The Lord of the Rings Musical Switches Debut from London to Toronto

The musical version of The Lord of the Rings will not premiere in the West End next fall after all. The musical will debut at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre on March 23, 2006, according to Variety.

The Lord of the Rings, which is based on the popular books by J.R.R. Tolkien, will feature music by composer A.R. Rahman Bombay Dreams and Finland's contemporary folk group Värttinä not Stephen Keeling and Bernd Stromberger as originally announced and book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna. Matthew Warchus is attached to direct, and his Our House collaborators, designer Rob Howell and choreographer Peter Darling, are also on board.

The Lord of the Rings tuner, which is scheduled to begin previews in Canada on February 2, is being capitalized at $23 million and will feature a cast of 65.