WhatsOnStage recently took a trip to Bagnor in the heart of Berkshire, where the first-ever UK revival of The Lord of the Rings musical is currently being staged at the Watermill Theatre.
In the venue's leafy surroundings, we were able to capture footage from the show's Shire-based prologue and epilogue scenes alongside interviews with cast members Matthew Bugg (who plays Gollum), Amelia Gabriel (Pippin) and Geraint Downing (Merry).
Check out our Hobbit-infused video feature!
The Lord of the Rings musical, which was first seen in Toronto in 2006 ahead of a West End premiere the subsequent year, is based on the classic trilogy by J R R Tolkien about a group of Hobbits who attempt to destroy a piece of malevolent jewelry. The series of novels was also famously adapted into three Oscar-winning films by Peter Jackson.
The stage version has a book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus and music by A R Rahman (Bombay Dreams, Slumdog Millionaire), Finnish folk band Värttinä and Tony Award winner and Grammy nominee Christopher Nightingale (Matilda the Musical).
Alongside Bugg, Gabirel and Downing, the cast also includes (in alphabetical order) Folarin Akinmade (Perfect Show for Rachel) as Gimli, Reece Causton (Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man) as ensemble, Kelly Coughlin (Avenue 5) as ensemble, Peter Dukes (Brief Encounter) as Boromir, Tom Giles (Miss Littlewood) as Elrond/Saruman, Charlotte Grayson (Whistle Down The Wind) as Rosie, Nuwan Hugh Perera (Life of Pi) as Sam, Bridget Lappin (The Rhinegold) as ensemble/dance captain, Georgia Louise (Tammy Faye) as Galadriel, Elliot Mackenzie (Whistle Down The Wind) as ensemble, Peter Marinker (Labyrinth) as Gandalf, Louis Maskell (The Grinning Man) as Frodo, Aoife O’Dea (Innocence) as Arwen, John O’Mahony (Fisherman’s Friends the Musical) as Bilbo, Yazdan Qafouri (The Band) as Legolas, Sioned Saunders (Amélie) as ensemble/onstage musical director and Aaron Sidwell (EastEnders) as Aragorn.
The production is directed by Paul Hart and designed by Simon Kenny, with musical supervision and orchestrations by Mark Aspinall, choreography by Anjali Mehra, lighting design by Rory Beaton, sound design by Adam Fisher, projection design by George Reeve, associate direction by Sibylla Archdale Kalid, puppet design by Charlie Tymms, and puppetry direction by Ashleigh Cheadle. The stage management team are Cat Pewsey (CSM), Katie Newton (DSM), Natalie Toney and Fern Bamber (ASMs) with Leila Stephenson (ASM Placement).
The Lord of the Rings is set to run at Newbury's Watermill Theatre until 15 October 2023.