Lord of the Rings: live on stage
By
DAVID SILVERBERG
Special to The CJN
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"Tolkien is talmudic," professes David Mirvish, head of Mirvish Productions. "He understood the sense of fairness and rightness, of the importance in community."
What inspires Mirvish to such gushing is nothing less than the most expensive stage show in history, at $27 million. His stage adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) is primed and ready for a world première in Toronto on March 23, with previews running for five weeks on Feb. 2 at the Princess of Wales Theatre.
In an interview at his office, Mirvish almost appears giddy when he speaks about Tolkien's famous trilogy coming to downtown Toronto. "Nothing has been done on this type of scale before," he says. "I'm calling this epic. It's not a conventional musical."
Mirvish and company have been avoiding the dreaded "m"-word for obvious reasons: ardent LOTR fans cringe at the prospect of prancing Hobbits and Orcs high-stepping to show tunes. To quell those fears, the creative team in Toronto approached The Lord of the Rings with a deep respect for the original text when they adapted the books for the stage.
"And this sure isn't a conventional musical when you have the artistic director inspired by Tom Waits," Mirvish says, before cautioning that musical tastes will span a worldly spectrum.
In fact, it was the music that first convinced Mirvish the Tolkien text was worth adapting. Two years ago, Mirvish heard a sample of the music to be included in the adaptation. Composed by two distinct collaborators Indian composer A.R. Rahman and Finnish group Värttinä the music "had an otherworldly quality to it that made me think `This is magical,'" Mirvish recalls.
The legendary producer, famous for bringing to Toronto The Lion King, Mamma Mia! and The Producers, understood the risk of staging a show as expansive as The Lord of the Rings. But smart gambles have always been part of Mirvish's work schedule. "My credibility is on the line here," he says, half-laughing. "But I'm stepping up to a challenge I've never engaged in before."
The challenge also relates to what Mirvish is risking financially. He invested $1 million of his own money into the production, while also convincing Tourism Toronto and the Ontario government to invest $3 million each. "The government didn't see it as a question of supporting the arts but as a job creation and tourism program," Mirvish points out, adding how the politicians will see a return on their investment by the fourth week of the show if sales progress as expected.
And Mirvish is convinced the show's grand spectacle won't disappoint. With a cast of 55 and 14 musical numbers, The Lord of the Rings stretches to three hours of battles, music and dance. The set resembles a tree trunk, with movable parts allowing the Fellowship to traverse grassy, rocky or uphill terrain. Special effects colour the fight scenes and creative lighting adds lustre to terrific monsters such as the winged Balrog.
The only standout star in the cast is Tony Award-winning Brent Carver, a Canadian theatre veteran who excels in every role he plays. Another noted actor is Michael Therriault, seen recently in Mirvish's The Producers and playing the slimy Gollum in The Lord of the Rings.
With any spectacle, the music must act as the sweeping soundtrack to the dramatic action. Mini-symphonies carry the battle sequences, and a percussion-heavy number plays during the Helm's Deep sequence.
Quarterbacking the creative component of the show is Kevin Wallace, co-producer and chief architect. When he read an early draft of the stage adaptation by Shaun McKenna in November 2001, he was so impressed by the writing quality he secured the underlying theatre rights. He corralled director Kevin Marchus, designer Rob Howell, musical supervisor Christopher Nightingale and choreographer Peter Darling (of Billy Elliot fame).
"Everyone is working with a clear agenda," Wallace tells The CJN in his office a floor above Mirvish's. "The ultimate strength of the stage adaptation is its clarity."
He aims to sway Tolkien fans who hold
preconceived notions. "This will lurch the audience out of their own perception of The Lord of the Rings," he says.
Unlike the film, the show will not ignore key sections of the trilogy in favour of more action-oriented scenes. For instance, Wallace points out, the show "gives a nod to Tom Bombadil," a minor character in the book who helped the Hobbits during their journey across Middle Earth. And when Frodo meets Faramir for the first time, the scene is uneventful but "there's a calm and settled beauty to the writing" the script didn't want to omit, Wallace says.
Wallace is tight-lipped about the more intriguing aspects of the show, including Gollum's final look "it'll be unlike anything ever conceived," he says and the special effects concepts. He slyly smiles and admits he wants "to create an air of surprise when the show opens on March 23."
But The CJN has learned a few tidbits worth sharing: as expected, the emotional centre of the story will focus on the Hobbits, especially Frodo the Ring-bearer and his companion, Sam; the massive battle scenes will take up the entire stage; song lyrics will be composed in English and Elvish, Tolkien's created language for his pointy-eared creatures; and Act One will finish with the emergence of the winged creature Balrog, which Wallace claims "will be the talking point at intermission."
But what the world will be talking about in several weeks is Toronto's ability to pull off a monumental show such as The Lord of the Rings. Also important to Mirvish, though, is what the story can do to rally a community. "It's about people caring for each other, all kinds of races coming together to fight evil," he says. "The responsibility is not on the shoulders of the biggest person but on someone who represents the Everyman."
Good versus evil. Frodo versus Sauron. Another Biblical allegory comes to mind but Mirvish isn't saying it. He doesn't need to David and Goliath, in the form of Hobbits, Orcs and Trolls, is coming to town.
Previews for The Lord of the Rings run Feb. 2 to March 22 at the Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King St. W. Opening night is March 23. For tickets, call 416-872-1212.
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Shah NavasExplore, Experience, Enjoy A.R.Rahman - The Man, The Music, The Magic.
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