We had the best experience of the Lord Of The Rings Musical on opening night, possibly the best amongst the audience. We had the joy of sitting in the stall facing stage left to be specific which brought us so close to the action in the musical. We played games with hobbits, met Bilbo Baggins the legend face-to-face, got harrassed by orcs and even danced with Gandalf.
Fans of J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings Trilogy might be wondering how the three volumes of the book are compressed into a 3-hour musical. Would it pay sufficient tribute to the major plotlines? What kind of songs will be sung? Will the stage be enough for the retelling of the fellowship of the ring?
Read on for our journey to Middle Earth at Sands Theatre.
The Epic Tale of The Lord of The Rings in Three Hours
UE SQUARE’S COSMIC SPACE EXPEDITION: Have An Out-Of-This-World Adventure!
CARNIVAL OF CHRISTMAS CHEER: Celebrate and Win at Plantation Plaza and Northshore Plaza!
SNOW MUCH TO CELEBRATE: Christmas Fun at The Centrepoint
Since the expansive trilogy had to be compressed into three hours, this was no mean feat and we felt that the major plotlines were brought out fairly well.
We loved the opening scene that introduces audiences to the Shire where Bilbo Baggins celebrates his eleventy first birthday. It was a carnival-like atmosphere with singing and dancing on stage, games played off stage and all the hobbits welcoming the audience to the party. This is why you want to arrive earlier to the theatre for some selfies with the cast and even play games.
The story takes a turn when Gandalf visits Frodo and we know this was when the adventure to Mordor begins. We then witness Frodo and his dearest friends journeying with him from the Prancing Pony to Rivendell where the fellowship gathers for their quest. After “losing” Gandalf to the Balrog at Moria, getting help from Galadriel at Loth Lorien followed by Boromir succumbing to his desires (and the orcs), the battle-weary fellowship splits in their quest before the intermission.
Keep your eyes (and ears) peeled in the second act as the pace rapidly speeds up. I suppose this was necessary to keep the musical within 3 hours. Merry and Pippin stumble upon the trees of Fangorn Forest and befriends Treebeard. We were looking forward to see how the Ents would be portrayed in the musical but sadly they weren’t seen – only heard with some leaves falling overhead to signify their presence.
There was also no time for Denethor II the ruling steward to go insane like in the original storyline. After “Strider” finally reveals his true identity as Aragorn the true heir to the kingship, everyone heads to Mordor for the final battle. Meanwhile, Frodo and his trusty friend Sam has to deal with treacherous Gollum who leads them to Shelob.
Finally, Sam helps Frodo to get to Mount Doom while battling the evils of the ring and a feisty Gollum who perishes along with his “precious”. The battle is won and the hobbits return to the Shire to rebuild their lives. The musical ends with Frodo departing with Gandalf, Galadriel and Bilbo to the Undying Lands.
Actors Who Sung, Strummed & Danced
We were blown away by the actors who played their instruments, while singing and dancing, and playing their roles from hobbits to elves. The Lord Of The Rings Musical features original music by A.R. Rahman, Finnish folk band Värttinä and Christopher Nightingale. We enjoyed seeing the energy of the actors that was fitting to every scene – the folk music at the Shire, the enchanting melodies in Rivendell, the battles between Orcs and the righteous – audiences can’t resist tapping their toes and clapping along with the music.
Look out for over 20 instruments – the strings, the flute, banjo, harp and more played by the performers! This was such a treat and also a vastly different take from the orchestra in the pit often unseen in traditional musicals.
Our favourite songs include Lothlorien, Now And For Always and The Road Goes On. It was also lovely to hear the Elvish and Dwarfish languages weaved into the songs and script in the musical.
The Voice of Galadriel & Other Notable Characters
We were fortunate to see Jemma Rix as Galadriel. The amazingly accomplished songstress was perfect in the role and delivered an awesome performance that left us enamoured. Her rendition of Loth Lorien was hauntingly beautiful with a powerful voice mirroring the strength of the Elvish Queen.
Notable characters include Frodo Baggins played by Rarmian Newton whose emotions tugged at the audience’s heartstrings as the brave yet burdened ringbearer. We also loved Gollum who was every bit the Gollum (Laurence Boxhall) we imagined. It must have been pure talent jumping around with a pained voice conveying so much conflicting emotions and thoughts.
Audience in the stalls have the perks of having the cast run around them and get to interact with some. Performers enter and exit through the audience, making the theatrical environment deeply engaging as if we were in Middle Earth.
The Sets, Props & Costumes in Middle Earth
The mega-monsters were the sets and props to look out for. Balrog, the Nazgul and Shelob were terrifying portrayals on stage – while the orc villains looked out of place with their hiphop get-up. Nonetheless, Sauron’s forces brought out the dark elements well and we were hoping to see more.
Light projections and digital images also lent to the set visuals to depict Sauron, the Fangorn Forest, Lothlorien’s mythical realm and gave the stage an added dimension of the Middle Earth Magic.
Families will love this adventure to Middle Earth especially if they love the Lord of the Rings story. For those who are unfamiliar with the plot, reading up on key plotlines and main characters would be advisable to follow the musical closely.
The three hours whizzed by quickly and we soaked up every moment as a family, even though it was way past bedtime.
The Lord of the Rings A Musical Tale Now On at Sands Theatre, MBS
Journey to Middle Earth now till 31 August, get your tickets from Klook. Ticket prices start from $68. We highly recommend getting stall seats facing stage left for opportunities to see the performers up close!
