The Lord of the Rings - A Musical Tale Balances Intimate Storytelling With Epic Visuals

Since The Lord of the Rings books were published in the mid-1950s, J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy trilogy has inspired artists across many genres to create adaptations and responses to his visionary world- building. Early adaptations included radio dramatizations, animated films, and live-action versions in various languages. Musicians— from Led Zeppelin to Enya—have referenced Tolkien’s works. Peter Jackson’s blockbuster films of the early 2000s were followed by his Hobbit trilogy, Amazon’s high-budget streaming series, The Rings of Power, and the forthcoming films, The War of the Rohirrim and The Hunt for Gollum.

It’s natural that musical theatre artists should embrace Tolkien’s lore, too, as songs and poems are interspersed throughout his books. Nearly two decades after premiering in Toronto in 2006, The Lord of the Rings - A Musical Tale, makes its U.S. debut at Chicago Shakespeare Theater (July 19–Sept. 1, 2024) before embarking on a tour that includes a stop in New Zealand (where the Rings films were shot). With book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus and original music by Academy Award winner, A.R. Rahman, Finnish folk band Värttinä, and Tony Award winner Christopher Nightingale, the production opens the inaugural subscription season programmed by the theater’s new leaders, artistic director Edward Hall and executive director Kimberly Motes.

The musical got off to a rocky start during its original six-month run in Toronto and later in London, where it played for 13 months from 2007 to 2008. Both productions had huge budgets and the reviews were largely negative in both cities; neither was a commercial success. In 2023, director Paul Hart breathed new life into the musical at the Watermill Theatre in the southern English village of Bagnor. Hart’s scaled-back production was told from the perspective of the hobbits, the small but hardy folk at the center of Tolkien’s saga. The semi-immersive experience began outdoors, where audiences were invited to join in the 111th birthday festivities for Bilbo Baggins (the protagonist of The Hobbit) before venturing into the 220-seat venue. Opening to positive reviews, the production was awarded the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Regional Production and the BroadwayWorld UK Award for Best Direction of a Musical.

At Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Hart reimagines his concept for a larger venue: The Yard, which seats up to 850. He is also working with an entirely new cast of 30, many of whom are local performers. The multi-talented ensemble includes actors who are also instrumentalists, dancers, and puppeteers.

Spencer Davis Milford and Tony Bozzuto in *Lord of the Rings - A Musical Tale* Liz Lauren

Hart didn’t grow up as a “super fan” of The Lord of the Rings books, but he fell in love with the musical after seeing the original production. “What was interesting was when I started re-listening to the music for it,” he shares. “There’s huge, epic battle stuff and all sorts of mystical qualities to the music, but at the basis of it, I’d forgotten how folky it was. And that started to lead me towards a version that was really focused on the storytelling. Hobbits love telling stories, and they love passing on stories through generations, so the idea of them telling the most extraordinary story you could ever imagine makes a lot of sense.”

For the Chicago production, Hart hopes to maintain a sense of intimacy between audience and actors while taking advantage of a larger stage to add more spectacle. “I think people are going to be blown away by some of the puppetry, and particularly the creation of some of the more animalistic moments in the piece, things like the Black Riders and a giant spider.”

Edward Hall describes The Lord of the Rings as “a legend that feels like it actually happened” and says that its resonant themes have continued to draw him in since discovering the magic of Tolkien’s books as a child. “The central theme about that Ring and power, selfishness, jealousy, and how it destroys us and how we have to fight against that—you can take away that abstract idea in the story and apply it to your everyday life,” he says. “And there’s a lot in the story on the importance of the natural world. As we continue to experience the turbulence of climate change, our relationship with the natural world around us is such an important thing to bring into the forefront of our minds.”

Hall hopes that running The Lord of the Rings alongside Corduroy—Chicago Shakespeare’s summer production for young audiences—will further integrate the theater into the bustling environment of Navy Pier, which welcomes nearly nine million visitors a year. “Having a big moment in this theater cycle each year, which plays to a big multi-generational audience, is an exciting thing and something we very much want to pursue in the future.”