The Lord of the Rings (musical)
The Lord of the Rings Musical has been the largest, and most expensive, effort to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings into a musical. It was first shown in Toronto but to mixed reviews. It closed early and re-opened in London with a new script although reviews were still far from perfect.
Productions
Toronto
The Toronto musical was three-and-a-half hours long, had 65 actors, and was located at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Canada. The show cost approximately $26.9 million and ran from March 23rd (press opening), 2006 to September 3rd, 2006, closing at a loss.
Cast
Gandalf - Brent Carver
Gollum - Michael Therriault
Galadriel - Rebecca Jackson Mendoza
London
After the musical moved to London, the stage was rebuilt, the script rewritten, and shortened to three hours. Previews began at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on May 9th, 2007 and the premiere was on June 19th, 2007. The musical had the same creative team but had minor changes in the cast, with only 50 actors in this version. The reported total cost was approximately $49 million, making it one of the most expensive musicals outside of Las Vegas.
Cast
Gandalf - Malcolm Storry
Frodo - James Loye
Gollum - Michael Therriault
Aragorn - Jérôme Pradon
Galadriel - Laura Michelle Kelly
Sam - Peter Howe
Merry - Richard Henders
Pippin - Owen Sharpe
Legolas - Michael Rouse
Gimli - Sévan Stephan
Boromir - Steven Miller
Arwen - Rosalie Craig
Saruman - Brian Protheroe
Elrond - Andrew Jarvis
Bilbo Baggins - Terence Frisch
Newbury
In 2023 the musical was revived at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury, West Berkshire. It ran for 12 weeks, from Tuesday 25th July until Sunday 15th October 2023. Due to the small size of the theatre (seating just 220 people) the production was set across both the Watermill auditorium and its gardens "immersing audiences in the magical landscape of Tolkien featuring an ensemble cast and large-scale puppets".
The production received favourable reviews, with particular praise for the casts performances.
Cast
Frodo - Louis Maskell
Sam - Nuwan Hugh Perera
Galadriel - Georgia Louise
Gollum - Matthew Bugg
Gandalf - Peter Marinker
Chicago
In 2024, the Watermill production was announced to be making it's US premiere at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, running from 19 July to 1 September. It was also confirmed that the production will go on an international tour, with further dates and venues to be announced in June.
Musical numbers
Act I
"Springle Ring" – Company
"Prologue" ('Lasto i lamath') – Arwen
"The Road Goes On" – Frodo, Sam, Pippin, Merry and Company
"Saruman" – Female Voices
"The Cat and the Moon" – Frodo, Sam, Pippin, Merry and Company
"Flight to the Ford" – Glorfindel and Female Voices
"The Song of Hope" – Arwen
"Star of Eärendil" – Arwen and Company
"Lament for Moria" – Gandalf and Gimli
Act II
"The Golden Wood" – Company
"Lothlórien" – Legolas, Galadriel and Company
"Lothlórien" (Reprise) – Galadriel and Company
"The Siege of the City of Kings" – Female Voices
"Now and for Always" – Frodo and Sam
"Gollum/Sméagol" – Gollum/Sméagol
Act III
"The Song of Hope" (Duet) – Aragorn and Arwen
"Wonder" – Galadriel
"The Final Battle" – Galadriel
"City of Kings" – Company
"Epilogue (Farewells)"
"Finale" – Company
Referencias
1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 30/05/2026.
