Lord of the Rings to End Its Toronto Run Sept. 3

The musical version of The Lord of the Rings will end its run at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre on September 3. By the time it closes, it will have played 230 performances.

The Lord of the Rings features book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus, and music by A.R. Rahman and Vãrttinã with Christopher Nightingale. The cast features Tony winner Brent Carver as the great wizard Gandalf, James Loye as Frodo Baggins, Michael Therriault as Gollum, Evan Buliung as Aragorn, Richard McMillan as the wizard Saruman, Peter Howe as Frodo's best friend Samwise Gamgee, Dylan Roberts as Merry, Owen Sharpe as Pippin, Gabriel Burrafato is Legolas, Dion Johnstone is Boromir, Carly Street as Arwen, Victor A. Young as Elrond, Kerry Dorey as Théoden and Kristin Galer as Rosie. Warchus directs.

The show received decidedly mixed reviews when it opened its world premiere in Canada on March 23. In his Broadway.com Review of the production, Mark Shenton wrote: "Transferring Tolkien's massive adventure fantasy to the stage may have seemed an epic folly. But as cleverly if not necessarily always clearly distilled by director Matthew Warchus, who has also co-written the adaptation with Shaun McKenna, a constantly unfolding pageant of character and confrontations between good and evil evolves across one hurtling evening that, though admittedly long at close to four hours including two intermissions, is never dull."

The show recently won seven Dora Awards the biggest Canadian theater honor, including Outstanding New Musical. The mammoth musical will next be seen in London. It is scheduled to begin performances at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in the West End on May 9, 2007, and officially open there on June 19, 2007.