- Fellowship!
Infobox Musical
name= Fellowship!
subtitle=
caption=The cast of "Fellowship!"
music=Allen Simpson
lyrics=Everybody
book=Kelly Holden
Joel McCrary
basis=J. R. R. Tolkien 's novel
"The Fellowship of the Ring "
productions=2005 San Diego Comic Con
awards="Fellowship!" is a musical
parody stage play based on "The Fellowship of the Ring " the first volume ofJ. R. R. Tolkien 's "The Lord of the Rings ", and Peter Jackson's 2001 of it. It was written by Kelly Holden and Joel McCrary, with original music by Allen Simpson, and was first performed at the El Portal Forum Theater inNorth Hollywood, California .The play follows the major events of the story, but is more a parody of the film than the original book. It re-imagines
Bilbo Baggins as an aged Jewish comedian, the Balrog as a sleep-depriveddiva , the battle onWeathertop as a "West Side Story "-style gang fight, andRivendell as a Scientologist stronghold. Part live action, part puppet show and part animation, the show removes or summarizes parts of the film that would slow it down. While played for laughs, the music features original compositions instead of parodies, and the song styles range from cheesy 1980s rock to sleazy cabaret numbers. The lyrics were improvised and written by the initial performers during rehearsals.The play had a successful six-week run in early
2005 , and played several sold-out shows at the 2005 San Diego Comic Con. "L.A. Weekly " named it a "Pick of the Week", and both "Backstage West" and the "Los Angeles Times " listed it as a "Critic's Choice."In "L.A. Weekly"'s 2006 annual Theater Awards, the play was nominated in the Musical Direction category, and won the awards for Comedy Ensemble and Musical of the Year.
External links
* [http://www.fellowshipthemusical.com Official site]
* [http://www.laweekly.com/index.php?option=com_lawcontent&task=view&id=13103&Itemid=47 "L.A. Weekly" Theater Awards list]
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