Sunday, March 26, 2006

Lord of the Rings: Mixed Reviews

Well the reviews are in for Lord of the Rings are in! Broadway.com has short summaries of a over a dozen reviewers. So what did they have to say?

From Broadway.com "... the collaborative efforts of a huge team into the common purpose to bring this story to thrilling stage life as a bold, spectacular piece of popular musical theater that delivers a knock-out visual and aural experience."

From the NYTimes "Everyone and everything winds up lost in this $25 million adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's cult-inspiring trilogy of fantasy novels. That includes plot, character and the patience of most ordinary theatergoers."

From the London Times "The stage versions great strength lies in the way its constituent parts combine in an organic whole. Rob Howell's designs, exquisitely lit by Paul Pyant, are achieved with uncluttered economy rather than hi-tech wizardry, and with an emphasis on natural textures and colours redolent of the story's Middle-earth setting."

From the Toronto Star "The problems with this version of The Lord of the Rings are so basic that you wonder how those involved with it could watch it coming together and still not see what was wrong."

From the Boston Globe "The show's international creative team has created a stage epic that is surprisingly smart and visually stunning"

The major complaints seem centered around the show's length, pace, and character development. I can't even imagine trying to take the three books that make the Lord of the Ring trilogy and distill them down to a just-under-four hour musical.

No comments:

Community Theater in the Mid Hudson Valley of New York. Information on shows, auditions, and our general adventures onstage, backstage and in the audience.