Song: gripping theatre that's 'close to magic'
The Week Recommends Morna Young's 'first-class adaptation' of Lewis Grassic Gibbon's classic novel
By The Week UK Published
-
Challengers: 'the most purely pleasurable film of the year so far'
The Week Recommends Zendaya plays a former tennis player turned coach in this 'almost ridiculously' sexy drama
By The Week UK Published