CHICAGO—Transferring the page to the stage is always a challenge. But it’s an even more difficult enterprise when a theater company adapts a sprawling epic trilogy like J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” into a stage musical. Such is the daring case with Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s U.S. premiere production of “The Lord of the Rings - A Musical Tale,” now playing in Chicago.
An Epic, Now Onstage
With a book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus, the show runs a bit longer than three hours. This expansive and, at times, spectacular presentation is too lengthy. For the most part, it follows Tolkien’s story. It still features Frodo, a hobbit who has inherited a ring that can destroy the entire world. With eight friends, Frodo sets out on a quest to destroy the powerful ring and save Middle-earth from the evil Lord Saruman.
Frodo (Spencer Davis Milford, Right Center) surrounded by the ensemble, in "The Lord of the Rings - A Musical Tale." Liz Lauren
