Lord Of The Rings Theatre Production, Toronto

 This is the construction of the Lord of the Rings stage set. The different sections elevate to different levels and produce a totally different scene. The production reportedly cost £12 million, so the set better be great!

This is the stage in action, it makes the scene so much more powerful... it may of been a little too powerful, one of the cast members legs got caught in the moving stage and the performance was suspended!

The costume designs for the tree's are lovely, you can tell what they are but aren't too obvious and trying too hard. It is always great to see something different to the norm.

This photo shows the stage in a different position and some of the great costumes. 

 These are the Nazgul also known as the dark riders, the puppets are so clever and yet so scary!

The Eye of Sauron as a flat back drop. Simple but effective.

In my research I also found out The National Geographic Channel produced a 50-minute television program as part of their INSIDE series that followed the London production from the first day of rehearsals to the first performance. 

I would really love to see the theatre production and see if the acting is as good as the set and costume.

 The production will be revived for a 2015 world tour, yey!

Matilda The Musical

Matilda the Musical

Matilda the Musical is showing at The Cambridge Theatre at the moment and performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). I found out the set and costume designer, Rob Howell, is the same man that designed the sets for Lord of the Rings musical in America. I really enjoy all of Tolkien's books and feel the films have done them justice so I would like to see if the musical has worked out as well! But that is for another time and blog post... Back to the wonderfully designed set of Matilda.

This is a set scale model of the stage- scale models are great to help you visualise the space better. 

The whole concept of the wooden letter boxes is great, very eye catching and they can be transformed easily just by the lighting. Cheerful and playful one minute then, they look as if they were reflecting upon the past happy times the next.

The New York State Theatre Institute's production of A Tale of Cinderella. The Design is by Richard Finkelstein. I love all the different levels it keeps it very interesting and useful as entrances for the performers.