Poor reviews for Lord of the Rings musical
Poor reviews for Lord of the Rings musical
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Friday, 24, Mar 2006 11:46
A multi-million pound stage adaptation of JRR Tolkien's entire The Lord of the Rings saga has been met with mixed reviews following its world premiere in Toronto, Canada.
Directed by Britain's Matthew Warchus, the three-and-a-half hour musical cost in the region of £15.5 million, which makes it the world's most expensive theatre production ever.
But critics at the Princess of Wales Theatre have been largely unimpressed by the epic production suggesting that the decision to condense the entire Lord of the Rings story into one offering has left it incoherent and confusing.
One critic in particular told the Guardian: "The general feeling is that the spectacle overwhelms the story, and that the hybrid musical/non-musical doesn't really work."
The critic, who didn't wish to be named, added: "It's not that three-and-a-half hours is too long. It's that it isn't enough time to tell the story. Even Peter Jackson needed nine hours of movie time."
However, local press have offered more positive feedback about the show, starring Brent Carver, James Loye, with one in particular describing it as "visually stunning" and "atmospheric and engaging".
The show will run in Toronto until at least 2007 before it then moves to London where it is due to play through to 2008.