Tolkien Fans will Love First Stage's "The Hobbit"
Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
Long before Harry Potter captivated millions of young readers around the world with his hero’s quest and epic, magical battles between good and evil, there was J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and the story about Middle Earth that started it all: The Hobbit. Published in 1937, the tale of Bilbo Baggins has never gone out of print – in fact it gets more popular with age. The Hobbit is so adept at capturing imaginations in generation after generation that it has inspired live-action movies, radio plays, animated features and even an opera. And in 2019, British actor and playwright Greg Banks adapted The Hobbit particularly for young audiences, condensing the story, reworking the characters for a small cast to perform, and collaborating with Thomas Johnson to include music. The resulting 100-minute show, produced by First Stage, is onstage now at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center and continues through March 5.
Directed by First Stage Artistic Director Jeff Frank, this Hobbit does not depend on the lush landscapes of New Zealand or extensive CGI to bring the epic adventure to life. Instead the play is staged in the round with minimal set pieces, in a broken and ransacked near future, littered with trash and old books.
Using these pieces, the cast constantly builds and rebuilds the environment as the characters encounter new challenges and landscapes. A ladder and some chairs can become a tree, a mountain, a cave entrance, or a landslide in the blink of an eye. The ensemble also makes use of every inch of the relatively small stage space, as well as the aisles, several platforms, and a second-story balcony where musician and music director Natalie Ford plays acoustic guitar throughout the show.
Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
This break from literal storytelling gives the production a great deal of freedom, but it also depends entirely on the strength of the ensemble to lead the audience on the journey — and illustrate how an umbrella can be a terrifying spider and a flag can be a dragon’s wing.
Fortunately, First Stage’s production is in the terrific hands of local favorites Matt Daniels and Elyse Edelman, and new faces Shammen McCune and Jamey Feshold. The entire cast dives into representing an array of characters and enchanted creatures – elves, goblins, trolls, spiders, eagles, and more – using unique physicalizations and distinct tones and cadences to their speech. Although they do have some limited costume pieces, such as goggles, a mask, or a shawl, that help change the actors into each of these creatures, it is the performers themselves who are doing the heavy lifting.
In addition to the incredible stagecraft, the cast also shows off their musical talents, regularly entering while playing the banjo, guitar, harmonica, tambourine, ukulele, and percussion instruments. The small but mighty cast accompanies themselves as they sing folk songs that also add to the magical atmosphere of the world.
Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
McCune sets The Hobbit’s quest in motion as the gentle but powerful wizard Gandalf, with a low, commanding voice and the gait of someone who has earned her wisdom over many, many years. She wears a cape woven of many different fabric scraps and even some cast-off plastic, and carries a large mop in her hands instead of a more traditional magical staff. McCune is also captivating as the grasping and desperate Gollum with the help of green, glowing glasses and specific physicality.
Matt Daniels plays Thorin, the world’s tallest dwarf, in coveralls, a reflective safety vest and a miner’s headlamp. As the deposed dwarf king in search of his stolen treasure, he is easily annoyed, distrustful, and ultimately too greedy to enjoy the success of their dangerous mission. Daniels also stands out as a giant evil spider, with the simple addition of two long poles that act as the evil arachnid’s spindly legs.
Among his other characters, Feshold impressively transforms into the dragon Smaug, who is guarding the dwarves’ stolen gold. Within the world of the play, this dragon is not only fearsome, it breathes fire and it flies, its long red tail dangling in the wind. Elyse Edelman plays the archer who ultimately shoots Smaug with an arrow to bring down the giant dragon, but seems to be having the most fun as one of the slothful, gluttonous trolls, who try to catch Bilbo Baggins so they can roast and eat him.
Young performer Leo Madson was the reluctant adventurer, and even more reluctant hero, Bilbo Baggins at the show I attended. (Angel Rivera alternates with him, playing the role in half of the performances.) As a newcomer to quests, Bilbo stands in for the audience, asking questions about each of the perils he must face. Although his character longs for a quiet night at home, a warm bed, and a cup of hot chocolate, Madson finds Bilbo’s courage and determination to complete his task. The young actor creates a warm and tenderhearted hobbit, trying earnestly to be helpful on the mission. He easily earns the audience’s affection as he realizes that he is capable of doing great things.
This version of The Hobbit was commissioned by the Children’s Theater Company in Minneapolis, and playwright Banks worked with the company while putting finishing touches on the script. I wish he had worked with First Stage instead. If he had seen this cast at work, he surely would have realized that the constant narration in the script, describing the group’s every move, is largely unnecessary. Over the two 45-minute acts, it becomes tedious to listen to, particularly when the company is so vividly showing us all of the actions that are unsaid through their lines.
During the performance I attended on opening weekend, most of the young people in the audience were squirming noisily before the intermission and many lost interest in the story’s second half. This is entirely the fault of the script, which doesn't trust its actors to tell the story themselves through their lines and actions. Young people 12 to 15 are probably a better target group than the larger age range First Stage indicated. That said, audiences who already have a familiarity with the story and great affection for Tolkien will probably enjoy this production immensely.