Casting Complete for London Lord of the Rings Musical

According to London Theatre Guide, casting is complete for upcoming London production of The Lord of the Rings, which opens at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on June 19th, 2007.

Joining previously announced Olivier Award-winner Laura Michelle Kelly, as Galadriel, and James Loye, as Frodo Baggins, will be the following newcomers to the show: Malcolm Storry (The Royal Hunt Of The Sun at the National) as Gandalf, Jerome Pradon (London Les Misérables) as Aragorn, Richard Henders (London Caroline, Or Change) as Merry, Michael Rouse (London The Boy Friend) as Legolas, Sévan Stephan (London Guys And Dolls) as Gimli, Steven Miller as Boromir and Rosalie Craig as Arwen, as well as Andrew Jarvis as Elrond, Terence Frisch as Bilbo, Tim Morgan as Théoden and Kirsty Malpass as Rosie.

A number of performers will also repeat their roles from the hit Toronto production: Peter Howe as Sam, Dora Award-winner Michael Therriault as Gollum and Owen Sharpe as Pippin. 

The world premiere Toronto production of Lord of the Rings began performances on February 4, 2006, and closed on September 3rd at the Princess of Wales Theatre. 

The production, based on the J.R.R. Tolkien books (which also inspired Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning film series), generated an economic impact of more than $640 million to Toronto and the province of Ontario during its hit run.  Despite opening to mixed reviews, The Lord of the Rings received seven Dora Awards - including Best Musical.

The Lord of the Rings features music by A.R. Rahman (along with the Finnish group Varrtina and Christopher Nightingale), and the book and lyrics are by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus. Rob Howell's elaborate sets feature three interconnected turntables with 16 elevators; he also designed the costumes. Warchus directs.

The creative team spent over two years developing the show. Simon Baker (sound), The Gray Circle (moving image design), Paul Kieve (illusions direction), Laurie Battle (Tolkien creative consultation), and Nightingale (musical supervision) comprise the rest of the creative team. The show is presented by Kevin Wallace and Saul Zaentz, in association with David and Ed Mirvish and Michael Kohl.

The production, which had cost $27 million (Canadian) to stage, will be shorter in its London incarnation than it was in Toronto.  The Canadian version clocked in at over three-and-a-half hours; the London musical will be performed in less than three.

Visit www.lotr.com for more information on the musical.

Photo - Laura Michelle Kelly