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Told you so: 'Greg Kramer nearly steals the show as the serpentine Gollum' - Lord of the Rings news - J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

October 24, 2000 at 05:11:46

Toronto Star theatre critic Richard Ouzounian admits he is no real fan of Tolkien, but he gives the 'Hobbit' play which just opened a thumbs up. And in particular he has something nice to say about actor Greg Kramer as Gollum.

Kramer asked Xenite.Org's Michael Martinez for information about the character of Gollum earlier this year. Whether he was influenced by any of Martinez' suggestions or not, the actor was definitely on the track to understanding his character, and not simply accepting whatever the script and director called for.

Stylistically, I've always found it an unholy mixture of William Shakespeare and Walt Disney, and I have trouble with heroes who announce in moments of high drama: 'I am armed with an elfish blade.'

Well, Tolkien never wrote anything like the line cited here, so one must presume it comes from the hand of Kim Selody, who wrote this adaptation. Ironically, Tolkien liked neiter Shakespeare nor Disney, so he might have been less than flattered by the comparison (which is a common one).

Lorne Cardinal has a strong presence as Gandalf (and an uncanny resemblance to Laurence Fishburne), while Greg Kramer nearly steals the show as the serpentine Gollum.

Lorne Cardinal is a Native American actor, and a performer for the Centre for Indigenous Theatre. Cardinal also appeared in Can't warm up to Sixty Below in 1997, which received less than a rave review (apparently not due to the acting).

Cardinal also appeared in The Baby Blues later in 1997, a play which was better received than the earlier one by the same critic. "The Baby Blues simply entertains", wrote John Coulbourn in the Toronto Sun.

Some people may also have seen Cardinal in a few movies, television series, and mini-series, such as "Big Bear", "Lonesome Dove", "The City", et. al.

Herbie Barnes plays Bilbo Baggins. Another Native American actor, he has appeared in The Rez, a Canadian television series, the movie "Dance Me Outside", and two other series.

Ouzounian says "Herbie Barnes is the most winsome of hobbits, and his Bilbo keeps tugging at our heart with his repeated mantra of 'Eggs, bacon, toast' whenever things get dire (as they frequently do)."

The play runs through December. Any Tolkien fans dropping by Toronto between now and the end of the year may want to try and catch a performance. Drop us a line and let us know what you think if you do.