I was never a fan of the books nor the movies, but the latest Mirvish original production of the Lord of the Rings is definitely a great eye-catching spectacle of great stage art, but nothing more.

Perhaps it is again that condition where, because the play stirred so much buzz and hype, I found myself having very high expectations, and then falling in disappointment after.

The theatre stage and props were definitely the highlight of the production. The set was decorated with twisted tree branchesthat extend beyond the stage and into the the audience seating areas.

LOTR was the longest theatre production I’ve seen, which ran nearly three-and-a-half hours and two intermissions, and it left left me a bit restless near the end of the play. I suppose this is an ideal time, given it originated from three 300-page novels.

What I never understood was the miniature seats in the theatre’s balcony. I doubt that people back in the day were that much smaller. I’m not a big or tall guy, but I was seriously bumping knees with the seat in front of me. Maybe because I’m used to slightly slouching, I found myself having massive back pain at the end of the show from sitting straight for so long. I pity the guys bigger than me.

I am now a rebel of Mr. Anton, my high school bootcamp music teacher, who pushed us to sit straight and far away (not leaning) from the back of the chair. He says that we should breathe with our anal muscle.

This topic deserves an entry on its own.

Those who are expecting the smooth sounds of Les Miserables or even the Lion King will be very disappointed with Lord of the Rings. I would definitely not call this production a musical, but perhaps a theatrical drama. Not much singing, and lots of talking. Not much fighting, not much dancing, but lots of lights, and creative theatrical effects.

Gollum was definitely the highlight of the show, as was the case in the motion picture. He is always interesting to watch, especially when he’s torn between his “precioussssss” and honouring his promise to Frodo.

Overall, I was, and still am, cautiously optimistic about the success of LOTR. It just seems like a weird story to be adapted as a musical/play. And considering that the regular theatre-goers are retired or soon-to-be-retired patrons, I’m not sure if a tale like LOTR would be appropriate to them. But at the same time, perhaps this might draw in a different younger demographic, which might help to mould them to a lifetime of theatre-goers, who knows.

We’ll just have to wait and see.

Musical ‘Lord of the Rings’ delays previews - [cbc.ca]
Lord of the Rings: they really like it - [theglobeandmail.com]
Lord of the Rings - [mirvish.com]