In case you missed THE LORD OF THE RINGS segment this morning on NBC’s “Today”, you can access it here.
The stage version of The Lord of the RingsR30;is a robust, serious, quite faithful transposition of the saga. This is the one LOTR (to use the fans acronym) you can consume in a single evening and say with a pleased smile, “Yes, that’s it”. It is a musical that becomes a spectacular morality play, an adventure with a soft and stricken heart. The Ring Fellowship has staged the season’s definitive megamusical, 560 Km north of Times Square. For now, Broadway is off-Toronto”
Time Magazine
“A breathtaking theatrical adaptation, directed, designed and choreographed, produced with searing attention to detail. I was completely transported, not just by the story but also by the way 21st-century stage know-how melded with old fashioned stagecraft”
Daily Mail (UK)
“Scenically, technically and imaginatively The Lord of the Rings is a marvel. Under Matthew Warchus’ implacably disciplined direction, hardly any of the effects are gratuitous… Rob Howell’s sets, a forest of invention with withered branches as the governing motif, pull not just the stage but the auditorium into Middle Earth, as does Paul Pyant’s lighting, which, in its beauty and variety, calls for the coining of new superlatives… The adaptation, by Shaun McKenna and the director, is outstandingly intelligent.”
National Post (Canada)
The world premiere stage production of THE LORD OF THE RINGS opened March 23 at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre. J.R.R. Tolkien’s world renowned book trilogy has sold in excess of 200 million copies and now, THE LORD OF THE RINGS has arrived on stage.
A Kevin Wallace Limited Production, presented by Kevin Wallace and Saul Zaentz, in association with David and Ed Mirvish and Michael Cohl, THE LORD OF THE RINGS began previews on February 4, 2006 at the 2,000-seat Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
An international creative team, led by acclaimed director Matthew Warchus, award-winning set and costume designer Rob Howell and celebrated choreographer Peter Darling, has combined all three books into one unmissable theatrical event. With a thrilling score, a spectacular design, and featuring an ensemble of over 70 actors, singers and musicians, THE LORD OF THE RINGS features book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus and a score by India’s most popular composer, A.R. Rahman, and the renowned Finish group Vårttinå collaborating with musical supervisor and orchestrator Christopher Nightingale.
For tickets and schedule visit:
lotr.com
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Evie sends along word that the British Academy of Film and Television Arts is screening ‘Sharpe’s Challenge’ on April 3rd at Princess Anne Theatre. Take a look below for more info.
Sharpe’s Challenge
Monday 3 April
Princess Anne Theatre
18:30 Reception
19:00 Screening
Followed by a Q&A with Bernard Cornwell, author of the Sharpe novels, and members of the cast and crew.
Sharpe’s Challenge
A Celtic Films Entertainment / Picture Palace Films / BBC America production for ITV1 in association with Azure Films and Harper Collins
Dir: Tom Clegg Scr: Russell Lewis Cast: Sean Bean/Daragh O’Malley/Toby Stephens
Sean Bean is back as the swashbuckling hero in Sharpe’s Challenge. A year after Wellington crushes Napoleon at Waterloo, dispatches tell of a local Maharaja, Khande Rao, who is threatening British interests in India. Wellington sends Sharpe to investigate what turns out to be his most dangerous mission to date. The fate of an Empire and the life of a General’s daughter lie in one man’s hands…
After five seasons of action-packed adventure films, the award-winning Sharpe returns as two feature length episodes written by Russell Lewis (The Best Man, Inspector Morse, Hornblower). Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings, North Country, Flightplan), who returns to the role of Richard Sharpe for the first time in eight years, is joined once again by Daragh O’Malley (Rebel Heart) as Sharpe’s best friend Sgt Patrick Harper in this bloody enterprise filmed entirely in India.
Sharpe’s Challenge is based on the books by Bernard Cornwell.
To reserve a place in advance, please call 020 7292 5806
Academy Members: Free
Non Members: £10
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Altaira writes: The Misty Mountains Smial, the Denver, Colorado Tolkien Society group, invites you to join us to celebrate Tolkien Reading Day! On Saturday, March 25 th , people all around the world will gather to read their favorite passages from Tolkien’s works. March 25th is the day the Ring of Power was destroyed and Sauron was defeated:
“It is a date of renewal: the change from the Third Age to the Fourth, the change from fear and oppression to new hope.” – Tolkien Society website
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Where: Tattered Cover Book Store, Cherry Creek (1st & Milwaukee, just north of the Cherry Creek Mall) – Lower Level Event Space.
Cost: Free
- Bring your favorite Tolkien passage to read
- Excerpts from the audio CDs of J.R.R. Tolkien reading his own works
- Excerpts from the audio CDs of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings
- Selected readings from “The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien”
- Lean about the Tolkien Society
The Tattered Cover will display many books and other items to add to your Tolkien and fantasy collection, including some of the newest Tolkien items (yes, there are new books)!
Please stop by any time between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Children welcome!
Food and beverages are available at the Tattered Cover’s full service café. At 4:00 p.m. we will adjourn to the Fourth Story Restaurant and Bar for snacks and a toast to professor Tolkien.
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Garfeimao writes: In two weeks time, a new film will be released, starring Sean Astin called “Marilyn Hotchkiss’s Ballroom Dancing and Charm School”. This film was originally screened at Sundance last year, and subsequently bought by Samual Goldwyn for distribution. It stars Robert Carlyle, Marisa Tomei, Mary Steenburgen, Sean Astin, Donnie Wahlberg, David Paymer, Camryn Manheim, Adam Arkin, Sonia Braga, Ernie Hudson, Danny Devito and John Goodman.
This film is a rather adorable little romance story about dealing with loss, keeping long ago made promises, and the healing nature of dance. I’m not going to give away any of the story, it’s something you need to see and decide for yourself what is happening. But I will say that this film started as a Short Film in 1990, and that short film still survives, in the form of flashbacks, in this current film. In fact, one of the children from the earlier short film makes an appearance as an adult now in the later film. It’s rather clever, actually, the way they intercut the original story, filled it out and filmed the rest of the story. And the cast is to die for, especially with the kind of limited budget independant films are famous for.
This screened for the Inaugral screening of the Orange County Film Society, sponsored by the Newport Beach Film Festival, at the Lido Cinema in Balboa. If you want to see a sweet film that will tug at your heart, I suggest you look this one up.
Expect me when you see me,
Garfeimao
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This weekend, Hall of Fire will focus on the stewards of Middle Earth. Several characters take up the role as stewards in Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Some are obvious – Denethor, Manwe (and – indeed – many other Vala), Theoden and Samwise, for example.
However, Treebeard, Elrond, Galadriel, Gandalf and the other Istari, and maybe even Tom Bombadil and the Entwives can also be viewed as stewards. But what makes a steward in Tolkien’s milieu? And, apart from a great love for their individual ‘stewardships’, What do they have in common and what sets them apart?
Additionally, were Sauron and Saruman ever stewards? And how close is the distinction between stewarding something and seeking to dominate it?
These are just a few of the things we’ll discuss this weekend on Saturday March 18 at 5.30pm EST in The Hall of Fire.
Time zone conversions
Not sure what time the chat will be where you are? Check this little conversion table out for some help.
America:
5.30pm EST (New York)
4.30pm CST (Chicago)
3.30pm MST (Salt Lake City)
2.30pm PST (Los Angeles)
Europe:
10.30pm GMT (London)
11.30pm CET (Paris)
Asia-Pacific:
6.30am AWST (Sunday) Perth
8.30am AEST (Sunday) Brisbane
9.30am AEDT (Sunday) Sydney
11.30am NZDT (Sunday) Wellington
Our chats usually last 45 mins to an hour, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation!
Where?
Chat happens on #thehalloffire on irc.theonering.net – the TORn IRC server. You can connect instantly via our java chat client that works inside your web browser (find it here! ) or choose to install a dedicated chat program such as mIRC on your computer.
To find out more about using mIRC to connect to TORn IRC server, check out these instructions.
Upcoming topics:
Sat April 1 — Silmarillion Chapter 17: The coming of men into the west
Sat April 15 — Silmarillion Chapter 18: The ruin of Beleriand
Got a topic? Let us know your idea!
If you have a burning desire to discuss something in Hall of Fire, drop us a line with your topic at halloffire@theonering.net. If we like it, we’ll probably give it a run in the coming weeks – you might even get to guest moderate the session!
Join HoF Announce!
Did you know that Hall of Fire has a mailing list? Join today and get topic announcements and news delivered regularly to your inbox!
Hof-announce@theonering.net
http://www.theonering.net/mailman/listinfo/hof-announce
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Michaela Fülöp writes: I would like to offer you an interview I did a few days ago with Bruce Hopkins for FantasyPlanet.cz. As we have it on our website in Czech, of course, I thought it might be nice if people could read it worldwide in English on TORN. I think the interview is very nice, funny and brand new so hopefully you will like it and put it online.
Interview with Bruce Hopkins for FantasyPlanet.cz
Bruce Hopkins, the one and only Gamling from LOTR trilogy, was so kind to find a few minutes to answer some questions from Czech fans!!! I have been collecting these questions for this exclusive interview from readers of the FantasyPlanet.cz website. Find out how Bruce remembers LOTR shooting, what´s he up to and much more!!!
1. I understand that the Gamling role was originally a much smaller part. Then PJ liked what he was seeing and made it bigger. How did you find out? Did he tell you he was going to expand your role?
I was approached by Phillipa Boyens on about the 3rd night of what was going to be about a weeks work for me in the last days of Helms Deep, she informed me that they liked what I was doing and how I worked alongside Bernard Hills King Theoden, so the decision had been made to put me in more scenes with him. As you can imagine, I was a very happy chappy!!!
2. What was it like working with Bernard Hill?
It was wonderful to work with Bernard. Within the first few nights of working with him, I discovered that he was the actor who had first made me aware of how powerful acting can be, about 20yrs earlier. I was still a dancer at that time and got hooked on a british television series called ” Boys From the Black Stuff”. I remember watching an episode and this particular character called Yossa Hughes, was so powerful he made me cry and I found it incredible to think he was just pretending ( acting ) and yet it was effecting me so powerfully. It turns out that actor was Bernard Hill!!! I was blown away to think I was standing beside him all these years later and we were about to defend Helms Deep!!!, and middle earth!!!, very cool.
3. Since I am an Orlando fan: I know scenes are shot out of order and sometimes actors that appear to be in the same scene together actually were not during filming. Were you ever on call for the same scene with Orlando and if so, what was Orlando like between takes?
I had the real pleasure of working not only with Orlando, but also Viggo, Ian McKellan, Bernard and a number of the other actors. Legolas comes to Rohan with Gandalf to enlist us in the cause, so we did quite a lot of filming on the same sets. Between takes Orlando, again like all the core cast, was wonderful. Lots of humour was always present with those guys. One of my first major impressions of Orlando was finishing working on my first day with him, he had the long blonde hair of course. Then after we had all had our make up and wigs removed, I couldn’t believe it he stepped out of his make up bus and was sporting a black Mohawk!!! When I was waiting to be introduced by Peter Jackson to the crowd at the end of the red carpet for the world premier of Return of the King in Wellington, I called my 13 yr old daughter on my cell phoned. She had said to me that I had to tell Orlando that she and her friends loved him!!! ( along with 90% of the worlds female population ) after to handing the phone to a couple of he other actors, Viggo handed it to Orlando and I stood there absolutely loving it as Orlando chatted away to my daughter for about 3-4 minutes. Not only a bloody stunning looking man, but a real nice guy.
4. Did you find the whole New Zealand filming experience as thrilling as the other cast members appear to have? Why?
Yes I found it as thrilling as the others. I have travelled alot around NZ, as I used to be a professional dancer and the dance companies I was in would tour alot. So I was already familiar with the stunning beauty and variety of landscapes and locations. However I was still as stunned by some of the places we worked in. In particular the location for Edoras. One day we turned up and as far as the eye could see everything was coated in freshly fallen snow. In fact the snow had to be melted off the mountain that Edoras sat on before we could start filming!
5. What is your opinion of Peter Jackson not only as a director but as a person? Would you work with him again if the opportunity arose?
I would work with Peter Jackson and Fran any day, just let me know when to turn up!!! He was astounding. The scale of what he was doing would have made most people very prone to a lot of stress. If Peter was stressed, I never witnessed it, and I spent about 50 days working under his direction. Truely inspiring.
6. Orlando was pretty young and inexperienced when he took the role of Legolas. Was he as professional and easy to work with as the older and/or more experienced actors?
I came onto the production after they had been working together for 9 months ( basically half way through the principal shooting ), by that time all of the actors, including Orlando, were such professionals it sat it was awesome to behold and to be a part of.
7. Did Bernard Hill play a big part in the expansion of your role or was PJ already thinking of it?
I really do not know the answer to that question. I think maybe Bernard had been part of the decision to create a role for someone to command the armies of Rohan, but as I say I really do not know.
8. Do you still talk to anyone from the LOTR cast or crew? (e-mail, meet, phone, co-operate on some future project etc.)
Just the Kiwi contingent. I am working with Cameron Rhodes who played Farmer Baggins at the moment. The NZ acting scene is reasonable small so we see each other a few times each year. When I get to visit LA I usually catch up with Sala Baker and have caught up with Elijah, Billy and Dom. I actually had a surf with Billy and Dom one time in LA, that was cool, crap surf but cool to hang with them. I also literally came across Brad Dourif as I was walking along Hollywood Boulevard one day.
9. Were Viggo and Bernard really as comic as everyone makes out?
Yes!!! They were a great combination. Still could be very serious but also knew how to have lots of fun, as did everyone!
10. What happened with Gamling after the battle on Pellenor fields?
As I say, gamling was not written in the original script so there was no ending for his character. I would have loved to see him beside Eomer at the coronation, or having a great death ( like Haldir ) at Pelenor, but there was no room for writing in scenes that were not needed by that stage. So in my world Gamling retired to a ranch in Rohan, where he was bathed daily by scantily clad beauties, while being feed grapes and other such delights as he drank fine mead and had his aching body massaged under the heavens.
11. Have you ever thought about moving from New Zealand? What would you miss most?
The open environment, the glorious ocean and stunning mountains.
12. What was the atmosphere on the set of Xena series? And working with Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor? Do you still talk to anyone from Xena?
Half NZs acting population had roles on various Xena and Hercules episodes, so yes I see many of those people still. I rarely see Lucy as she is based in LA mostly these days. I caught up with Kevin Sorbo at one of the LOTR functions in LA in 2003 and I caught up with Rene at the 10th anniversary Xena convention in LA last year. The atmosphere on the Xena and herc stes was very cool. It was the first real big time production to ever come and set up for a length of time in NZ and when ver you got to work on it you felt privileged. You were also working with people such as Ngila Dickson and Grant Major, who of course went on to become academy award winners for LOTR. Eric Grundeman, who was the producer for those shows was a truely wonderful human being. So it was a great time in the NZ film/TV industry.
13. Would you like to go back to the dancing? What did you like most about it?
I am so grateful to have had the years I did as a dancer. No I don’t really wish I could go back to it. I did do a national tour 6 yrs ago with a company called Black Grace, who took Broadway by storm last year. That was a great way to sign off from my dancing days. It was 12 yrs after I had stopped dancing and started acting!!! And my body was in hell but i absolutely loved it. I had to take pain killers each day just to be able to get to work but it was stunning. I just loved to be lost in the moment of dancing, the challenge to get it right but also the joy of taking your body to extremes.
14. What was the most life changing experience in your life?
Becoming a father, which happened three times in the space of 4 years!!!
15. Who’s the person you most admire and why?
Peter Jackson, for living his life doing what he loves doing. The same can be said for Edmund Hillary ( who with Sherpa Tensing was the first to ascend Mt Everest ), Kelly Slater and all the other surfers who make their living surfing, etc.
16. Since he is currently considered as a very good actor how do you remember Ryan Gosling?
He was a lovely young guy who seemed genuinely grateful for the chance Young Hercules gave him. I enjoyed working with him alot, he was focussed but also able to have a good time.
17. Are there any scenes with Gamling that didn’t make it to the movies? If so, could you describe them?
I am pretty pleased to say most of my stuff made it. A couple of lines did not get through, but the scenes were still there. There was a one scene that got made up on the spot basically, where Gamling comes into the caves behind Helms Deep to tell Eowyn that they must take the people deeper into the mountain. When gamling gets to where Eowyn is, she looks up from where she is helping a woman give birth. Gamling is totally tongue tied and has to look away. It was a pretty strange scene to be doing and as i say was made up at the end of a day of filming. I’m happy it did not make it as i don’t think I did a great job of acting that scene.
18. Could you characterize every member of the Fellowship or every actor that you worked with on LOTR with one or two words?
Ian Mckellen………graciously noble
Bernard Hill………wonderfully real
Viggo…………….mesmerisingly enigmatic
Orlando…………..playfully charming
Billy…………….joyous and truthful
Dom………………mischevious and gleeful
Elijah……………genuine and angelic
John Rhys Davies…..powerful and commanding
Sean Astin………..truely aware
Karl urban………..focussed and dedicated
Miranda…………..committed and gentle
Who am I to summise these people, truely they were all wonderful in my experience with them.
19. Is there any role that you dream of?
I got to play Macbeth a couple of years ago, so another challenge along those lines would be great.
20. Do you prefer theatre or tv/movies? (as an actor)
I love it all. At the moment I am working on a theatre piece, which is best described as physical theatre. It is like film but happens on stage. I am working with my creative gurus, Mike Mizrahi and Mari Adams of Inside Out Productions.
21. Could you describe what would make a perfect day for you? (what would you do, eat, etc.)
Big fruit salad for breakfast and a couple of strong long black coffees. A couple of hours in the surf. Film some scenes for a movie, go for a sunset sail on a yacht, then sit around drinking red wine, maybe smoking a joint!!!, and looking at the star filled heavens above, sitting with friends around a fire by the beach.
22. Do you know if they are still trying to make the Hobit movie or any part of the Sillmarilion?
No I don’t have any information about that.
23. Are the actors and creators thinking about any sort of “LOTR tour” around the world? (perhaps on some aniversary occasion like 5 or 10 years after ROTK premiere or something like that) Would they consider coming to Prague or close to Prague?
It would be a something I am sure various people would have considered. Maybe even more of a personal gathering of the actors and production personnel, but who knows.
24. How do you remember working on Xena, Herc, Young Herc, Back 2 Back?
Yeah it was great although the reality was that each job was usually a few months apart, unless you were core cast.
25. I think that in the episode The Last Stand from Cleo 2525 you were most sexy of your entire film carier. How do you remember this character and how it felt to kiss Vicky Pratt?
It was cool playing Jake. The post production people actually embraced the character of Jake Lawson and made a saying out of the phrase….” No…. I’m Jake Lawson” That was cool. Getting to kiss Vicky was a nice bonus, although her boyfriend was directing that episode!!!
THE END
PS from Bruce: If you want to, you can tune into a talk back radio show I do. You can go to www.radiolive.co.nz. I do a show from midnight Saturday till 6am Sundays with my mate. We call ourselves Des and Les. It would be great to have people tune in around the world!!!
Be sure to visit Bruce´s official website at www.bruce-hopkins.com and also www.indipact.com!
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