This is going to be amazing. I've already bugged my parents, and I'm definately buying tickets on the first day they are available!

THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE FIRST MAJOR STAGE ADAPTATION OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN'S CLASSIC TRILOGY "THE LORD OF THE RINGS" TO OPEN IN TORONTO IN SPRING 2006

"The Lord of the Rings", the first major stage adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic trilogy, will receive it's World Premiere when it opens in Toronto in Spring 2006. This coincides with the 70th Anniversary of J.R.R. Tolkien's starting to write the trilogy and follows the 50th Anniversary of the publication of the complete trilogy, "The Fellowship of the Ring", "The Two Towers", and "The Return of the King".

The CAD $27 million production ($11.5 million) has book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna & Matthew Warchus and music by A.R. Rahman & Vtinith Christopher Nightingale. The show will be directed by Matthew Warchus, with choreography by Peter Darling and set and costume design by Rob Howell.

Director Matthew Warchus says of the production, "We have not attempted to pull the novel towards the standard conventions of Musical Theatre, but rather to expand those conventions so that they will accomodate Tolkien's material. As a result, we will be presenting a hydrib of Text, Physical Theatre, Music and Spectacle never previously seen on this scale. To read the novel is to experience the events of Middle-Earth in the mind's eye; to watch the films is to view Middle-Earth as though through a giant window. Only in the theatre are we actually plunged into the events as they happen. The environment surrounds us. We participate. We are in Middle-Earth."

"'The Lord of the Rings' has captured the imagination of the City and Provincial governments of Toronto and Ontario which have - with our Canadian partners - created the ideal platform from which to launch the premiere production to the world," says producer Kevin Wallace.

'The Lord of the Rings' will open at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre on 23 March 2006, following previews from 2 February.

The Kevin Wallace Limited production of "The Lord of the Rings" will be presented in Canada by Kevin Wallace and Saul Zaentz, in association with David & Ed Mirvish and Michael Cohl.

Casting for the Toronto production will begin immediately. Rehearsals start in Toronto on 24 October of this year.

Tickets go on sale to the public via http://www.lotr.com on May 15 and by phone on May 16, 2005.

The London premiere of "The Lord of the Rings" is now scheduled for Autumn 2006.

WEBSITE: http://www.lotr.com

PEACE, Mike

Toronto has officially become the owrlds geekiest city

But i'd go see it.

This made me think of Spamalot by Mohty Python...now that I am excited for.

is it possible to audition for this or they have everyone they need and who is doing it?

It says that rehearsals start in Toronto on October 24th of "this year". I'm not sure if that meant this year, 2005, or last year. I'm assuming it meant last year, 2004, because if it were this year, it would be incredibly late if they were planning to perform it by february in 2006. Although I could be wrong, because I'm sure they practice hard every day. Check the website I provided, maybe there is contact info, and you could ask. If there are still auditions, and you found out where they are in Toronto, I'm sure you could audition.

PEACE, Mike