The Dark Lord Sauron is heading to a stage in the U.S.
An adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy will open at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater this summer. The new Paul Hart production follows a previous staging in summer 2023 at Newbury’s The Watermill Theatre, which sold-out its 12-week run. Originally, The Lord of the Rings premiered in 2006 at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre before transferring to the West End and closing in 2008.
The musical, which is retold from the perspective of the Hobbits, is set on Bilbo Baggins’ eleventy-first birthday, where he gives Frodo a gold ring. Audiences will follow Frodo on the task to cross the Middle Earth and save everyone from Dark Lord Sauron — encompassing the idea of friendship and a fight to rid evil in the world.
“Sharing the Watermill’s wonderful expression of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ on stage with audiences across the globe beginning this summer in Chicago, with the US premiere of Paul Hart’s and Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s collaborative re-imagining, is a dream come true for all of us at Middle-earth Enterprises,” Fredrica Drotos, of Middle-earth Enterprises, said in a statement.
“The Lord of the Rings” features a book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus, as well as music from A.R. Rahman, Varttina, and Tony Award-winner Christopher Nightingale. Casting has not been announced at this time.
Fans can catch “The Lord of the Rings” in Chicago from July 19 to September 1, with tickets available via the production’s official website.
