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With a single dessert and just two glasses of wine our bill was kept in check - but the effort of doing so was not much fun
Babbo
Film
This is a film with beautiful performances and a visual style that urges you towards reflection
Bright Star
Theatre
Although the first half of Kwei-Armah’s production is pacy, funny and intelligent, the energy level then drops off
Seize The Day
I loved this film from start to finish. Take the girlfriend, tell your mum - I'd see it again tomorrow and will buy the dvd.
I saw this last night and can't remember the last time I was so moved in the theatre.
I have been to many of London's so-called best Japanese restaurants and none have been as good as the food that I've had at Aqua Kyoto
London,
Evening Standard rating
Reader rating
Dir: Matthew Warchus, Peter Darling (choreography).
Cast: Malcolm Storry, James Loye, Laura Michelle Kelly, Michael Therriault, Peter Howe, Richard Henders, Owen Sharpe, Michael Rouse, Sevan Stephan, Steven Miller, Rosalie Craig, Andrew Jarvis, Kirsty Malpass
Description: A stage adaptation of JRR Tolkien's adventure trilogy, directed by Matthew Warchus, with music by AR Rahman, Varttina and Christopher Nightingale.
Trains: Tube: Covent Garden 
Phone: 0870890 6002
Website: ww.rutheatres.com
Storming performance: warrior orcs run amok across the mechanical stage, which metamorphoses - with the occasional hiccup - into new sets even while the action continues
Gandalf the great: Malcolm Storry
When orcs rampaged through the aisles, it was so realistic that women screamed and ran for the lobby.
The Lord Of The Rings musical cost £25million to bring to the West End and arrived for its British premiere last night featuring a hi-tech set which helps recreate Middle-earth.
But it is likely to be the orcs who will prove the biggest part of its appeal.
The enemies of the hobbits proved terrifying when they left the stage during the interval to get up close to the audience at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
Several women ran for the exits screaming as the black-clad creatures ran through the building.
Yet the £1million rotating floor captured the imagination before an arrow had been fired or an orc slain.
There were audible gasps from theatregoers as the revolutionary automated engineering, with three wheels and 17 lifts all moving independently, raised mountains and created battlefields - without the actors having to leave the stage. It came into its own for the battle of Helm's Deep as the orcs prepared to storm the citadel.
Producer Kevin Wallace said: "It's like a landscape changing as the actors move through it and over it. It's like you're watching something which is almost cinematic visually - but it's three-dimensional."
The audience were warned as they took their seats that there might still be a few gremlins (or should that be Gollums?) in the system. And so it proved when the stage jammed and sound cut out with Aragorn, played by Jerome Pradon, mid-battle cry.
The curtain was hurriedly drawn and an apology came over the PA before normal service was restored.
But it did not seem to bother most of the crowd, who greeted every major battle and song with cheers and applause. It seemed nothing was going to spoil the night for many ardent fans of JRR Tolkien's fantasy epic.
Even at three hours, this was a slimmed-down production - around an hour shorter than the version which was panned, when it had its premiere in Toronto, as too long and confusing.
Director Matthew Warchus - an Evening Standard Theatre award winner for his direction of Volpone and Henry V in 1995 - and writing partner Shaun McKenna have re-vamped it for London.
The musical, which begins its run on 19 June, was the brainchild of producer Kevin Wallace, formerly a Royal Shakespeare Company actor.
The musical score is an unusual collaboration between contemporary Indian composer AR Rahman - who wrote the music for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bombay Dreams - and Finnish folk music group Varttina.
James Loye carried off the role of Frodo Baggins well and Malcolm Storry put in a powerful performance as Gandalf. But Michael Therriault as Gollum stole the show, throwing himself about the stage to recreate the tortured creature without the aid of special effects.
What the first people to see it thought...
Rebecca Heselton, 22, Tooting, student. "The stage, set, visuals and props were fantastic."
Mark Moffat, 27, Tooting, medical student. "I thought it was too similar to the film."
Rebecca Wicking, 23, Archway, actress. "The special effects were amazing - it was really spectacular. The voices were good too: very much in keeping."
Max Ramsey, 12, Josie Whitley, 11, Honour Whitley, 13. "It was really, really good. The best bit was when the Black Riders came down. It was very artistic and brought out the character of The Lord Of The Rings. In some bits it was quite scary too, especially when the bad people came into the audience."
Jon Stokes, 30, Dartford, actor. "An amazing visual feast. The staging was like nothing I've ever seen. I was completely absorbed, mesmerised, even."
Emma Roberts, 23, Brockley, bar worker. "The musical was fantastic and the set was just amazing. It's captivating and it really works."
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
The show is immense, I have been to many theatre productions in my life time, and this performance showed me what is yet to come for the future! It's an epic journey to middle journey, done so well that my eyes at times could not believe what they were seeing. I am seeing it for the 3rd time within opening. The music, the actors, the stage, the effects, its cinematic but they put you in it!
- Parish, London
Saw it a few weeks ago - stage broke down - we paid 50 pounds for a ticket and it wasn't worth it- visually spectacular but the story was pedantic and tiresome. I would pay 20 pounds to view the set but as an avid musical theatre fan there simply wasn't enough to sustain my attention and the music was severely lacking in substance.
- Jenni, London
Was not expecting this to be as good as it was. Special effects were brilliant - the dark riders and the spider in particular were astounding. It must be said that Gollum stole the show - closely followed by the Orcs. Do turn up a little early as the Hobbits do a very good job of setting the scene before "curtain" up.
You will not come out humming any memorable tunes - but you will think about going and seeing it again!
- Janet, Mayfield, East Sussex
OMG this show is just fantastic; I had the time of my life last night. The set and stage are amazing; it's so well put together. You have to see this it's really quite scary how realistic it all looks. Five stars out of five
- Gemma, London
If you are a Tolkien anorak, go see this quickly. It is so dire I fancy that it will not survice Summer in the West End. Yes, the staging and mechanical bits are astounding. The dialogue, music and acting are stiff, pedantic and forgettable.
And be warned: the production is more than three hours long. If you must see it, my advice would be to skip act one, have a couple of pints, and show up at the theatre around 20:30 (after the interval) as act two begins. At least then you know there will be some clever fight scenes and special effects.
- Ernie Blevins, Camden Town
This show is very good and a great extra to the film set.
- Richard, London
Oh my God, go and watch the show it is so fantastic! Lovely music by Arrahman and Varttina its just amazing and set and costumes works like a dream. Its is the most beautiful thing I have seen on stage.. Worth going again and again.. I can't wait for them to open after its all done and completed.. God bless that cast and their skills..
- Rebecca May, London
I wouldn't get too enthustastic! It is an awful production! Terrible singing, lack of tunes, terrible acting, strange gesturing Elves and a Gandalf who couldn't seem to remember a single line! Gollum just seemed to be a poor shadow of Andy Serkis' interpretation and the only actor who seemed worth his pay packet was Sam who was excellent and stole the show! The hobbit sections were excellent, but quite frankly, if I'd paid 8 million for something, I'd want the stage to work and be a lot more impressive! If you love the books and the films, then go, but go expecting to laugh rather than be amazed! I give this show 12 months in the West End.
- Lorna Fleming, London, UK
OK, let me start by saying I have read the books, seen the movie and appreciate that each version will be different to reflect the medium. However, I am not sure that Lord of the Rings, The Show (It isn't really a musical in the traditional sense) works. It is simply too big a picture to put on the restricted canvas of a theatre stage. Not that the production team haven't tried.
The stage is like a character itself. It moves throughout the performance becoming a table, a pit, a hill or the 'Cracks of Doom'. The music was good without being spectacular and to be honest I would not say memorable. Infact, I cannot recall a single song (I think a musical should send you out of the theatre humming the main theme).
And there-in lies the central issue, there seems to be no central theme. The story is rushed along, characters are merged and melded, most notable when Aragorn meets the Denethor/Theoden Character and just claims kingship without argument (Not how it happens in Book or Movie).
The presence of Sauron is never felt, nor is the power of the ring.
There is good and bad here, the show is huge and very ambitious. The staging, lighting, costumes and to a large degree the acting/singing are all well presented. But the lack of empathy felt for the characters lets it down.
Also, a caveat for anyone who has seen Monthy Pythons Spamalot, they have 'A Song That Goes Like This' moment between Aragorn and Arwen. I was in stitches.
- Richard Anderson, Dublin, Ireland
An unforgettable experience! We took 36 pupils to see the opening night preview and each one of them described the show as breath taking and the best they had seen in the West End! I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. The special effects were mind blowing and the atmosphere electric. Not even the technical blip spoilt the performance. Without spoiling it, the end of the first half left us speechless and amazed! Well done Drury Lane and to all involved in this superb production. I hope it runs for a long time to come. Excellent example of what 21st Century theatre is capable of!
- Ian Piekielniak, Barry, South Wales
As breathtaking staging as it was i thought that some of the characters were week, legolas, Gandalf and Aragorn specially not the stature of a king at all, more like a spotty teenager given a wooden sword, or plastic i should say as i did not hear a single metalic noise and sparks through the fight with the bouncing orks, that would be against HS regulation i suppose.
Gollum and the hobbits however were trully brilliant.
As a whole some trully breath taking moment and some posterior clinching embarassing bad acting and singing episode.
- Laurent, london
The tickets stated "Middle Earth comes alive 15 minutes before the show". I worried from that moment that it would be a twee, sixthform production feel to a 25 million pound show.
How wrong I was. It felt polished and looked fantastic. There were several jaw droppingly beautiful moments (the fireflies are lovely, the dark riders fantastic, Gandalf's "Death" brilliant and just wait until you see the spider).
The first music, the hobbit's dance, got me tapping my feet and smiling broadly. However, I'm sad to say the music lost it's way. To call Lord of the Rings a musical is wrong- almost all of the songs are "in place" where people would have been singing anyway, or background. However, there was one drippy love song that felt completely out of place, and really should be cut.
The battle scenes, pivotal in the movie (sorry, I haven't read the book), were reduced to prancing about infront of what looked like a dirty table cloth.
The real star of the show was the floor. 17 lifts all working together on 3 revolves, plus an extra for luck around the outside, looked amazing. Only the very last scene felt like the production team had run out of ideas as to how to make each scene feel different.
Note to the producers- cut the drippy love song, make the ending more beautiful, turn up the volume on the wishy washy singing, and give the guy playing gollum a pay rise!
In summary- go and be amazed visually, but not necessarily aurally!
- Matthew Bennett, Tunbridge Wells
Wow - it blew me away!
- Mark, Greenwich
The Lord of the Rings redefines what it is possible to achieve on a stage. A true theatrical epic in every way and even at this early preview stage it is compelling, spectacular and every bit the magical show it should be. The cast bring all the technology to life with heart, masterful performances and fantastic new music, which peaks with Laura Michelle Kelly’s emotive and soaring Lothlorien.
This is most definitely a show to not be missed and I’ll not be missing it again and again.
- Geoff Ambler, Milton Keynes
Visually amazing, the spectacular staging, the truly scary orcs and the sheer grace and atheticsism of the ariel dancers will stay with me for a long time. Don't waste a moment - book your tickets.
- Fiona, London
Amazing, the best thing I have ever watched on stage! It truly is a spectacular and it will wash away all the other shows in the West End.
- Sonia, 28, Student, London
