Theatre Thursday - Lord of the Rings on the West End
Since June of this year, West End theatre audiences in London have been able to see the Lord of the Rings trilogy on stage! This production originally debuted in Toronto to particularly poor reviews. It had a major re-write, was re-produced, and the new production debuted in London.
The show has been heavily promoted in the city and to tourists to London. (Virgin Atlantic was helping to promote in on a recent flight I had to the city.) It took an estimated £25 million to put on, and the set itself took months to construct. Because so much of the current theatre had to be removed, English Heritage monitored parts of the removal and construction! The middle of the stage features a £1million, three-ringed turntable with 17 individual hydraulic lifts. This allows the stage to lift, turn, and raise up throughout the production to create different landscapes.
Is is worth it? I can’t say… the reviews have been decidedly mixed. Some have praised the production, saying it’s faithful to Tolkien’s books. Others have criticised it, some severely.
If you’re a big Lord of the Rings fan or would be fascinated by such a huge production, I would certainly look into getting tickets. (Be forewarned, it is three hours+ long!) But if that’s not your thing, there are plenty of other shows to go see.
Where: Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Getting There: Take the Underground to Covent Garden or Temple stations, on the Piccadilly, Circle and District Lines.
Tickets: £15 - £60 each
When:
Mondays, 7pm
Tuesday - Saturday, 7:30pm
Thursday and Saturday matinees, 2pm
Map:
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POSTED IN: Events, Performing Arts - Theater & Dance, Theatre
1 opinion for Theatre Thursday - Lord of the Rings on the West End
Theatre Thursday - Monty Python’s Spamalot
Nov 8, 2007 at 7:09 am
[…] Theatre Thursdays: November 1st - Lord of the Rings October 25th - Avenue Q October 18th - Macbeth with Patrick […]
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