One Man Lord Of The Rings – Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds

Ok – just to protect me from Sam Jackson’s lawyers let me say from the outset this review is not linked or authorised by anyone connected with The Lord of The Rings – better to be safe than sorry.

Given the epic scale of the books and the subsequent films how do you condense these down into a one man show just over an hour long? The answer lies in writer and performer Charles Ross who has an obvious affection for the piece and injects just enough knowing jokes in to mock the film characters to keep the most ardent fans happy.

With no props, minimal lighting and just a boiler suit for company Charles swaps from voice to voice with a frantic speed that would make any psychoanalyst flinch.

Ross’s Canadian overtones vanish as we get the spirit of Sir Ian Mckellan manifest itself while poor Olando Bloom is targeted for particular lampooning.

While there is humour here and some micky taking of the films it is clear that this is done with affection – if you cant sit down through all 12 hours of the extended DVDs of the films this show should be top of your must see list – if you do regularly sit through all 12 hours you should get out more and this is the perfect vehicle to start your rehabilitation to the outside world.