'One Man Lord of the Rings' - Review by Jason Green

I'm hoping to see this at my local theatre soon, but in the meantime here's a short review.

One Man Lord of the Rings at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmonds
Friday 5th February 2010

Review by Jason Green

Well, what can I say? If you thought that the characterisations and impersonations that Charlie Ross did on his One Man Star Wars show were good you won’t be disappointed by his latest adaptation, One Man Lord of the Rings. After finally getting clearance from the powers that be to go ahead last year for this show (after impressing Sir Ian McKellen at a performance of the show) he has now signed up over 40 dates on this whirlwind tour of the UK, details of which can be found on his official website www.onemanlotr.com.

Not only did he capture the majesty of all the movies in the trilogy in his own unique style, but he also cleverly made clear reference to all the characters by using Aragon’s facial expressions, Legolas’s hair, Gimli’s beard or Gandalf’s staff to help those in the audience who weren’t sure who was speaking, which would have been surprising considering his outstanding vocal talents. Don’t get me wrong, his versions of the various Orcs on offer were brilliant and the deep haunting Treebeard was good too but you don’t really appreciate those until you hear his rendition of Gollum.

Throughout the show Charlie flowed with fantastic energy throwing himself around the stage for the many fight scenes and set pieces, often using just facial expressions when necessary. I wouldn’t wish to spoil it by giving away little bits that make it extra special, so you’ll just have to grab it when the show visits a town near you.