The Lord of the Rings, Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Advantages: Strong visual effects and great costume designs.
Disadvantages: Forgettable music and songs, and drastic alterations to the original story.

...when I went to see The Lord of the Rings at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Firstly, I'm probably the biggest fan of the books that I know. I re-read them once every year, and I even wrote my dissertation on Tolkien when I was at university (don't judge me). On top of that, I absolutely love musicals, and have seen and performed in more than I can count. I can't tell you how much I wanted to enjoy this. For those of you that aren't quite as big Tolkien ...
...with a much-simplified overview of the plot: The Lord of the Rings is essentially the tale of a hobbit (or halfling) of the Shire, called Frodo, who inherits a magical invisibility ring from his uncle Bilbo. The ring came to Bilbo on a previous adventure, in which he encountered a twisted, pitiful creature called Gollum, from whom Bilbo 'won' the ring. Many years later, Frodo learns that the ring was originally the property of the dark lord Sauron, ... Read review

Advantages: Fantastic special effects, superb settings
Disadvantages: Expensive, the acting doesn't always match up

If you like Lord of the Rings don't be put off by the fact that this is billed as a musical. It is a spectacular stage show with stunning special effects and manages to keep all the key events of the three books into a three hour show. We went to a matinee show and having booked the tickets several months in advance sat at the front of the grand circle. It wasn't cheap (£60 each) but was well worth getting good seats as it gave a good view of everything ...
...seats as the theatre is spectacularly dressed with tree branches so that the theatre appears to be part of an ancient wood. 15 minutes before the show starts hobbits emerge and begin chasing glow worms high above the audience. Hobbits appear at all levels through the theatre. Finally they catch them and the show begins. Things start in the shire with the hobbits and it is all quite jolly. Once Frodo takes charge of the ring and begins his journey ... Read review

Advantages: The set, costumes and special affects
Disadvantages: The songs, acting (in parts) and cost

...to take on Lord of the Rings in musical form, and what a production came out of it. Like most people I was slightly sceptical about watching what I knew had to be a condensed version of a fantastic tale that had been brought to life so fantastically (in my opinion) by three great films. And in many ways the musical version fails in just the ways you expect it will (translating the story to music, missing out story segments etc). But it excels in ...
...For my mum and me the experience started as soon as we arrived. When we sat in our expensive £60 seats right near the front (I think it's worth paying more to be closer to the action for this show if you can - they are expensive but no more so than other West End musicals) hobbits were already wondering about the set and among the audience playing games and having fun. And from the start you could see why it was the most expensive stage show ever ... Read review

How can the magic of tolkein be converted onto a stage? The answer is... amazing sets, but not very good songs... So all in all, it can't, but nice try