The Edinburgh Blog

Three years ago The Edinburgh Blog was wowed by Charles Ross’ 60 minute re-enactment of the Star Wars Trilogy. Fast forward to this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe and after the resolution of a legal dispute, the Canadian actor is back again with his One Man Lord Of The Rings trilogy. In approximately 60 minutes Ross whips through The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers and The Return Of The King.

It’s some achievement that Ross and his director TJ Dawe manage to soundly recreate Tolkien’s epic fantasy, especially when you consider Ross has no props, wears only a boiler suit and uses minimal lighting effects throughout. Peter Jackson needed around ten hours of film, hundreds of millions of dollars and enough special effects to keep an army of computer whizkids behind their desks for a very long time! It’s the clever script, Ross’ child like zest and humorous anecdotes which makes One Man Lord Of The Rings such a fine show.

Like One Man Star Wars trilogy there are plenty of references to the DVD editions of all three movies, and especially humorous intermissions which state when scenes from extended DVD editions are about to be re-enacted. Of course if you aren’t reasonably familiar with all three Lord Of The Rings stories, you’ll probably get hopelessly lost - although I dare anyone not to laugh at the Gollum impressions or his very accurate impressions of Orcs. Ross himself alludes to this when a solemn few hands register on his “clap-ometer” as not having seen all three movies - claps he counters by saying he tried to make the title of the show as obvious as possible; presumably to warn off the uneducated.

Charles Ross’ Lord Of The Rings trilogy is funny, fitting and fabulous. Essential for all Lord Of The Rings fans and followers. Definite recommendation.

One Man Lord Of The Rings is showing at Udderbelly’s pasture (in the big upside down cow) until 16th August 2021.