Canadian’s one-hour take on Lord of the Rings (From Echo)

Canadian’s one-hour take on Lord of the Rings

11:00pm Wednesday 10th February 2010 in

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THERE are certain things the human brain struggles to conceive.

People who have thumbed their way through JRR Tolkien’s mammoth fantasy trilogy the Lord of the Rings or watched Peter Jackson’s almost equally time-consuming film adaptations of the books may find the following falls into that category.

Imagine a lone man attempting to perform the celebrated epic on stage in just 3,600 seconds – or put more simply, one hour. This is precisely what Canadian actor Charles Ross will be doing when he brings his One Man Lord of the Rings show to Westcliff’s Palace Theatre tomorrow night.

“There is something extremely absurd about seeing one person trying to do all this,” says Charles, “and that’s what’s appealing about it.”

Armed with an incredible knack for impersonating voices, an impressive memory and just a pair of elbow pads, the 33-year-old takes audiences on a whistle-stop tour of Middle-earth.

An undertaking of such magnitude must require meticulous preparation and research? Not exactly, says Charles. “I didn’t bother watching the films again,” he admits.

“I actually wrote from what I could remember, the theory being that what I could remember, other people should be able to.

“There are huge things missing and it’s a fractional tour of the films or books.

“If anything, it actually draws out people’s recall and imagination because they have to fill in the gaps.”

As bizarre as this might all seem, the show makes for compelling and hilarious viewing – just ask Gandalf himself.

Sir Ian McKellen, the actor who played the bearded wizard in Peter Jackson’s films, caught the show in Canada and commented: “If you liked the Lord of the Rings trilogy, you’ll love Charlie Ross’s version – and if you didn’t, well at least his is shorter.”

The show also charmed audiences at Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival, where it was performed to sell-out crowds last year.

Charles had actually written the show in 2004, but had to wait five years for permission from film producer Saul Zaentz, who through Tolkien Enterprises, owns the worldwide film, stage and merchandise rights to the books.

“I think Tolkien would have thought I needed to get a life,” Charles suggests.

“I’m sure he would have wondered how it’s got this far.

“I have taken something, which is not necessarily dry, but I think I have breathed new life into it.”

One Man Lord of the Rings is the follow-up to Charles’s acclaimed debut show One Man Star Wars Trilogy.

Its surprise sell-out run at the 2006 Fringe led to three British tours, two West End runs and performances at Glastonbury Festival and the Star Wars 30th Anniversary Convention – the latter at the request of director George Lucas’s production company, Lucasfilm.

The idea for the show was conceived by Charles and his long-time collaborator TJ Dawe in 1994, after they discussed the possibility of condensing the first Star Wars film in a two-minute sketch. But the foundations were laid long before that, as the actor freely admits.

“I can’t deny my obsession with Star Wars,” says Charles, from Victoria, near Vancouver. “I lived on a very remote farm as a kid, and we didn’t have TV reception, only a few films, one of which was the first Star Wars.

“I absorbed it into my head, and doing the one-man show was a positive way of purging it from my system.”

That stand-up routine has now been performed more than 1,200 times in more than 180 cities across four continents. Charles says his version of Tolkien’s masterpiece was a natural progression from the Star Wars show, but how else do the two compare?

“The stories are very similar and in a trilogy sense, the way the stories are told is similar,” he explains. “But it’s twice as difficult to do the Lord of the Rings as it is to do Star Wars as it’s much more physical. I should have started with the Lord of the Rings when I was younger. If I make it through the 49-date tour alive, I’ll be impressed.”

Whatever the state of his health, Charles looks set to get the audience laughing out loud at his interesting new take on a much-loved classic. Tolkien might just be impressed.

One Man Lord of the Rings, Palace Theatre, London Road, Westcliff, tomorrow, 8pm. Tickets £13 to £18. Tel: 01702 351135