Lord of the Rings: Ticketnest

The mystical story has been taken from Tolkien's marvelous book. Lord of the Rings is actually a sequence of the book The Hobbit written earlier by Tolkein for his kids. The popularity of The Hobbit lead Tolkein to write another book named The Lord of the Rings. Special care has been taken not to twist Tolkein’s epic writing to fulfill the technicalities of conventional standards of a great theatre musical instead the traditions of theatre has been stretched to the limits to accommodate Tolkein’s writing.

The story possesses amazing opportunity to amuse, thrill and excite the audience with its magical story and mystic events. The story is successfully adapted as a theatre show and it will definitely transport the spectators to a fantasy world with its powerful imagery and special stunning effects where they’ll cry and laugh with the characters.

Till now “The Lord of the Rings” is the most expensive theatre production with more than 24 million dollar cost in the history of theatre. Cast members include 55 characters, having 18 orchestra members and also a set with a turntable and 17 elevators. Hmmm! Just imagine the magnitude of the show. . Tree roots from the front of the stage developing an arch as the auditorium. Audiences witness actors flying and appearing on poles that are 10 feet high. There's also a gigantic spider puppet in the show. Producer of the show-Kevin Wallace says that show's enormous budget allowed all the creators to carry out their fantasies to life.

The basic problem was to enact such a rich story on stage which was full of good versus evil a lot of magic, fights, different locations, landscapes, different species, magnitude of the events and numerous songs including anthems, prayers, old and traditional songs. Now doing all this on stage needed real theoretical artistry and technical perfection. Warchus first reaction was that Tolkein’s 1,000 pages of writing cannot possibly work on stage. But on the second reading the fog started clearing up and he could see ways and possibilities of making the landscapes and all other things appear on stage as originally as it is in story.

The Lord of the Rings and its ancestors, The Hobbit was present during the Third Age of Middle-Earth. Middle-Earth is a supposed to an imaginary continent on an eternally medieval fantasy world called Arda. Arda is packed with magical places, people, and events, at this place the forces of good and evil fight for power. The Continent Arda is described in so minute details that it starts appearing like a real world before our eyes. The weather, climate, geography, and even phases of the moon everything is so accurately described and nothing seems to be left out. This detail description of the things helps the audience to identify themselves with the creatures of Arda. The narration of Middle-Earth is divided into four eras, suitably called the Four Ages. This magical journey starts with the immortals Elves they were the first Children of Ilúvatar (Iluvatar means aka. Eru, “the One” actually God). Elves awoke by the shores of Cuiviénen in Middle-Earth. Soon after their arrival at the shores they were called to Valinor that is the Blessed Realm, by the Valar. Now Valars are analogous to gods of course in the mythological logic though Valar are rarely called gods. Factually speaking in the original story of Arda their role is more of archangels they are more like witnessing and participating in creation instead of initiating things. Whatsoever the situation is, Valar are pretty much in control on Arda for old Ilúvatar. Those particular Elves who traveled to Valinor (that is positioned diagonal to the western sea from Middle-Earth) named as the Eldar, or High Elves. Whereas the ones who stayed back in Middle-Earth became were known as the Sindar, or Elves of the Twilight.

The Eldar of Valinor mastered several arts and crafts from Valar. Out of those skilled Eldar the greatest was Fëanor, he fashioned three gems of peerless beauty recognized as the Silmarils. Unfortunately an evil Vala called Morgoth stole the Silmarils. Morgoth was one of sinister Enemy of the World, Morgoth managed to escape to Middle-Earth. After this incident Fëanor and follower kinsmen vowed to chase Morgoth and obtain the Silmarils back. But when Feanor and his frined returned to the Middle-Earth, to their surprise they discovered that Mortal Men (aka. "Men"), the Second race of Children of Ilúvatar, had arrive into the world. After that for the following centuries, the Elves and Men combat against the forces of Morgoth. The evil forces included such contemptible creatures as orcs, trolls, and dragons. The Eldar and Men failed to recover the Silmarils. Lastly the valliant Beren (a Man) and courageous Lúthien Tinúviel (an Elf maiden) endeavored for Morgoth's monopoly of Angband and succeed to regain one of the Silmarils from the evil Lord's crown. When time passes the great-grandson of Beren and Lúthien was Eärendil the Mariner sailed to Valinor to plead the Valar to gather their forces against Morgoth. The First Age of Middle-Earth finishes with Angband’s defeat. Most of the continent was flooded whereas Morgoth was grounded by the Valar for all eternity.

The Second Age is the period of Númenor. This was the reign of great island kingdom of Men that position within sight of Valinor itself. Eärendil was father of two sons named Elrond and Elros, the Peredhil (Half-Elven). Elrond decided to follow the trail of immortal Elvenkind, though Elros opted to live his life as a Mortal Man. Númenor’s first king was Elros. On the other hand in the land of Eregion in Middle-Earth, Elven smiths (guided by Celebrimbor who was grandson of Fëanor) started counterfeiting the magical Rings full of magnificent Power, talismans these rings bestowed their wearers with immense supernatural abilities like invisibility which was just a small power of the ring. The Elves were without knowing aided in their pains by Sauron who was the former chief lieutenant of Morgoth. When Elves finished their painstaking labors, the evil Sauron copied the Ruling Ring in the fires of Mt. Doom. Just One Ring gave Sauron dominance over the others, causing them to be tainted to his service. Just the Three Rings of the Elves stayed free, those three rings were forged by Celebrimbor alone. Unluckily even they could not be used without Sauron knowing about it. So for the time being, the Elf lords put aside their Rings. The duplication of One Ring exposed Sauron's original nature to the Elves. After gaining the power Sauron announced war upon them. The Evil Lord took over Mordor.

In the meantime, Elros’s descendents, the Edain, turned out to be powerful kings among Mankind. The Númenóreans were enormously powerful and just, but with the passage of time they started envying the immortality of the Elves. This resulted in their vulnerablity to the deceit and dishonesty of Sauron. Sauron's betrayal lead Númenor to distruction and they sank beneath the sea. Just few of the Edain, assisted by the noble Elendil and his sons, Isuldur and Anárion, managed to survive the destruction by sailing to Middle-Earth. Now here Elendil established a kingdom called Arnor in the North, while Isuldur and Anárion developed the kingdom of Gondor in the south. Everyone believed that Sauron was destroyed in the breakdown of Númenor, but actually, his spirit managed to survive and come back to Mordor. Although now that the One Ring existed could not be completely destroyed. Nonetheless, he was not able to take on a generous manifestation.

Elendil united army with Gil-galad who is last of the kings of the Eldar to fight against Sauron. Collectively both the forces of the final Alliance of Elves and Men were capable of storming down Mordor, driving Sauron's forces before them. Sadly both Elendil and Gil-galad were slain, but the valliant Isuldur cut the Ring from Sauron's hand though in the process his father’s sword broke. Sauron survived, he wasn’t killed. Instead of destrying the ring Isuldur kept the Ring for himself. Sauron’s first defeat was the end of the Second Age of Middle-Earth.

When Isuldur was returning home form war he was attached by a company of orcs. Isuldur tried to use the power of the Ring of invisibility to flee, but it slipped from his finger when he was swimming across the Anduin River. Isuldur was murdered by an orc's arrow. Now for centuries the Ring remained at the bottom of the river. Until one day two friends found the ring by chance. (Déagol and Sméagol). On getting the ring Sméagol swiftly murdered Déagol and took the Ring for himself. Smeagol used the powers of ring including the invisibility for all malpractices like thieving and learning secrets. His people detested him and called him "Gollum," due to his weird habit of making gurgling noises in his throat. After being sick of these abuses, Sméagol determined to join the caverns beneath the Misty Mountains and left his home. He thought that he could learn the secrets of the world's making. This happened in the year 2470 of the Third Age of Middle-Earth.

The interest and excitement keep going on as the ages pass by. This magnificent story is equally superbly produced as a show. If you want to identify yourself with the characters then the4 best way is to see the show. The magic starts when the curtains are drawing apart but it doesn’t even stop after the show is finished. You’ll remain in a trance long after you leave the theatre. The magnitude of the theatre and the sets will transport you in to another world the moment you enter the theatre. This show is an experience of metaphysical and physical powers with a sense of achievement. Let the magic begin and enjoy to your fullest.
For more information about lord of ring visit http://www.ticketnest.com/theater-tickets/Lord-of-the-Rings/index.php

About the author
Ron Arthur is a Search Engine Marketer (http://www.sofizar.net ) working for Carlsbad, CA based web-metrics company Sofizar. He is a member of the team developing a click fraud(http://www.sofizar.com ) detection software, ZarTective. While not writing expose’s on the darker side of the web, he plays with his cat “Mano” and watches “Rocky Horror Picture Show” for the 17th time. Or maybe 117th.

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Lord Of The Rings - The Two Towers (By Sue Bell)

The portrayal of Gollum/Sméagol in the second installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy provides an excellent demonstration of split/mind duality in action. The conversations, disagreements and arguments iterated by these two characters as good versus evil, victim versus manipulator, self verses self - give us insight to the very same battles that go on, often unnoticed, within our own psyche.

Tolkien introduces the character of Gollum (originally Sméagol) in The Hobbit when Bilbo finds the ring and spares his life. Frodo and Sam first meet Gollum when he attempts to retrieve the Ring – the Precious – while Frodo sleeps. At that point he is subdued and captured, finally being dragged unceremoniously along at the end of a rope, protesting loudly.

Gollum’s obsession with the Ring has so corrupted him emotionally and physically, he is no longer recognizable as one of the River Folk. An analogy with the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden can be seen. The Ring is an icon of absolute power for its own sake. It has a will of its own. This is the representation that we have a will separate from God’s. The ring is the symbol of our usurpation of God, using all His power for our own corrupt purpose, wrecking havoc upon all of mankind and ultimately leading to our own demise.

However, Gollum’s total resistance to Frodo begins to waver when Frodo extends compassion to him and defends him to Sam. Frodo, having heard of his Uncle Bilbo’s encounter with Gollum then calls him by his true name – Sméagol. This invokes a memory of an earlier innocence and happiness which creates a pause in the thought process of Gollum and allows for a different response.

Gollum is the character that Sméagol became in his obsessive idolatry of the Ring. He is isolated, grievous, defensive, manipulative and alone. Frodo makes a break in that wall of defense by simply referring to another self that still exists behind the wall. This is the self that existed before ‘the fall’.

The full impact of the split mind becomes evident in the second scene where the internal dialog which is played out between Sméagol and Gollum is shown as two opposing personalities in a debate with each other. Sméagol portrays the essential “goodness” – it is the original condition before the corruption of the ring which made “Gollum”. Gollum is the hard egoic shell created to protect and maintain the self under siege in a world which must be bent on the same destructive premise as he. But Frodo recognizes that Sméagol is not so different from a Hobbit; he sees the innocence behind the corruption as his own, and by the action of forgiveness, ensures his own salvation. The savior saves his brother – and by so doing saves himself.

Sméagol’s ideas are thus protested and countered inevitably by Gollum. "Where would you be without me?" Gollum demands. Sméagol’s response "I don’t need you anymore – master will protect me now" – is his declaration of trust in his savior. It’s here that Sméagol experiences singularity and to his delight Gollum (his split mind) disappears. He immediately experiences a lightheartedness as a result of laying down the burden of self reliance.

In this new, uncertain world, where my own best interest is unknown, Frodo appears to betray Sméagol (but has actually saved his life), Sméagol restores Gollum to the role of protector because “Master has tricksed us!”. His decision to switch allegiance from Frodo to Gollum (himself) is made on incomplete information in which he knows only that he’s been captured and beaten. He is unable to see the larger picture. The split mind (Gollum) as self protection in the dream, reappears.

The nature of passion in duality is that it swings wildly and unpredictably between love and hatred. As Gollum nurses his grievance, he plots the murder of both Sam and Frodo by leading them into a dangerous situation where they will fall victim to “She”, a carnivorous spider. His rage and disappointment at Frodo’s betrayal can only be assuaged by a total revenge. The payment demanded is the death of the savior.

The parallel with the human split mind undergoing a spiritual transformation is obvious. The process outlined in ‘The Development of Trust’ in the Course in Miracles describes how reluctantly but with increasing confidence, trust is moved away from the self-concept, to the Self that knows. It reflects surrender (not sacrifice) to an alternative not within the former mind construct of the Teacher of God. This trust results in a confidence and certainty not previously available.

The scenes with Sméagol/Gollum highlight the impossible dialogue that churns on incessantly within the mind that tries to solve its own problems. It is found to be a redundant and futile exercise which feeds on itself bringing increasing chaos and uncertainty. As Jesus succinctly puts it ‘My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.” Despite apparent setbacks the journey home has commenced.

Sue Bell is a co-creator of The Miracle Times – an online ezine created as an extension of her own personal transformation through A Course In Miracles. Sue came to the Miracles Healing Center in Wisconsin Dells as a gifted computer programmer - a master in her own field. Fueled by the passion of her own personal awakening and a deep love for Jesus she is now a minister of God. Through her untiring devotion to sharing God's love she continues to inspire a joyous expression of the innocence in all of us.

The Miracle Times: http://www.themiracletimes.com

Tolkien - The Lord of The Rings (by William Meikle)

This book changed my life. Before it I was a spotty 14 year old hooked on my science studies. Then I read LOTR, and, at the same time, discovered women existed and.....but thats enough of that. You want to hear about the book.



By now there are few people who haven't at least heard of LOTR, and most of them have an opinion. There are the fans, almost fanatics, and there are the people who have read fifty pages or so, sometimes five or six times, but just can't get it, and don't understand what the fuss is about. I might have been one of them, if it hadn't been for an accident.



I asked my local librarian to recommend a book for me as I had read all the Arthur C Clarke and Isaac Asimov works they had. She pointed me at LOTR, and handed me what she said was book 1 of 3. It was only when I got home I found I had book 2: The Two Towers. I arrived in the story just at the point where the first film ends - The Fellowship is broken and Frodo and Sam are heading for Mordor.



I think that is what made me keep reading -I had started at a point of crisis and I needed to know what happened next. Of course I had a lot of blanks to fill in, but I managed to pick up most of them as I went along , and I caught up with the first book as soon as I'd finished the third. (I bought the big all-in-one paperback, the one with the yellow cover. If you were a student in the seventies it was obligatory to have one lying about, all battered and torn to show that it had been read several times. You used to see backpackers in their hundreds on the trains going south through Europe, all with this version of LOTR falling apart in their hands.)



As for starting at the begining, I believe the reason a lot of people give up is that they are expecting heroes, wizards and high magic. What they get is, in great detail, the rural goings-on of a bunch of small hairy creatures who eat and drink a lot and seem to live in an idealised version of the Home Counties. Anyone who has read "The Hobbit" will know that there is more to the Hobbits than that, but newcomers often feel cheated and give up.



They don't know what they're missing.



The story only picks up AFTER Bilbo's birthday party, and after the passing of his ring of invisibility to Frodo. Gandalf, a wizard, discovers the true nature of the ring. It is a magic item of great power, belonging to Sauron himself, a dark god intent on taking dominion over the world.



Gandalf tells Frodo that the ring must be taken to a place of safety, to Rivendell, where the high-elves hold out against Sauron.



And so the great journey starts, with Frodo and his friends, Sam, Merry and Pippin, taking the road to Rivendell. On the way they have many adventures, and the mood begins to darken with the appearance of the dark riders, servants of Sauron intent on finding the ring.



The travelling band is befriended by Strider, a ranger of the north, and he helps them get to Rivendell, but not before Frodo is wounded by the dark riders, and starts to understand the power of the ring.



At Rivendell, many things are revealed; the history of the ring is told, Strider is shown to be Aragon, the rightful heir to the kingdom of Middle-Earth, and a fellowship is forged, of wizards, elves, dwarves, men and hobbits. They form a band of nine who will try to take the ring to Mount Doom, a volcano where the ring was forged, and which is the only place where it can be destroyed.



And so the adventure truly begins. From here on we have battles in deep mountain mines, the loss of one of the Fellowship, encounters with elves in enchanted forests, treachery and betrayal leading to the breaking of the fellowship - and we're still in Book 1!



Books 2 and 3 deal with the fight for middle-Earth, with Aragon and his allies taking the battle to Sauron and his minions and Frodo and Sam trying to reach Mount Doom to destroy the ring. There are huge, stirring, battle scenes, moments of humour (especially when the younger hobbits meet the Ents), spectacular feats of high magic when the White Rider enters the battle scenes, and moments of great friendship and tenderness - I defy anyone to have a dry eye when Sam and Frodo are parted at Shelob's lair.



It all builds up to a terrific climax, and the story comes full circle back at Hobbitton where we see the effect the war has had on the rural life of the Hobbits.



And that is why the beginning is important - you might not see it till right at the end, but it is teaching us a lesson about the value of the simpler things in life - respect them or lose them.



Tolkein's genius lies in melding these simple aspects with world-shattering events, showing how even the "little people" have their part to play in the fight against the darkness.



And he also knows that the best villain is a mysterious one....Sauron hardly appears at all in the books, but his dark presence stretches over everything, and he's always there, his evil eye seeing everything.



I used to have nightmares about that large, red-rimmed eye, but that was before I discovered women, grew my hair, developed a liking for Hawkwind and Led Zeppelin, and started to write fantasy fiction. I've never been the same since... but that's another long story.

William Meikle is a Scottish writer, currently travelling in Canada, with seven novels published in the States and three more coming in 2007/8, all in the independent fantasy and horror press. His short work and articles have appeared in the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Greece, Saudi Arabia and India. He also has three shorts produced from his scripts, and several supernatural scripts currently on option, including four shorts, and a supernatural thriller feature.

William Meikle
http://www.williammeikle.com

Lord Of The Rings Chess Set (Swati Banerjee)

The one ring is to find them, one ring to rule, one ring to bring and bind them all. Lord of the Rings in 1997 was voted and due to the mortification of some of the critics in the poll run by major British booksellers it was voted as the greatest book of twentieth century. In 1954 while the first volume published Lord of the Rings have been a steady bestseller, in the sixties and also in the early seventies it has a great campus craze. Lord of the Rings even though having in medieval literature its roots places its readers and characters on a crash course along with the ethical dilemmas of power and knowledge. The modern problems are posed by the Tolkien with a trust in both the human choice importance as well as with the complete ethical principles.

Each detail is true to Academy Award winning epic film, as it is richly realistic and authentic. Lord of the rings is a high-end, gorgeous chess set and has a detailing of the Frodo story, about how he encounters the enemies and friends in his journey for destroying the One Ring; this is a work of art. Under the playing surface the Middle-earth map is mounted and from the film the base has the images of the most unforgettable scenes and characters. In the well pewter of the real cast members 32 playing pieces are exact small sculptures and every likeness is very realistic that by individual actors they were approved personally. The measurement in height of every piece is between 2-3 inches and stands an unbelievable likeness to the actor because by each of them it was approved personally.

The inclusion of some of the pieces are as follows: Gandalf, Aragorn, Arwen, Pippin, Boromir, Galadriel, Merry, Sam, Frodo, Orthanc Tower, four different Orcs, Ringwraith, Cave Troll, Uruk-Hai, Lurtz, Saruman. 15 by 15 by 4.5 inches is the measurement of the board. Plexi-glass is on the top of the board and made of cold cast porcelain is the rest part of board. Around the bottom the purple ring are for the villain pieces and the green ring are for the hero pieces. This chess set can be treasured for generations and is a heavyweight item.

Swati Banerjee is the owner of Writing Ink, a web content management firm based out of India, that services clients from across the globe. Please take a minute to visit http://www.writing-ink.com to experience how the bright young minds here make magic with words!