The Lord of the Rings--A Musical Tale, which opened last year in the U.K., will stage its U.S. debut in Chicago this July. Deadline reported that the production, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien and directed by Paul Hart, begins performances July 19 at The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, running through September 1. An international tour will follow, with venues and dates to be announced in June.
"I can't wait for this next step in the epic journey of The Lord of the Rings as we craft this new staging for the U.S. premiere production with Chicago Shakespeare Theater for Chicago audiences," Hart said. "We loved creating this version which was retold from the perspective of the Hobbits at The Watermill and will now be expanded far beyond those horizons. It will be thrilling to share with new audiences internationally as part of this next stage."
The production features book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus and original music by A.R. Rahman, Finnish folk band Värttinä, and Christopher Nightingale. (An earlier iteration was staged at London's Royal Drury Lane in 2007.)