Lord of the Rings musical drops London premiere

Published on Wednesday 16 March 2005 02:53

THE producers of the Lord Of The Rings musical have abandoned plans to hold the world premiere in Britain, because they cannot find a theatre big enough.

The 11.5 million adaptation of the JRR Tolkien trilogy - destined to be the most expensive musical in history - had been due to open in London in December.

But the premiere has now been switched to Toronto, because there is no West End theatre available which could accommodate the lavish show.

It will not come to Britain until at least December 2006.

Kevin Wallace, the producer, said: "I know there will be a lot of disappointed British Tolkien fans who hoped to see the show in London, but we couldn’t get a London theatre in time.

"Unfortunately, it’s going to be a year before they can see it here. But it is absolutely worth waiting for. It will be like nothing they have ever seen before."

The show requires a theatre with a large stage to accommodate the set, which recreates Middle Earth. There will be elaborate battle scenes and the cast will include a host of circus-trained performers.

Only three West End theatres - the Lyceum, Dominion and Theatre Royal Drury Lane - are big enough, but they are all booked.