"Overall, the play was incredible. I was afraid that by having the addition of dance and song, that they would make JRR Tolkien's classic become tacky, but it was far from it. Each of the songs blended in beautifully. From Galadriel's (Rebecca Jackson Mendoza) awe-inspiring "Lothlorien" to the group dance sequence at the Prancing Pony, I didn't find myself once asking myself why is that song now or what was up with the dancing. "
"You're taken in by the sets, the music, the power, the drama that you barely notice that Frodo is taller than Gimli and that Gandalf looks like he's been starved half to death. " cheers Krish http://musicals.net/forums/viewtopic.php? t=46089&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15 The night started off upon entering the theatre. As soon as you walk through the doors, you are greeted with a massively impressive set, and a dozen hobbits playing on the stage. The stage itself had a giant gold ring that had knotted roots coming out from it, spreading on the walls and out into the theatre. The hobbits, who were doing various things, seemed to mostly be hunting for fireflies. Pippin and Merry (it seemed) were trying to get one that was too high up for their net, and too far out for Sam to get a hold of. So one left the stage and came back with a larger net, which still didn't work. The second went and got a very long pole with a very small net on the end, but it got the job done. As each hobbit caught various fireflies that flew around the set (the were lights on wires that shut off when "caught" and a light in the hobbits hand would turn on) they would then pass it onto an older hobbit that would carefully place them in a jar. Once the stage cleared and the hobbits settled, the older Hobbit stood next to the giant ring and on the count of three, threw open the jar, letting the fireflies out behind the ring. Thus started the play. It started with plenty of narration accompanied by a silhouette performane by Bilbo Baggins (Cliff Saunder) and Gollum (Michael Therriault). It quickly went through their story as it was in The Hobbit. Once the set lifted, Bilbo's party began where they also quickly went through the party and his dissapearance. The actual play did not begin until the floor of the set turned and you were suddenly pulled into Frodo's (James Loye) home. >From there, you met Sam (Peter Howe) and Gandalf (Brent Carver) who put a smile on your face just to see them. Howe had a perfect Cockney accent for Sam and was just as endearing and you would expect him to be. Carver, on the other hand, was a big dissapointment. For a big-time seasoned Canadian actor, you have this kind of standard for him, especially since he was taking on a very important role in this story. His physical acting wasn't my issue; it was his voice. The whole time he spoke in this monotone that really began to irritate me. His sentances ran together and it lost all emotion and wisdom that he should be portraying with a character like Gandalf. I understand that he has a lot to say in a short amount of time, but at least put some feeling into it! I want to know that you're a wise old wizard, not a crotchty old man on a mission. To save from revealing too much of the story for you, let me hit some higlights and some lowlights. Overall, the play was incredible. I was afraid that by having the addition of dance and song, that they would make JRR Tolkien's classic become tacky, but it was far from it. Each of the songs blended in beautifully. From Galadriel's (Rebecca Jackson Mendoza) awe-inspiring "Lothlorien" to the group dance sequence at the Prancing Pony, I didn't find myself once asking myself why is that song now or what was up with the dancing. Even the fights were worth dropping your jaw at. You may wonder how they were going to make a massive crowd of orc or men appear, but they did it! Using some carefully timed tricks, you got the feeling that many hundreds of orcs were running around the steps of the tower or men who "died" appearing at another part of the stage ready to fight again, you really felt that the cast was bigger than it actually was. Everything in this play was big. Treebeard and the Ents were big. Albiet, a little dissapointing when you see a man on 20 foot stilts and he only has a farmers cap on his head. The Balrog was big. His silhouette came through the chaos of smoke and ash (black confetti) being blown into the audience and a powerful orange light shining in your face. Even the sets and costumes were big, in the grande sense of the word, not the physical size. This made it all the more easy to become captured into. For a while in the first act I was completely taken in by their world, only pausing for a moment when something not quite right happened. A torch didn't stay lit, and since when was Gandlaf okay with touching the ring? You're taken in by the sets, the music, the power, the drama that you barely notice that Frodo is taller than Gimli and that Gandalf looks like he's been starved half to death. Of course, there are parts of the books that are passed over, but there are also some things that the movie forgot. Tom Bombadil is mentioned by Treebeard when he states that he is looking for Ent wives. Sharkie and the destruction of the Shire is even explored when Frodo, Sam, Pippin (played by Brent Buchanan that night) and Merry (Dylan Roberts) return home. If I were to give one piece of advice to a theatre-goer who is expecting great things from the play; please do. But make sure you've read the books first. This is not a play based on the films. Yes, the hobbits costimes are much like the film, and even Legolas (Danny Pathan) sounded much like Orlando Bloom, but this is in and of itself a unique production. Don't go expecting the movie; expect the book and expect it in a big way. Explore, Experience, Enjoy A.R.Rahman - The Man, The Music, The Magic. Only at arrahmanfans.com - The definitive A.R.Rahman e-community. Homepage: http://www.arrahmanfans.com Admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
