Not heard of "The Hobbit"? It (and sorry if I'm mistaken) is the spiritual predecessor to the "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy of epic novels, written by J.R.R Tolkien in the 19th century and starring the father of Frodo, Bilbo Baggins, in a neatly crafted adventure across the North of Middle-Earth (confusing as that sounds). This year, "The Hobbit" has been adapted into a decent production which has been on tour for several months now. I had the pleasure of seeing the play at the New Wimbledon Theatre yesterday, and can confirm that it stays true to the source material, placing Bilbo at the forefront amongst a likeable group of Dwarves looking to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the evil dragon Smaug (brilliantly depicted by a large puppet that was moved by unseen ropes). The plot seems to drag somewhat over the running time of approximately 2-and a half hours, but that's definitely the fault of Tolkien's novel and not the writers of this adaptation (no offence to "Rings" fans). One particular highlight of the showing was the strangely hilarious portrayal of Gollum by an understudy (normal Gollum actor Christopher Lleywyn had to step in and play Bilbo), who easily conveyed a creature far lighter than the menacing yet pitiful wretch we encounter in "The Two Towers" and "The Return Of The King". Some of the songs did feel a tad out of place in "The Hobbit", but these were few and sparse between, presumably added to emphasise the folklore of the novel while making sure viewers were in their seats that bit longer. Never mind, though, as "The Hobbit" was still a very enjoyable, if not revolutionary production.
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