LoTR musical casted

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From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4717575.stm .

Rings stage musical cast revealed
James Loye
James Loye starred in BBC drama Dunkirk
Producers of the stage version of The Lord of the Rings have picked the cast - with British actor James Loye landing the role of Frodo.

The show will open in Toronto, Canada, in 2006.

Canadian Tony Award-winning actor Brent Carver will perform the part of Gandalf, played by Sir Ian McKellen in the movie trilogy.

More than 4,000 people auditioned for the show, which covers all three books of JRR Tolkien's saga.

The musical score has been created by Bollywood composer AR Rahman, composer of Bombay Dreams.

Producer Kevin Wallace said the casting process had been "intensive" as they searched for the perfect 55 cast members.

"It's a classical piece of theatre as far as the language is concerned," said Wallace.

Vocal delivery

"At the same time, it's flooded with music. So it requires a very particular vocal delivery, which is a non-traditional musical-theatre vocal delivery."

He added: We were looking for actors who were capable of stripping their voices back to a more pure sound so they could deliver the songs these composers have created."

Rehearsals begin in October, with preview performances beginning in February next year.

Mr Wallace said it would not be a traditional musical but would have more in common with a Royal Shakespeare Company performance.

"People don't stop and sing and tell us how they feel. Music is used as it is in the book - in that different species harness music as part of their cultures," he said.

Loye starred in BBC Two drama Dunkirk last year, a depiction of the events of World War II's Dunkirk evacuation, which proved a ratings hit with nearly five million viewers.