The much-anticipated musical theatre version of The Lord of the Rings made its formal début in a gala première in Toronto on Thursday evening, and the reactions of the audience suggested that the massive production would not be leaving town very soon. During the most impressive scenes the audience broke into spontaneous applause, and there were moments accompanied by gasps of astonishment.
From the Finnish point of view Toronto's The Lord of the Rings production is particularly interesting, with its strong Karelian-tinged songs composed by the Finnish folk group Värttinä.
The post-show gala was held at a local luxury hotel where the guests were entertained by the Finnish band, who also played a significant role in producing the music for the stage adaptation, together with the Indian composer A. R. Rahman.
The British-Canadian team has created a hybrid fantasy spectacle inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien's famous trilogy. It is neither a play nor a musical as such, but something between the two. The performance is rich in circus elements and special effects. The enormous revolving stage of the Princess of Wales Theatre alone is impressive.
The star of the show is Canadian-born Michael Therriault in the role of Gollum.
Just as in Tolkien's original work, music has a greater role in the stage adaption than it had in Peter Jackson's highly successful film trilogy. The "Finnish connection" is not altogether a coincidence: Tolkien often referred to his own personal debt to the myths of the Finnish national epic Kalevala.
It remains to be seen whether the critical response to the production meets the apparent audience enthusiasm. The work is to be put on in the West End in London from 2007, and there are also plans for a possible Broadway run.
