The Off Broadway Theatre’s latest original musical comedy, “Lore of the Rings,” is a parody of J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic adventure saga, “The Lord of the Rings.” The brand new script by Off Broadway Theatre cofounder Eric Jensen and his son, Austinn, will have its premiere on the stage of Draper Historic Theatre April 5 through 27.

“It’s basically ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ but a comedy,” Oliver Gavriliuc explained. The 10 year old and his sister, Lexie, age 8, play a variety of roles in the production. “It’s really funny!” Lexie said.

Director Jake Anderson explained that the show strikes a balance between being an adventure story and a comedy. “It has action, comedy, singing, dancing and a lot of heart,” he said.

The plot of “Lore of the Rings” loosely follows that of Tolkien’s original tale. Frollo, an unassuming Half-wit, sets out to destroy the powerful One Ring and save the world from the Dark Lord Sowrong. He is accompanied by a small band of fellow Half-wits, elves, dwarves and humans. With the help of their wizard friend, Grandalf, they battle d’orcs, a dragon and even a giant spider along the way. 

The movie adaptations of “The Lord of the Rings,” directed by Peter Jackson, serve as the springboard for Off Broadway Theatre’s comic re-telling. “It’s fun to see these iconic characters parodied,” Anderson said.

The characters in “Lore of the Rings” are exaggerated versions of the originals. Andrew Reid, who plays “Ericcorn,” said of his character, “He’s different from Aragorn. I love that they take the idea of him being manly and make it over the top. Everything he does is so cool. It’s just really funny!”

Janae Hoggins plays “Galliteral," an elf who is known for her power and beauty. “On a scale of one to 10, I’m elven,” she said, quoting the script.

Even the treacherous dark wizard “Sowrong” is made to look ridiculous. Steve Hedman, who plays Sowrong, said, “He thinks he’s all powerful, he’s got the orcs trying to control Middle Earth. In the end, he gets defeated by Grandalf.”

Taking on these iconic roles, even silly versions of them, can be a bit intimidating to the actors. Pierce Jones, age 12, plays the ring-obsessed creature, "Collem." "It's more of a challenging part with the makeup and costume," Jones said. To create the character's signature raspy voice, "I thought of a cat coughing up hairballs," he said.

Jessica Nguyen, who plays "Murray" the Half-wit, said, "If you're a fan of ‘Lord of the Rings,’ there are a lot of fun moments that will have you laughing." She emphasized that the show is for everyone, even those who may be unfamiliar with the books and films. "No matter your age, you will have a lot of fun at this show," she said.

The theme of "Lore of the Rings" centers on the bonds of friendship and camaraderie among the characters. In describing the ragtag group who come together to defeat evil, Anderson said, “They all accept each other for their strengths.” Hoggins added that even though some of the characters don’t like each other, “They work together so that they can save the world."

That sense of camaraderie extends to the cast in real life. "There's a special energy to a group of people putting on a show together," Reid said. For Abigail Borsos, who plays a d'orc, the best part of being in the production is, "the friends I've made along the way. It's the journey. It's been a blast and a half."

"This show defies expectations," Joseph Tuttle said. The actor, who is making his stage debut as Grandalf, explained, "You'll be very surprised as to what this ends up being. It caught me off guard in a good way. Expect the unexpected!"

Off Broadway Theatre presents "Lore of the Rings" on the stage of Draper Historic Theatre April 5 through 27. Performances are Monday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. Draper Historic Theatre is located at 12366 S. 900 East. For tickets visit theobt.org. λ