Latest news with #TheLordOfTheRings–AMusicalTale
The Star
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Lord Of The Rings musical's composer A.R. Rahman is building a global virtual band using AI
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): A.R. Rahman loves to tell stories. Narrative is of great importance to the celebrated Indian musician, and it is a key part of his creative approach. Music is an immersive experience, the 58-year-old Indian music maestro tells The Straits Times via Zoom from Oakland, San Francisco, where his The Wonderment concert tour stopped by. The prolific film composer and singer, known for his Oscar-winning score and song Jai Ho for the film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), is expanding his love for storytelling into the virtual-reality (VR) world with Secret Mountain, a virtual band he created using artificial intelligence (AI). Rahman's first teaser came in February 2024, when he shared a trailer about the six-member group on Instagram. While the project is still in its early stages, storytelling is central to Secret Mountain. Describing the group – comprising three males (Ekam, David and Zentamizh) and three females (Cara, Blessing and Aafia) – as 'very cinematic', Rahman has created a backstory for them and is preparing a movie. It is this same storytelling approach that Rahman focused on when he composed the musical adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings in 2006, which makes its Asia premiere at Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands, on Aug 12. Presented by Base Entertainment Asia, "The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale" is based on English author J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved epic fantasy book series (1954 to 1955), instead of director Peter Jackson's action-packed Oscar-winning film trilogy (2001 to 2003). The three-hour show is told from the perspective of hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin, and follows the four friends' adventures as they seek to destroy a powerful magical ring. The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale, starring (from left) Rarmian Newton as Frodo and Terence Crawford as Gandalf. - PHOTO: DANIEL BOUD via The Straits Times/ANN Rahman, who worked alongside Finnish folk band Varttina and Tony-winning musical composer Christopher Nightingale, admitted he did not know much about Tolkien's novels when Kevin Wallace, chief executive of the theatrical production, first approached him. Rahman had just finished working with famed British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber on the Bollywood-themed musical Bombay Dreams. It opened in 2002 in the West End in London and closed in 2004, and was Rahman's first stage production. Rahman turned to Jackson's films for reference and started reading Tolkien's source material and the musical's book to prepare. Composing for "The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale" was a difficult and exhausting process. His inspiration stemmed from extensive research into the type of music that would best suit the story and setting. He avoided using Indian ragas or music styles, focusing instead on Western classical and theatrical traditions. His favourite song is Lothlorien, sung by elven queen Galadriel, because it is 'very spiritual, surreal and mystical' – qualities that he deeply enjoys and connects with. 'Scoring for a musical is very different from composing for a movie,' says Rahman. 'For instance, songs often serve as an interval or music video that do not necessarily advance the story. 'In a musical, every song must move the narrative forward. There are no visual gimmicks or exotic shots to rely on – the music and lyrics must carry the story.' He adds: 'If the songs don't propel the narrative forward, the musical will fail. The songs are not just standalone numbers.' Rahman spent about 1½ to two years on this job. He explains that his goal was to capture the right feel and vibe for the musical, ensuring the music created an immersive experience for the audience. "The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale" made its debut at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Canada, in 2006. It then travelled to Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London in 2007, where it played until 2008, earning five Laurence Olivier Awards nominations that year. It was revived in 2023 at Watermill Theatre in Britain, followed by a staging at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in the US in 2024 before making its way to New Zealand, Australia and Singapore, with an Australian cast. The current production sees the actors doubling as musicians, instead of relying on an orchestra. While Rahman – who feels proud that the musical has stood the test of time – values the involvement of an orchestra, he appreciates the innovative approach and calls the production 'immersive'. 'It captures the essence of the original music while giving it more soul,' he says. Note: " The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale " will be held at the Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue , Singapore from Aug 12 to 31 . - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Show Picks: Park Bo-gum fan meet, The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale, Elijah Woods concert
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox South Korean actor-singer Park Bo-gum recently shone in the hit drama When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025). Park Bo Gum 2025 Fan Meeting Tour Be With You In Singapore Six years after his last fan meeting here at The Star Theatre, Park Bo-gum is bringing a brand-new fan meeting tour to the same venue on Aug 14. This time, the event is part of the South Korean actor-singer's Be With You tour, which kicked off with performances in Yokohama, Japan, on July 26 and 27, and lit up the stage in Seoul on Aug 1 and 2. Park recently shone in the hit drama When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025), playing a loving, supportive young man in the series set in the 1950s. At the Baeksang Arts Awards in May, the series was named Best Drama, while Park was nominated for Best Actor. Where: The Star Theatre, 04-01 The Star Performing Arts Centre, 1 Vista Exchange Green MRT: Buona Vista When: Aug 14, 7pm Admission: $148 to $268 via Ticketmaster (go to or call 6018-7645) The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale Australian stage actress Jemma Rix will return to the Sands Theatre stage as elf noble Galadriel in The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale. PHOTO: DANIEL BOUD You have watched the movies and read the books. Now, The Lord Of The Rings franchise is coming to the stage, with The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale making its Asia premiere in Singapore on Aug 12. The two-act live musical tells the epic story of The Lord Of The Rings from the hobbits' perspective. One of them, Frodo, receives a gold ring from his uncle Bilbo Baggins and is sent on a perilous quest across Middle-earth to Mordor in order to vanquish evil. Australian stage actress Jemma Rix returns to the Sands Theatre stage as elf noble Galadriel, after performing here as Elphaba in the musical Wicked when it was staged in Singapore from 2011 to 2012, and as Elsa in Disney's Frozen The Musical during its Singapore run in 2023. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Some ageing condos in Singapore struggle with failing infrastructure, inadequate sinking funds Singapore PUB investigating wastewater discharge in Eunos: Pritam Singapore Water gel guns among newer tools NParks uses to manage monkeys in estates World Trump eyes 100% chips tariff, but 0% for US investors like Apple World Trump's 100% semiconductor tariffs may hit chipmakers in Singapore, other SEA nations Singapore Afraid of small talk? Scared to make a phone call? How social skills workshops are helping young people Singapore ST and Uniqlo launch design contest for Singapore stories T-shirt collection Business DBS shares hit record-high after Q2 profit beats forecast on strong wealth fees, trading income In celebration of The Lord Of The Rings' Asia premiere, The Lego Group has unveiled an exhibition of Middle-earth locations – such as Rivendell, The Shire and Barad-dur – as Lego installations at Sands Theatre, where they can be viewed throughout the Singapore run of the musical production. These sets are available for purchase at all Lego-certified stores in Singapore, as well as through official Lego online stores on Shopee, Lazada, Amazon and A Lego installation at Sands Theatre depicting Rivendell, in celebration of The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale's Asia premiere. PHOTO: BASE ENTERTAINMENT ASIA Where: Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue MRT: Bayfront When: Aug 12 to 31, 8pm (Tuesdays to Saturdays), 2pm (Saturdays), 1 and 6.30pm (Sundays) Admission: $68 to $238 via Marina Bay Sands' website ( ), Klook ( ) and Sistic ( or call 6348-5555) Elijah Woods: Give Me The Sunlight! Canadian musician and music producer Elijah Woods' upcoming concert is part of his Give Me The Sunlight! tour, whose name comes from his 2024 single Sunlight!. PHOTO: LIVE NATION SINGAPORE Last here for the Cloud 9 music festival at Arena @ Expo in February, Elijah Woods is back for a solo show. If his previous 30-minute, 10-song set was not enough for you, the Canadian musician and music producer's upcoming concert will definitely be a longer, more intimate affair, and with plenty of heartfelt moments. It is part of his Give Me The Sunlight! tour, whose name comes from his 2024 single Sunlight!, and promises to be an exploration of light, love and life. Expect diaristic and reflective numbers such as Everything Everywhere Always (2023), Lights (2001) and 24/7, 365 (2023), as well as some unreleased tracks.
Straits Times
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Return to Middle-earth with a musical spin on The Lord Of The Rings
The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale is told from the perspective of hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin as they set out on an adventure to destroy a powerful magical ring. PHOTO: DANIEL BOUD Return to Middle-earth with a musical spin on The Lord Of The Rings MELBOURNE – More than 20 years have passed since director Peter Jackson took moviegoers to Middle-earth with his Oscar-winning The Lord Of The Rings trilogy (2001 to 2003). The road goes on in August with the Asia debut of The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale at the Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands. The theatrical production is based on English author J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved epic fantasy series (1954 to 1955), instead of Jackson's action-packed films. Told from the perspective of hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin, the story follows the four friends' adventures as they seek to destroy a powerful magical ring. The three-hour show features original music by Indian music and film icon A.R. Rahman, Finnish folk band Varttina and Tony Award winner Christopher Nightingale. The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale made its debut at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Canada, in 2006. It then travelled to Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London in 2007, where it played until 2008, earning five nominations at that year's Laurence Olivier Awards. The production was revived in 2023 at The Watermill Theatre in Britain, followed by a staging at Chicago's Shakespeare Theatre in 2024 before making its way to New Zealand and Australia. The Straits Times met the principal cast members playing Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin, as well as characters Gandalf, Gollum and Galadriel, at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne, who offer reasons their show is a must-watch. 1. Actors are also orchestra members Unlike musicals, where actors sing to tunes performed by musicians in an orchestra pit, all 32 cast members in The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale play an instrument onstage. More than 20 instruments are used in the show. Merry (Jeremi Campese) and Pippin (Hannah Buckley) play the cello and violin respectively. Elves Elrond (Andrew Broadbent) and Legolas (Conor Neylon) are on the trombone and accordion, while dwarf Gimli (Connor Morel) plays the bouzouki, a long-necked string instrument. Actress Stefanie Caccamo, who plays elf Arwen, learnt to play the harp for the production. Wern Mak, as Sam, will play percussion when he does not have an acting scene. Cast members in The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale double as musicians, playing the songs live on stage. PHOTO: DANIEL BOUD It is no easy feat: The actors need to memorise not only their lines, but also the music score – all within the five-week rehearsal period. Says Buckley: 'I was very nervous in the beginning to play the violin and sing at the same time. I was badly out of tune during practice .' The 30-year-old adds that being a violin teacher helped, as she learnt how to play and speak to her students at the same time. Yet, the challenge remains, especially when some parts required her to play the melody on the violin while singing the harmony simultaneously. 'I tried to do that in the Sydney shows, but I was deeply out of tune,' she says, adding that she has since improved. Campese, 27, says: 'When you sing, you can't really hear what you're playing.' The actor-musician admits there is added pressure, as playing out of tune may affect the ensemble's singing. 'There are moments where I won't do the full dance choreography because it's more important to play in tune,' he says. Buckley adds: 'Jeremi and I have a lot of scenes. The priority is always storytelling, whether through acting, playing an instrument or dancing.' Terence Crawford, who plays the wizard Gandalf, says: 'There are some shows where they have people play the guitar or jump on a piano and sing a song. But this is such a sophisticated arrangement that requires real musicianship. 'We have people in the cast who are principally musicians. We have a drummer who has a doctorate in percussion.' 2. From books to stage Condensing three books – The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers and The Return Of The King – into three hours is an ambitious undertaking. Fans of Jackson's films may be disappointed that some major moments in The Two Towers, such as the battle at Helm's Deep, are not in the musical. 'We are telling a story from the hobbits' perspective, so a lot of the extraneous details and things that weren't witnessed by the hobbits are omitted,' says Mak, 26. Rarmian Newton, who plays Frodo, says that while the films 'had lots of cool, incredible action sequences', their show does not set out to replicate the movies, but to emphasise the universal themes of hope and community. Frodo (Rarmian Newton) has to destroy the powerful One Ring. PHOTO: DANIEL BOUD It is also not necessary to have read the books or watched the films to enjoy the musical, says Jemma Rix, who plays elf noble Galadriel. 'We have had so many people who have come not knowing anything, telling us they understood the story and could relate to it,' says Rix, who is in her 30s. Crawford, who is in his 60s, adds: ' The problem of adapting a famous book is you will have different camps of people who will either like the adaptation or hate it. Don't worry if you know the story or not. We'll tell you a crazy story that is poignant, spectacular, beautiful and full of fantastic music.' 3. Born to be Gollum To be cast as Gollum was a dream come true for Laurence Boxhall, who professed to be a 'Tolkien nerd'. The actor, who is in his late 20s, used to pretend to be Gollum – a monster with a distinctive style of speech – while growing up, having read the books and watched the films. His preparation for the role involved studying Tolkien's books even more closely and taking notes on how Gollum speaks in them. He says: 'I also listened to how Tolkien himself performed Gollum's voice – which I think Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in the films, had also done.' Laurence Boxhall as Gollum in The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale. PHOTO: DANIEL BOUD Boxhall adds that he is aware audiences may expect a performance similar to the English actor's. Describing his approach as 'a third of Serkis, a third of Tolkien and a third of my own thing', Boxhall says he needs to find a 'comfortable and sustainable vocal placement that wouldn't tire my voice'. Physically, he prepares by getting his body used to moving as a quadruped, as performing eight shows a week on all fours is 'taxing on the muscles'. He stretches and exercises with resistance bands while getting his body painted. Transforming into Gollum takes about 45 minutes, with some parts completed before the show and the rest finished during the interva l. 4. Be early for Bilbo's 111th birthday party Audiences are encouraged to take their seats as early as possible. There is an interactive pre-show segment where they are transported to the Shire, home of the hobbits, as partygoers at hobbit Bilbo Baggins' 111th birthday celebration. Bilbo is Frodo's uncle and the hobbit who found the One Ring. His story is told in Tolkien's other book The Hobbit (1937), a prequel to The Lord Of The Rings. The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale starts with the celebration of Bilbo Baggins' birthday. PHOTO: DANIEL BOUD The cast members , as hobbits, will mingle with the audience , playing games such as ring toss with them and posing for photos. Says Mak: 'The birthday party scene brings everyone together as a family. It also acts as a gathering point for the characters and the audience, emphasising the sense of community and shared storytelling that runs throughout the show.' 5. A tale of hope and resilience Tolkien's relatable characters are the reasons his stories have remained popular for over 70 years. 'There's this sense of hope where the story tells of overcoming animosity, like Legolas and Gimli, two characters who initially hated each other, yet became best friends,' says Newton. The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale starring (from left) Rarmian Newton as Frodo, Wern Mak as Sam and Terence Crawford as Gandalf. PHOTO: DANIEL BOUD Crawford agrees, saying the show emphasises the power of people coming together, respect, kindness and a sense of community – both onstage and with the audience. 'What I love is that Frodo is an unlikely person to conquer such a big thing,' says Rix, adding that the story inspires audiences to believe that even small people can do amazing things by facing their fears and challenges. Says Boxhall: 'Frodo is changed at the end of his hero's journey, but it doesn't mean he's failed. 'In the crazy world we live in today, it's okay to not be okay, as long as there is hope.' Book It/ The Lord Of The Rings – A Musical Tale Where: Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue When: Aug 12 to 31, 8pm (Tuesdays to Saturdays), 2pm (Saturdays), 1 and 6.30pm (Sundays) Admission: $68 to $238 via Marina Bay Sands ( Sistic (call 6348-5555 or go to and Klook ( Joanne Soh is a lifestyle correspondent at The Straits Times, with a special interest in entertainment and pop culture. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
