Synopsis
Flyer
Impressions/Performances
From the moment we enter the auditorium the mood is set by the strains of the musical score from the film trilogy wafting out from the speakers either side of the stage, and the show's title projected onto a black curtain rippling gently in the draught at the back of the stage. To then be greeted by a completely non-LOTR related comedy warm-up act is a bit of a throw - as if we have suddenly been catapulted to another theatre! Having said that, Danny Pensive's thirty minute stint is highly entertaining. The name (Pensive) intimates the style - his comedy consisting largely of an alternative view of everyday topics reading extracts from his diary, interspersed with a smattering of funny poems - all delivered in a thoughtful, innocent, Geordie deadpan. It is clever, original, irregular comedy that frequently takes you by surprise with it's ingenious twists and ingenuous alter-outlook. The funniest part is when he describes to us a game we can all play at our local Tesco Extra. It requires the participation of the floor manager. How do we find him? Look in the eyes of all the staff - when you find the one where all hope is dead, that's him!
Next it is on to the main business of the evening, Charles Ross with his One Man Lord of the Rings Show - and what you get is pretty much what it says on the tin. No sets, no props, no costumes, no extras nor anything else - just one man in a boiler suit acting out all the scenes and all the characters, from the dimunitive Hobbits to the giant tree like Ents. So no problems with the Trades Descriptions Act there then! Of course the orginal Tolkien story ran to four printed volumes, recently recorded in three epic movies with a combined running time of just under nine hours - rather a lot to try to encompass in a little over one hour. Too much in fact, so that Ross's version is very much a concise precis of the original story, sticking to the main events and leaving large gaps in between. Consequently, to get the most out of this production you need some pre-existing familiarity with the books and/or the films. Without that I am certain it would all be utterly unintelligible as Ross throws himself about the stage, leaping chaotically between characters and locations. Indeed, taking a water break between the first two DVD's Ross conducts a straw pole of who has seen the films, read the books, done both or done neither - quipping to the latter that he has no idea what they will get from the show. But if you are familiar with the story, and with the movie trilogy especially, then every character and situation he portrays is instantly recogniseable.
As Ross unfolds the story he captures the voices of the leading characters from the movies near-perfectly, and adds to his impersonations with physical caricatures, like leaning on a staff for Gandalf, hair brushing for Legolas and hugging for the hobbits - even down to perfectly capturing the peculiar high-stepping gait of the ents. Added to this are his own incredible vocal sound-effects are mixed with mood music and clever lighting changes (the only 'outside' help he receives in the entire performance) to draw us deep into his magical world of human, elves, orcs and hobbits. Of course it is all done tongue in cheek and there are plenty of gags, both visual and verbal, thrown in amongst the manic, knockabout action. For example, as Frodo: "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish I had never got into this" followed by "winge, winge, winge!" On another occasion, upon discovering elvish writing, he starts reciting a Presley song - No! Elvish! Other gags are more subtle, and sometimes bareley uttered so that you have to listen carefully the whole time not to miss anything.
I have to agree with Ross that I don't know what you would get out of his show if you were not already well versed in LOTR, but then the title of the show is a pretty good clue as to what you are getting so why else would you be there? What you are getting is a tremendously energetic seventy minutes of one-man conedy action.
Verdict
A frenetic action/comedy show that is a must see for all LOTR enthusiasts.
Don Gillan - www.stagebeauty.net