LOTR, the Musical

After a spate of notable deaths, the arrival of The Lord of the Rings onstage in Toronto ought to be welcome news indeed, but the reviews are at best mixed, ranging from the disaster appraisal of The New York Times, to the politer negations of The Toronto Star. The Canadian Broadcasting Company offers a bit of what everyone has to say plus pictures. If that's Gandalf, then I'm Frodo, but not even the mega-bucks screen magic of Peter Jackson could overtop the books. Don't, however, skip the introduction on the website, and also go on to the main page to watch the b-roll footage. The first few minutes are too dark to see much but when the King—cue the Celtic choir—kneels with his bride-to-be, it is, indeed The Return of the King, and when Sam and Frodo bid goodbye you will remember that, although the end of the saga is good, it is not everyone's fate to be happy.