Laura Michelle Kelly Cast in London Lord of the Rings

London Mary Poppins star Laura Michelle Kelly will play the elven queen Galadriel in the upcoming London production of The Lord of the Rings, which opens at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on June 19th, 2007.

Kelly, who won an Olivier Award for originating the title role of the Mary Poppins stage musical, will be joined by the previously announced James Loye, who will play Frodo Baggins. 

Loye was a member of the original Lord of the Rings Toronto cast; Kelly will be a new addition.  The actress has also appeared on the West End in Beauty and the Beast, Whistle Down the Wind, Les Miserables, Mamma Mia! and My Fair Lady, as well as on Broadway in Fiddler on the Roof.

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.