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Saruman pondering his orbs

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The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale in Australia - Schedule

Sydney, NSW

7 January to 1 February 2025

State Theatre

info & tickets

Perth, WA

19 March to 4 April 2025

Crown Theatre

info & tickets

Melbourne, VIC

26 April to 30 May 2025

Comedy Theatre

info & tickets

Gold Coast, QLD

4 to 20 July 2025

HOTA

info & tickets [not on sale yet]

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thinking about the lotr musical again…

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The exact date seems to have been removed from the post. It's clear that he's not taking over the account today.

Luke Nowakowski (u/s Sam, Pippin, Legolas) is taking over Auckland Live's Instagram stories tomorrow (17 November 2024) for a double show day. Follow along!

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Aotearoa is not Middle-earth

As you've probably noticed, the marketing of the Aotearoa stop of The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale focuses prominently on the idea that Aotearoa is Middle-earth because Peter Jackson's massively popular film trilogies were filmed there.

This is immediately obvious upon checking out the production's Instagram, which features countless film-inspired posts (screenshots and clips from the movies, photos of scenic filming locations); the slogans used to promote the musical ("Coming Home to Middle-earth" x); and the cast's extensively covered visit to the Hobbiton film set (x).

If you're following me elsewhere (my main blog and Instagram in particular), you've probably read my criticism of that marketing strategy. Until today, I've focused mostly on how this affects the LotR Musical negatively by setting false expectations and devaluing the show as an independent adaptation in a different medium.

Today, I'd like to draw attention to a far more important matter: namely, how a close association of Aotearoa with Middle-earth and the ensuing Tolkien tourism, enabled by the film trilogies, affects Aotearoa and the Māori in particular negatively. The following article is eye-opening; well-written and important, and I highly recommend it:

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Luke Nowakowski (u/s Sam, Pippin, Legolas) is taking over Auckland Live's Instagram stories tomorrow (17 November 2024) for a double show day. Follow along!

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The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale in Australia - Schedule

Sydney, NSW

7 January to 1 February 2025

State Theatre

info & tickets

Perth, WA

19 March to 4 April 2025

Crown Theatre

info & tickets

Melbourne, VIC

26 April to 30 May 2025

Comedy Theatre

info & tickets

Gold Coast, QLD

4 to 20 July 2025

HOTA

info & tickets [not on sale yet]

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UPDATE 2:

The Lord of the Rings will play in Melbourne from 26 April to 30 May 2025, with performances Tuesdays to Sundays and additional matinees on most Saturdays and Sundays. Previews from 26 to 30 April.

Tickets are priced $69-$189, with all previews at $79, and are on sale NOW. [tickets here]

NEWS: The LotR Musical tour adds two Australian dates!

In addition to Sydney's State Theatre (7 January to 1 February 2025), The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale will also play Perth's Crown Theatre from 19 March 2025 and Melbourne's Comedy Theatre from 26 April 2025.

For more information, visit lotronstage.com!

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I finally have a minute to sit down so I'm going to yell about the Lord of the Rings musical for a bit! I'll put everything under a cut so people can avoid spoilers! Pic of me in my cute hobbit-ish outfit first 😊

So disclaimer first, hopefully I'm remembering everything correctly but I recently started a new job and can't take any days off in my first 90 days but desperately wanted to see this show. So I worked a night shift, drove 6 hours, and by the time everything was over I'd been awake for ~21 hours. And also everyone who knows anything about this show is long. Like we were sitting in act 2 and I couldn't remember if they'd sang The Road Goes On in act 1 because it had been two hours ago by that point 😂All this to say, if I misremember please forgive me and feel free to correct me!

My friend and I had the most amazing seats for this show! I'd been debating whether or not I wanted to go through the trouble of going to see it with work and all but then I got an email because apparently I'd signed up for the Shakespeare Theatre's 30 under 30 program and that made everything worth it. I'll post a picture below but we sat second row in the center section on the end of the stage right side. In the picture you can see the stairs literally came down about six inches in front of my feet. I'm not usually a fan of sitting so close but with how immersive the show was it was perfect.

(Obligatory photo with the playbill because I will always be a theatre nerd at heart)

Starting at ~15 til, the actors all started coming out and wandering the audience, just talking to people and having a good ol' time. Again I'm such a sucker for immersive performances and despite being terribly awkward this was still very exciting.

With everyone wandering around and then the show just sort of starting with no big to-do, it really felt like you're a part of the story. Like 'oh I really am here at Bilbo's birthday party.' Again just a really good time, I think it added another really great layer to the show.

I know I just keep saying how fun this show looked but honestly it looks like such a great time and like every single actor on stage is having the best time. The choreography isn't anything terribly complicated but it just looks fun. Also we saw this on a Wednesday at the evening performance which means there would've been a matinee earlier and you never would've been able to tell. I've seen shows where you can tell the actors are going through it during their second show of the day(and rightfully so) but I wouldn't have had a clue if I hadn't known the schedule. Really just such an amazing cast.

The puppetry was phenomenal! I'm not typically freaked out by puppetry but I had a visceral reaction to those Nazgul puppets. Don't know what it was about them but I was legitimately unnerved. One came up next to me and I did not care for it at all. Pretty sure the people behind me were chuckling every time I cringed but like honestly so fair 😂

So I only found out about the existence of this musical in June and it was absolutely my accident. After seeing the trilogy in theaters, I fell back in hard and was just like 'huh I wonder if there's a stage version of this if not there should be' and googled it on a whim. Pretty much been listening to the London soundtrack on repeat since then but there were a lot of songs that I felt very eh about on the soundtrack that are loads better within the context of the show. Like a lot of the Elvish acapella songs being actually just background to the action that happened onstage felt a lot more natural than listening to them on their own.

Speaking of songs I liked more, Lament for Moria was absolutely beautiful. I hate to compare casts because I think every actor brings their own unique take to the role but that was just a song that I wasn't terribly fond of on the London soundtrack. But the actor that played Gimli in this version had an absolutely gorgeous voice. I was telling someone I always assume actors in a show will be able to sing because obviously they've been cast but there are still times where someone opens their mouth and I'm stunned and this was one of them.

I really enjoyed the set design a lot. I love the current trend of having a simple versatile set with smaller pieces that are wheeled on from time to time. Also, such a sucker for turntables and platforms. I don't know what it is but I think it's A+. Also the climbing wall grips in the back so Gollum could climb up and down were fantastic! Such a simple solution but I think it worked so well. I could see them since we were so close but the way they were painted, I'm guessing they blended in really well further back and the effect would've been amazing.

Obviously even at nearly 3 hours long this is still a wildly condensed version of these stories but I was still disappointed that almost all of Two Towers was cut out other than Treebeard. This of course isn't unique to this production, just the way it's written. I don't think it necessarily detracted from the story since most of the action and important bits do take place in Fellowship and Return of the King but Two Towers is still my favorite so this is a personal gripe mostly haha.

The costumes were all great, a lot of it felt sort of generic fantasy-ish but I love generic fantasy-ish costumes so I was happy. However, I thought the orcs costumes were so cool! Especially with the new(? I'll be honest with y'all I have not read the books(yet) and I feel like I heard about this being the ending somewhere. Not sure if they changed it for the movies and the ending of the musical is the actual ending? anyway) ending they were very neat!

I'm also such a sucker for instruments being played onstage especially when it's the actors doing it and especially when a lot of them are playing multiple different instruments. I just will never get over the talent.

I think I've said most of what I wanted to say so I have to talk about Now and For Always. Since my first listen, Now and For Always was my absolute favorite song. Like hyperfixated listening for hours on end kind of favorite song. I just think it's so beautiful, the harmonies are gorgeous, and it really embodies what these stories were about. I saw the snippet Chicago Shakespeare posted before I went and I was iffy about if I'd like it. I could not have been more wrong. The way it was so slowed down, having the rest of the cast standing around Sam and Frodo, the delivery of the last verse from Frodo to a sleeping Sam? I'm tearing up just thinking about it again. Like that's what it's all about, you know? The tenderness and kindness in the midst of horrors. The true power that friendship has to carry you through the absolute worst of things. I don't even have more words, it was just such a beautiful and touching presentation and it's going to stay with me for a very long time.

Oh no wait I did have one more thing to say, they tried to make me like Denethor and no one will ever make me like Denethor! Denethor hater for life, all my homies hate Denethor. I'm sorry, I know they used the explanation of 'he's too close too Mordor it's poisoning his mind' nope don't care. The best thing Denethor did was set himself on fire, change my mind.

All this to say, I had the most amazing time and I am forever grateful I found this production when I did and had the chance to go see it. I don't think it's for everyone, as like 'duh obviously' as it sounds I think you really have to enjoy both LotR and theatre. The people behind us were snickering from time to time because there were some things that were kind of goofy. Most of it was at the weapons, they're definitely on the cheaper side but it's a regional theatre and I'm sure they only had so much budget. You have to be able to suspend your disbelief when seeing any show but especially this one. Forget what you know from the books and the movies and just go in with an open mind. It's a spectacle, it's goofy, it's serious, it will absolutely wrench your heartstrings if you just let yourself be open to it. Everyone is obviously so passionate about what they're doing and it made for such an amazing show, highly recommend to go see it if you get the chance 💜

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Reviews

The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater

19 July 2024 to 1 September 2024

The highly popular UK revival of The Lord of the Rings officially opened in Chicago last Friday. The response from critics is mixed (some good, some bad) - but it seems to be a hit with Tumblr audiences. A fascinating development!

I've compiled a list of reviews published so far and will update it from time to time. Please check the original post for the most up-to-date version.

Newspapers / news outlets

1news (28 July 2024)

Chicago Sun Times (28 July 2024)

Chicago Tribune (29 July 2024)

New York Times (31 July 2024)

The Lansing Journal (5 August 2024)

The New Zealand Herald (21 August 2024)

Bloggers / Theatre guides

File 770 (25 July 2024)

The Fourth Walsh (27 July 2024)

Around the Town Chicago (27 July 2024)

third coast review (27 July 2024)

Chicago Stage and Screen (27 July 2024)

Chicago Culture Authority (28 July 2024)

Chicago Theatre Review (28 July 2024)

Chicago Onstage (28 July 2024)

Talkin' Broadway (28 July 2024)

Buzz Center Stage (28 July 2024)

BroadwayWorld (29 July 2024)

Newcity Stage (30 July 2024)

Chicago Reader (30 July 2024)

PicksInSix (30 July 2024)

Stage and Screen (30 July 2024)

axios Chicago (2 August 2024)

Hellenic Moon (4 August 2024)

Sean Michael Malone (7 August 2024)

Playbill (8 August 2024)

Spotlight on Lake (16 August 2024)

TheOneRing.net (28 August 2024)

Winter is Coming (9 September 2024)

Vloggers / video / podcast reviews

Jess of the Shire (26 July 2024)

OK. (4 August 2024)

CST's compilation (5 August 2024)

Slandered Gaming (13 August 2024)

Hannah Dreaming (18 August 2024)

Seven Stars, Seven Siblings, and One White Tree (18 October 2024)

Social media reviews

Hilary Klein (21 July 2024)

@myfairkatiecat x (24 July 2024)

@sirdeln x (26 July 2024)

@heretherebedork x (27 July 2024)

@freenarnian x (27 July 2024)

@supermacaroniandsqueezeblr x (27 July 2024)

@sonofarathorns x (3 August 2024)

@thefallenangelsgang x (10 August 2024)

@jaz-the-bard, @nelyoslegalteam, @shadowkat2000 x (10-12 August 2024)

@cahootings x (20 August 2024)

@nowandforalways x (25 August 2024)

@sustinentiae-spei 1 2 (26 & 30 August 2024)

The date indicated refers to the date the review was published.

Picture source

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The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale opened in Auckland, Aotearoa yesterday (12 November 2024)! Here's a compilation of clips and images from the press preview and the official opening night performance ✨️

Clips taken from Auckland Live's and 818's Instagram stories, merged by me.

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Caradydion (n)

(lit.) a spot where wild strawberries grow

(fig.) a special, secret place, only to be shared with those you love. To visit a caradydion together is seen as a declaration of intent between two lovers.

A fic about Frodo and Sam and the places they share between them.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOLKIEN AND HAPPY GIFT DAY @merry-finches! I had you for the LotR Musical Gift Exchange and I really hope you like this over the top sweet fic - I hope it fulfils your need for soft and joyful but also just a tad rip-your-heart-out as well 🍓 it has been a joy sharing this fandom space with you!

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After everything that’s happened on this adventure, my last night in the UK couldn’t have had a better ending. My seat was up top at the balcony and honestly I enjoyed it so much more than the floor seat. It was magical. The emergency Arwen was amazing and I also got to see US Gandalf!!!!

Before the show started I bought a coffee and went to the garden to drink it when Nuwan walked straight at me. He is A D O R A B L E ! He remembered me from the day before and was so glad we managed to somehow get the tickets for yesterday.

After the show ended I was waiting for my cab, looking rather depressed bc it was getting cold and I had to wait for over half an hour at the parking lot. Nuwan came outside and made sure I was ok🥹 Charlotte and Geraint did the same and I managed to have a little chat with each of them.

I bought the box office ladies some flowers and goodies as a thanks because they were the true heroes yesterday. They were so surprised cause they’re usually not the ones getting presents😂

Endless admiration for the Watermill staff😭🩷

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You may laugh at me for this caption, but there's a Shelob post with 280 freaking notes!! She's popular 💃

A first look at (everyone's favourite girl) ✨️Shelob✨️ at The Civic in Aotearoa!

Puppeteers from left to right: Suzanne Hannau, Mia Hilt, Arik Vega, Jarais Musgrove, Laura Savage.

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Clip: Gandalf (Tom Amandes) fights the Balrog in Moria ✨️

shared by Tommy Thurston via Instagram stories on 8 November 2024

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I know that all art is subjective, and so you technically can't decide upon a "most beautiful melody of all time".

That being said, I do believe that the melody used in 'Lasto i lamath' and 'Epilogue(Farewells)' in the Lord of the Rings musical transcends this fact and is actually, objectively, the Most Beautiful Melody Of All Time.

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A first look at (everyone's favourite girl) ✨️Shelob✨️ at The Civic in Aotearoa!

Puppeteers from left to right: Suzanne Hannau, Mia Hilt, Arik Vega, Jarais Musgrove, Laura Savage.