Parody Of The Rings At Lighthouse Poole Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Mel S-W
This was one for all of the Lord of The Rings fans out there. The Parody of the Rings was something a little bit different. For one night only, The Parody of the Rings was just simply brilliant. The show centres around The Middle Theatre’s Lord of the Rings charity fundraising movie marathon. But when disaster strikes and the films are destroyed, the aptly named theatre usher Peter, and manager Jackson, still try to put on a show that people wouldn’t forget (as it would result in the Theatre giving refunds of the much needed event funds!).
Peter and Jackson attempt to save the day, armed with only the soundtracks they take us on a journey like we were a member of the fellowship. And what they did with it was brilliant. Improvisations galore, hilarious props, lighting and some clever uses of brooms, the team of hapless ushers took us through the three-film saga in front of the audience, with a little bit of audience participation. Being an avid theatre goer, sometimes you just need something like this on a dreary January evening that you can just sit back and enjoy.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from tonight. Upon arrival at our seats we had at this point an unnamed usher amongst the audience handing out ball pit balls to everyone. He was chatting away to us, asking if we were ready for the 11 hour movie and joking about tagging on the three Hobbit films onto the end of tonight’s showing. In this light hearted, not in the least bit serious parody, we laughed … a lot. The audience also helped out with a few key important phrases along the way. You didn’t need to be a die hard Lord of the Rings fan, but some knowledge did help, but it has made me want to watch the saga again.
It’s a show that’s more fun than a barrel of Hobbits, and definitely more chaotic than a Gandalf speech. If you’ve ever wanted to see Gollum fight a battle with sound effects, or Gandalf desperately trying to remember what happens next, then you’re in for a hilarious treat. The Karaoke section was a treat when they realised they’d spent 40 minutes on disc one!
This show was amazingly brilliant, completely ridiculous but somehow it worked so so well. It was short and very sweet and if you see this 11 hour 26 minute Lord Of The Rings marathon (only joking it’s much condensed!), touring near you, I’d highly recommend it. So many laughs, such clever props, acting and just a sprinkle of chaos. If you’re expecting a serious show then walk on by, if you really want to see an Usher called Peter riding a broom through a row of seats, or a re-enactment of the epic fight scene between Gandulf and Saruman using an office chair, this is the show for you.
Both Peter and Jackson were playing multiple parts, had puppets and some unsuspecting audience members to tell the story. If they are planning to do the Hobbit as the next instalment, I’m in!
A very easy 5 out of 5 for me!
Rating: 5/5
This was a one night show. Tickets started from £25. You can find out what’s on at Lighthouse https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/whats-on/ or by calling the Box Office on 01202 280000.
The full address is Lighthouse, Arts and Entertainment, 21 Kingland Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1UG