[THEATRE REVIEW] THE LORD OF THE RINGS – A MUSICAL TALE @ The Comedy Theatre Review (2025)
Call me a heathen, but I never got into the mythology of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic and beloved trilogy The Lord of the Rings.
Mind you, I could say the same about Harry Potter … and then I saw that stage play, firstly in two parts and then in one, which won me over.
Now, the same goes for The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale.
It is a rich and rewarding ride into the heart of evil and darkness, in which perseverance in the wake of countless obstacles is sorely tested.
For those not in the know, the story is set in what is termed Middle-earth and the conceit involves a perilous journey to destroy an all-powerful magic gold ring.
The One Ring or master ring is an ancient artefact created by the Dark Lord Sauron as an object of control over the peoples of the land.
Virtually impervious, it can only be obliterated in the fires where it was forged, Mount Doom in Mordor.
The musical starts with hobbit Bilbo Baggins celebrating his eleventy-first (111th) birthday with friends.
They include his young relative Frodo, to whom he bequeaths everything, including the gold ring, before Bilbo vanishes.
Frodo has no idea of the power of the ring before he is visited 17years later by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, setting him on a path of adventure.
With him is his best friend and gardener, the fiercely loyal Samwise Gangee.
In time, on their quest to destroy the ring, they are joined by seven others, who constitute the fellowship.
Among them is the brave and selfless Strider, destined to loom large in the future of Middle-earth.
The Lord of the Rings involves a series of disparate characters – hobbits, elves, wizards, ents, orcs, trolls, men and more – clashing and coming together.
A Musical Tale features book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus (Groundhog Day) and original music by A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire), Finnish folk band Värttinä and Christopher Nightingale (Matilda the Musical).
It is an impressive spectacle, with strong staging highlighting the shifts in tone in the narrative, channelling joy, trepidation and combativeness.
There are surprises aplenty, well realised with puppetry, props and striking lighting, projection and sound, these being among the many highlights of the piece.
Musical accompaniment on stage undoubtedly adds a great deal.
In fact, from the tender and folksy to the ethereal and toe tapping, the music is a major drawcard, as are the slick, well-choreographed movements and dance.
Rarmian Newton brings a touch of the everyday man who develops broad shoulders as Frodo, while Wern Mak is a revelation as the enthusiastic Samwise.
Rob Mallett is stoic and authoritative as Strider, while I was particularly moved by the angelic voice of Stefanie Caccamo as his love interest. She plays the immortal elf-maiden Arwen.
From the moment he appears on stage sporting Gandalf’s trusty staff, Terence Crawford makes the role his. He speaks and others stop and listen.
Noteworthy are Gandalf’s clashes with the leader of his order, The White Council, Sarumen. Ian Stenlake imbues the latter with a graduated sense of self-importance.
Making an imposing entrance, musical theatre leading lady Jemma Rix is a scene stealer, who commands attention as royal elf Galadriel.
And then we come to the undeniable presence of the particularly torn character in The Lord of the Rings, Smeagol/Gollum, who has been corrupted by the One Ring.
Those two character names reference the two sides of his personality.
What a performance from a barely recognisable Laurence Boxhall. As is called for, it is a mixture of contradictions – whispers and whimpering. His calling card is his pronunciation of “precious”, the moniker he gives to the ring, to which he is a slave.
With a highly accomplished supporting cast, the whole experience of The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale is uplifting and memorable.
Salvation for Frodo et al takes time and effort.
We – the audience – are carried on their shoulders through the umpteen highs and lows, our eyes opened to the vicissitudes, emerging all the better for having journeyed far and wide.
The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale is on at Comedy Theatre until 8th June, 2025.
Review by Alex First Photography by Daniel Boud