Get ready The Lord of the Rings fans; it’s time to pack your bags for the UK. (Unless you already happen to live there.) Because a The Lord of the Rings musical is heading to the stage of The Watermill Theatre. And, in even more exciting news, this The Lord of the Rings musical has immersive portions. Even more exciting than that, the musical will take place in a gorgeous, open-air setting. That makes it absolutely perfect for the content and our current life and times.
Update: The Lord of the Rings musical is coming to the US in July 2024. According to Deadline, performances will be at The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater from July 19 through September 1. It is not clear when tickets will go on sale but this run will precede an international tour for The Lord of the Rings fans to enjoy worldwide.
Previous: Here’s what we know about this The Lord of the Rings musical so far.
The official description of the musical reveals more about what we can expect. It notes:
Venture into the otherworldly depths of Middle-earth with a brand-new intimate production based on the classic trilogy The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien featuring the music of A.R. Rahman (Bombay Dreams, Slumdog Millionaire), Värttinä and Tony Award winner and Grammy nominated Christopher Nightingale (Matilda the Musical).
As the Hobbits celebrate Bilbo Baggins’ eleventy-first birthday, he gifts his nephew Frodo his inheritance – including his most precious belonging – a gold ring. Little does he know that his legacy will confront Frodo with an immense and impossible task; a perilous journey across the darkest realms of Mordor to foil the Dark Lord’s quest for total dominion.
Bursting out of the theatre and into the Watermill gardens, be immersed in the magical landscape of Tolkien and join an ensemble cast and large-scale puppets on an epic journey celebrating the power of friendship and common goodness to conquer unimaginable evil.
Okay, basically, we feel obsessed with this The Lord of the Rings musical. And we have always wanted to attend Bilbo Baggins’ eleventy-first birthday. ”We’re going to give audiences a very visceral experience in that they’ll be arriving into The Shire” for Bilbo Baggins’ ‘eleventy first’ [111st] birthday ‘on our lawn,'” Paul Hart, Watermill’s artistic director, tells Deadline. Hart promises immersive portions of The Lord of the Rings musical at the beginning and the end of the show. And the whole musical will have the backdrop of the River Lambourn, giving a very Middle-earth feel to the production.
Tickets for The Lord of the Rings musical go on sale for theater supporters on March 15. Email subscribers will have the ability to purchase on March 21. And the general sale begins on March 22. If you’ve ever wanted to go to Middle-earth, this is your chance. But if you can’t make it to the UK, content yourself with magical screenings of Return of the King in theaters instead.
Originally published March 3, 2023.
