by Derek—2005.03.21 @ 0726
I was surprised this morning to read about the upcoming musical adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. Sure, the cinema adaptation by Peter Jackson was a great tribute to the Tolkien masterpiece, but Operatic Orcs? A singing Sauron? A chorus of Elves on ballet point? Also, consider how difficult it was for Peter Jackson and his crew to fit the Lord of the Rings saga into three movies, complete with state-of-the-art visual effects. If you consider how challening it was to cast for the movie version, with multiple "races", each with specific builds ranging from three feet to seven feet tall! Perhaps production designers will use modern theatrical effects, like those used in Disney's Lion King where elephants, zebras, and giraffs were created using minimalist structures over a human actor. Or perhaps they'll create stils and larger-than-life costumes like those often employed in portraying Wagner's Ring Cycle.
In any case, I think mounting a theatrical/stage version of Lord of the Rings will be a huge challenge. Visuals aside, I think the largest challenge will be coming up with a score and book that will actually play out on a set. Actually, creating music that is convincing, moving, and compelling will be the life or death of the musical. The music will have to be absolutely stunning. In fact, I think LOTR would make a better opera than a musical.
The Lord of the Rings is a successful book franchise. The Peter Jackson movies have done very well, earning many Oscar awards including the coveted Best Picture. But how far will this success go? Musical theatre is always looking for the next Phantom or Les Mis that will save for-profit theatre and bring in the cash. I'm really not a fan of all this piggy-backing success, especially in the art domain where it is a shamless attempt and shows a lack of creativity. There is nothing original here -- nothing new but trying to fit equity actors into furry Hobbit feet.