Lord of the Rings - Stage Production
Well I saw this show on Saturday (1:00 show). I had been looking forward to it for a while. The stage looks amazing. Actually, visually the show is incredible. The battle of Gandalf and the Balrog looks stunning and is a great way to close the first act.
The actors who play Gollum and Galadriel are phenoms. The both embody their characters and make you almost forget Andy Serkis and Cate Blanchet.
The Ents and the Orcs look great.
So that's where the compliments end.
The actor who plays Gandalf is terrible. He is far to "broadway" and makes Gandalf seem like a wimp. The line "You shall not pass" was delivered like he was talking to school children at a crosswalk.
The other actors are passable, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir are just background in this production.
The battle of Helms Deep was skipped due to tech problems. Although it did provide the biggest laugh of the show. They tried to so this scene twice. Each time they paused and a voice over the loud speaker said, "We apologize for the technical difficulties, please stay in your seats." After 5 minutes after the second delay, the voice says (and I quote), "Why don't I just tell you what happens." And then he does. Funny stuff. Apparanetly this has happenned quite a lot.
The overall story telling was really rushed. I understand there is a lot to cover and a four hour production can't get it all. I expected that. What I did not expect was how poorly they transitioned scenes. If you had not read the books or seen the movies you would be very confused.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!
The end has Saruman in the Shire. This was so rushed and tacked on it seemed forced and irrelevant. I was happy to see this since it was in the book, but it came off as plain dumb and anti-climatic.
I think if you are planning on seeing this, wait a few months to get the kinks out. I think eventually this will be something really good. Right now it only looks good.
The actors who play Gollum and Galadriel are phenoms. The both embody their characters and make you almost forget Andy Serkis and Cate Blanchet.
The Ents and the Orcs look great.
So that's where the compliments end.
The actor who plays Gandalf is terrible. He is far to "broadway" and makes Gandalf seem like a wimp. The line "You shall not pass" was delivered like he was talking to school children at a crosswalk.
The other actors are passable, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir are just background in this production.
The battle of Helms Deep was skipped due to tech problems. Although it did provide the biggest laugh of the show. They tried to so this scene twice. Each time they paused and a voice over the loud speaker said, "We apologize for the technical difficulties, please stay in your seats." After 5 minutes after the second delay, the voice says (and I quote), "Why don't I just tell you what happens." And then he does. Funny stuff. Apparanetly this has happenned quite a lot.
The overall story telling was really rushed. I understand there is a lot to cover and a four hour production can't get it all. I expected that. What I did not expect was how poorly they transitioned scenes. If you had not read the books or seen the movies you would be very confused.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!
The end has Saruman in the Shire. This was so rushed and tacked on it seemed forced and irrelevant. I was happy to see this since it was in the book, but it came off as plain dumb and anti-climatic.
I think if you are planning on seeing this, wait a few months to get the kinks out. I think eventually this will be something really good. Right now it only looks good.
Comments
I was impressed with a lot of the very difficult visual affects ie. Dragon, spider, return of the dead and the trees. The costumes were great as was the set. It was a four hour long show that seemed to rush through the story. The character building was fairly weak if not non-existent.
My tickets were balcony center and cost $110 each....
stp
Cameron