The Power of Friendship

Lord of the Rings—A Musical Tale

As this sprawling saga begins to unfold, the audience is warmly welcomed into the realm of Middle-earth by a joyous ensemble of characters. Theatergoers are invited to join the community of Hobbits gathered to celebrate the eleventy-first birthday of the Shire’s patriarch, Bilbo Baggins. Without further ado, Bilbo announces at his party that he’s about to leave the Shire on a journey of personal reflection. However, Bilbo has decided to bequeath to his favorite young nephew, Frodo Baggins, his house, all his possessions and, most especially, a mysterious golden ring. From the beginning, the audience, even those unfamiliar with the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, will sense that there’s something magical and ominous about the ring. As Frodo accepts the One Ring, his odyssey commences in which he will learn the enduring power of friendship and how love can conquer evil. 

Theatergoers who are adoring fans of Peter Jackson’s three multi-award-winning film versions of Tolkien’s works, or those who worship the four high fantasy novels, upon which the films are based, will know where this journey is about to take Frodo. The One Ring is passionately desired by everyone who comes under its spell. This includes the Dark Lord, Saruman, who would use its powers to rule the world. The Hobbit and his three friends, Merry, Pippin, and his bosom buddy Samwise, set off on an adventure that will take them to the far corners of Middle-earth. They’re tasked by the wise wizard, Gandalf, with destroying the evil, soul-sucking ring in the fires of Mordor’s Mount Doom. Along the way the foursome will become nine, as they’re joined by Gandalf, as well as the soldier Ranger Strider, the warrior called Boromir, a Dwarf named Gimli and the Elf known as Legolas. They will become The Fellowship of the Ring.

Through this monumental achievement in epic storytelling, the theatergoer will join the Fellowship on their journey to the Prancing Pony Pub, to the Elven kingdom of Rivendell, into the deserted Dwarf-mines of Moria, taking refuge in the mystical realm of Lothlorien, battling in the City of Kings and on to their destination at the Cracks of Doom. Along the way they will face fierce soldiers, the Orcs and Black Riders, the evil forces of Saruman, the monstrous Balrog, a gigantic spider named Shelob and a conniving creature called Gollum. Death, desertion, indecision and temptation will befall Frodo and his party, but their deep devotion as friends always wins over each obstacle.     

This play with music is Directed with reverence, skill and style by Paul Hart, the current Artistic Director of Berkshire, England’s Watermill Theatre, where this production was reworked. Originally performed in 2006 in Toronto, the overstuffed, three-and-a-half hour production ambitiously tried to duplicate all of the films on stage in one, long evening. The musical score was symphonic and resembled a movie soundtrack. The show went through several other incarnations, until it arrived last year at the Watermill Theatre. There Mr. Hart cut out some of the detritus, recommended that the score sound more like folk music and brought the show in at its current two hours and forty-five minutes. This magnificent US premiere is the first stop on an international tour. The book and lyrics are by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus, with music and orchestrations by A.R. Rahman, Varttina and Christopher Nightingale.

One of the more fascinating and appealing aspects of this extraordinary show is that there’s no pit orchestra. Every actor who makes up the gifted 24-member ensemble provides both the musical accompaniment as well as the underscoring interludes. All the actors play one or more instruments with a skill equal to their acting, singing, dancing and combat ability. Listening the musical score, theatergoers will hear keyboard, harp, accordion, French horn, trombone, bass, cello, flute, violin, viola and percussion of all kinds. It’s truly an awesome accomplishment, reminding savvy audiences of John Doyle’s Tony Award-winning Sondheim productions and Enda Walsh’s musical, ONCE, both of which feature the actors providing their own instrumental accompaniment.  

Leading this multitalented cast is Spencer Davis Milford, clad in a maroon vest, as Frodo Baggins. This likable young actor is joined by Michael Kurowski as Frodo’s devoted companion, Samwise. The two actors have great chemistry together and absolutely embody Tolkien’s theme of the power of friendship. They’re joined by Eileen Doan, as Merry, and Ben Mathew, as Pippin. Sharing his wisdom and offering guidance, Tom Amandes is excellent as the White Wizard, Gandalf; and Rick Hall does a superb job in the dual roles of Bilbo Baggins and the Steward of Gondor.

Members of Frodo’s Ring Fellowship include Justin Albinder, as the archer Elf, Legolas; the sincere and powerful Will James, Jr. as Strider/Aragorn; Ian Maryfield, a determined and supportive Dwarf, Gimli; and multi-gifted Matthew C. Yee, as an arrogant  Boromir. The cast is rounded out by Tony Bozzuto as an enchanting bi-polar wretched soul named Gollum/Smeagol; Jeff Parker, doing triple duty as a Hobbit, the evil Saruman and as the Elven ruler, Elrond. The lovely and alluring Elven princess, Arwen, is portrayed by Alina Taber; and Galadriel, the great and powerful golden Elf Queen, is played with breathtaking brilliance by Lauren Zakrin. The Ent, Treebeard, heard but only seen in shadow, is voiced by actor John Lithgow; and Sam’s true love, the Hobbit Rosie Cotton, is played with spunk by Suzanne Hannau. The talented, multitasking ensemble is comprised of Joey Faggion, Mia Hilt, James Mueller, Jarais Musgrove, Hannah Novak, Adam Qutaishat, Laura Savage, Bernadette Santos Schwegel and Arik Vega.

The versatile and stunning Scenic, Projection and Costume Designs are credited to Simon Kenny, although George Reeve also contributed to the beautiful Projections. Rory Beaton designed the brilliant Lighting, and Adam Fisher and Nicholas Pope contributed the Sound Design. It was noted by several theatergoers that the sound on opening night was spotty, at times. Hopefully that will be soon corrected. Puppetry Design is attributed to Charlie Tymms; and the Fight Choreography, originally devised by Dani McCallum, is by Rachel Flesher.

This production is a truly ambitious artistic achievement, and my hat’s off to everyone involved. It’s an excellent example of ensemble storytelling, at its very best. Characters pop up all over in the audience and keep us guessing. The musical score, while not hummable, is pleasant, organic and folksy in style. We’ve become a nation of short attention spans. In spite of having been trimmed to its current length, the show could still benefit from some additional cuts to bring the production to a more manageable and marketable running time. It’s a wonderful adaptation and features all the main characters and primary plot points from both the books and films. But cutting some of the songs and the quieter, more introspective moments would make the production more appealing, especially to younger audiences. The themes of good prevailing over evil, free will challenging fate, and even death being defeated by immortality are all powerful forces in this Musical Tale, which beautifully depicts the enduring power of friendship.    

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented July 19-September 1 by Chicago Shakespeare Theatre in the Yard Theatre, 800 E. Grand Avenue on Navy Pier, Chicago.

Tickets are available at the CST box office, by calling 312.595.5600 or by going to www.chicagoshakes.com.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com