(no subject)

[etakyma]

Okay, I'm gonna say some things that are not going to be a surprise to most of you. Confession time. Ready?

I am a complete musical theatre dork. I have no idea what happened at the Oscars, but am a HUGE fan of the Tony awards. Seeing all the actors of Broadway together is exciting. It is exciting because you *know* these folks work their asses off night after night.

I love the form. I love the storytelling. I love the music. I love the creativity. I love that the songs usually have something to say (even if it is silly and/or crazy). It takes a whole hell of a lot for me to *hate* a musical.

I can be indifferent (Jersey Boys? really? Okay fun music, but it is not *new.* Contact - the first and ultimate juke box musical - I still enjoyed it as an experiment). But outright hate? Hmmmm....

Even the borderline-bad concepts have something to recommend them (whoever thought Les Miserables would make a hit musical? Big-ass depressing French novel - or Oliver - a big-ass depressing English novel). Then we have the socially conscious. Carousel took on domestic violence, and South Pacific took on prejudice. Rent became the battle cry of youth in the nineties. Now we have Spring Awakening dealing with ignorance, confusion, sexuality, and puberty - which I also have no desire to see (can you say depressing?).

So while the concept of "Lord of the Rings: The Musical" makes me think "That right there? Likely nothing but a hot mess." However, having heard some of the music, it is lovely. I can't imagine how they could tell the story of the LotR journey in any kind of meaningful way in a stage production. But the ethereal style they made the elvin music contrasts and complements the folky drinking-song-style of the hobbits.

So while I have no real desire to *see* it staged, the music has intrigued me. I can see the writers of the music doing something really fine with a retelling of an Arthurian legend. Or Merlin. Or anything uniquely British and from a thousand or so years ago.

There. Done. Off my soapbox for the night. :D

Comments

[wildfyre.livejournal.com]

I have to disagree, but I'll qualify that by saying that I don't see LotR as a "musical" in the traditional sense. It doesn't use the music to advance the plot, but to add atmosphere and a sense of culture and other-worldliness. Which is, of course, the same way that the songs and poetry are used in the book. So even though a lot of the plot is left out, it feels to me far more Tolkien-esque than the films did.

As a show, one of the things I love about it is how completely original it is. It doesn't follow the musical formula, so where a lot of shows are kind of interchangeable - and I do love the formula so that's not a criticism - LotR is entirely different. It also involves the audience in a way that makes the theatregoing experience unique - you get clambered on by hobbits, covered in crepe paper ash from the Balrog, and so on. And it really is spectacular - the way the moving stage works is fantastic, and some of the special effects really are...well, magical.

Sorry, got myself a soapbox of my own there. I just really, really love this show. Enough to see it 15+ times - in top price seats - on a student budget :D