— Ch. 1 · Origins And Creative Team —
The Lord of the Rings (musical).
~5 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
A. R. Rahman composed the music for a stage musical adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's novel in 2006. Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus wrote both the book and lyrics for this ambitious project. The production involved a collaboration with Finnish folk group Värttinä and composer Christopher Nightingale. London-based producer Kevin Wallace partnered with Saul Zaentz to secure the rights for the stage version. They joined forces with Toronto theatre owner David Mirvish and concert promoter Michael Cohl to mount the show. The resulting three-and-a-half-hour spectacle featured a cast of 65 actors performing at the Princess of Wales Theatre. Director Matthew Warchus oversaw the entire creative vision while choreographer Peter Darling designed movement sequences. Set and costume designer Rob Howell created the visual landscape that defined the early productions.
Toronto Spectacle Premiere
Performances began on the 4th of February 2006 at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. The official opening night arrived on the 23rd of March 2006 before the final curtain fell on the 3rd of September 2006. Critics described the experience as either ingenious or incomprehensible depending on their perspective. Richard Corliss of Time Magazine called it a definitive megamusical during his review. Ben Brantley from the New York Times stated that everyone and everything wound up lost including plot and character patience. The Toronto Star dubbed the production Bored of the Rings after its initial run. Brent Carver played Gandalf while Michael Therriault portrayed Gollum in this massive undertaking. The show cost approximately thirty million Canadian dollars to produce and attracted almost four hundred thousand people. It received wide-ranging critical reaction with both positive and hostile reviews appearing in the press. The production won seven Dora Awards out of fifteen nominations including Outstanding New Musical.