A musical based on The Lord of the Rings has been running in the UK since last year, and the production will now journey across the Atlantic to make its U.S. premiere in Chicago this summer.
The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale will have its American debut on July 19 at The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. It will run there until September 1, 2024 and will then go on an international tour at locations to be announced in June.
The musical adaptation of the iconic books by J.R.R. Tolkien was originally co-created by Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical director Matthew Warchus and Shaun McKenna in 2006, with music by A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire), Finnish folk group Värttinä, and Christopher Nightingale (Matilda the Musical). This recent version ran at The Watermill Theatre in the open air and is directed by Paul Hart.
“I can’t wait for this next step in the epic journey of The Lord of the Rings as we craft this new staging for the U.S. premiere production with Chicago Shakespeare Theater for Chicago audiences,” Hart said in a statement. “We loved creating this version which was retold from the perspective of the Hobbits at The Watermill and will now be expanded far beyond those horizons. It will be thrilling to share with new audiences internationally as part of this next stage.”
This means that the musical has a different vantage point than Peter Jackson’s film trilogy (pictured above), and will offer audiences a fresh take on the beloved books.
Here’s the official synopsis for the play:
As the Hobbits celebrate Bilbo Baggins’ eleventy-first birthday in the Shire, he gifts his nephew Frodo his most precious belonging—a gold ring. This fateful moment launches Frodo on a legendary and perilous quest across Middle-earth to the darkest realms of Mordor to vanquish evil with his loyal Fellowship.
You can learn more about the musical, including buying tickets, by clicking the link here.
If you can’t make it to Chicago or don’t want to wait until this summer, you can check out a trailer for the production that Watermill Theatre put out below.
