Wed. November 6, 2024
Last April, Michael McBride was walking with his husband at Navy Pier to meet a friend. As they passed the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, McBride mused aloud that, someday, he was going to work there.
Two weeks later, McBride got a call from one of the producers of The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale, asking of his interest and availability to be the music director.
“It felt like a magical confirmation of a passion I had been nurturing for several years,” he said. “I’m grateful to whoever it was who spoke well of my work and made the connection.”
McBride, 44, was the musical director for The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale during its Chicago’s run this summer.
“I was responsible for teaching the actors their vocal and instrumental parts, coordinating with the rest of the creative team to tell our story smoothly, interfacing with the sound designer to construct a cohesive sonic experience, and maintaining the quality of the production throughout the run,” he said. “I was overjoyed and honored to serve in this role. It felt surreal to be working at such a prestigious theater with a story that is beloved worldwide. We certainly felt pressure to do the show justice since we were being supported by a producing team that is responsible for preserving the integrity of all The Lord of the Rings properties, including the movies, TV shows, video games and merchandise. So, when the job got challenging, I tried to pull strength from the millions of people who love this story.”
The Chicago rendition was the U.S. premiere of a show that had been brought over from the Watermill Playhouse in the UK the year before. McBride said it was “a daring revival and reworking of a show first produced in the mid-2000s that was notoriously massive in scale in the West End.”
Director Paul Hart had a vision to tell this story that covered all three books in an intimate venue, McBride said.
“One of the largest adjustments is that for this production, it is the actors who play all of the instruments rather than having a traditional pit orchestra,” he said. “Our music supervisor and orchestrator, Mark Aspinall, revised the original score to create a stirring variety of sounds from light folk music to cinematic battle tunes. I also served as a music programmer to augment a few intense moments. These remarkable multi-talented performers wove together their dramatic scenes, dancing and fighting all the while playing instruments like violin, viola, cello, trumpet, trombone, percussion, guitars, bouzouki, harmonica and even a lever harp worn by a performer.
“One of the coolest aspects of this show is getting to see the enthusiasm of our audience, some who knew the books and movies and some who were brand new to this story. There were many who came dressed in costumes of their favorite characters—lots of elves, hobbits and wizards.”
Despite ending in Chicago, McBride isn’t done with his Rings.
He’s joining the journey to New Zealand.
The Lord of the Rings – and McBride – will be in Auckland for four weeks, plus a week acclimating to the new venue.
“I’ve been teaching music at various universities for over 20 years,” McBride said. “Over the past few years, music directing jobs have been taking me away for a few weeks at a time. It was challenging juggling both, but I wanted to serve and inspire my students as well as honor the growing passion burning inside me. This year, the tipping point happened. This New Zealand production and several other professional opportunities were the confirmation I needed to take the leap into being a full-time music director. So, I’m thankful to be able to align what I love doing, where my skills lie and what these productions need.
McBride’s work-home will be the 2000-seat Civic Theater in Auckland.
“This will mark my first international music direction post. I could not think of a better place to bring The Lord of the Rings than where the Peter Jackson movies were made. I’m excited to explore New Zealand, meet the folks there and take in the culture,” he said. “This transfer from Chicago to Auckland is designed to be as seamless as possible. With only a few minor changes, fortunately, we can preserve the excellent work done in Chicago.”
McBride said being music director for The Lord of the Rings is one of the most unique experiences ever. It isn’t his first show in which the actors play instruments, but rarely on the scale of The Lord of the Rings.
“One of the most singular challenges is that the performances are designed to be done without a conductor. So, a large part of my task was to train the actors with skills usually reserved for music directors,” he said. “They had to know how to play at the perfect tempo. We had to determine at each moment who was the best person to cue other performers and elements. We had to develop an intimate knowledge of the score so they could play it expressively and to jump in on another’s part if someone was missing. Let’s just say, I have many spreadsheets.”
McBride said his favorite part of being music director for The Lord of the Rings is getting to be a part of a community of artists who care deeply for this show and for each other. “I would regularly walk into rehearsal to find the actors jamming together and helping each other,” he said. “Knowing who these people are made me appreciate the work even more. There were a few performances in which I didn’t well up with tears.
“One of the trickiest parts, unexpectedly, was figuring out how to mold the orchestrations to accommodate quick costume changes. If you get to see what is happening backstage, it is just as intense as on stage. I got to collaborate with the wardrobe head to facilitate some changes that were clocked in at less than 30 seconds. There were even times that actors would change a portion of their costume, pick up their instrument to play for a few bars, and then finish the rest of their change. Every day there was a unique challenge that would present, and we could not have done it without a team that communicates and respects one another.”
Upcoming: “There is a very exciting show coming up in the spring, a hilarious show Chicago will love, especially the LGBTQ community,” McBride said. “I’m also developing a few new musicals — The Boys and the Nuns with Sandra Delgado and another show based on a beloved movie from the 1990s.”
Locally Speaking: “I’m looking forward to working with the students at The Theater School at DePaul University in their production of Ride the Cyclone this winter,” he said.
Finally: “I don’t take lightly that I have found a place where the various parts of myself can come together,” McBride said. “I’m constantly inspired by the other artists around me, together contributing toward something larger than us. One of the lessons The Lord of the Rings has taught me is that every adventure starts with one step.”
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