The Lord of the Rings - TNT

It cost £12.5 million to bring JRR Tolkien's epic trilogy about hairy-toed Hobbits to the London stage. So, luckily, it's unlikely to be music, story or performances that will attract the crowds. With a handful of exceptions, the acting is unimpressive, and narrative plays second fiddle to anticipation of the next special effect. Laura Michelle Kelly sheds her Mary Poppins image to deliver Galadriel's eerie high notes, Malcolm Storry's dignified Gandalf is buffeted by a wind machine and Michael Therriault's Gollum writhes in agonies of torment. Yet, the most memorable moments aren't provided by the expensive revolve but by the shadowy figures of the Black Riders, by Shelob (the giant spider) spreading its tentacles, and by the Orcs executing thrilling back-flips in what is, as my companion observed, ultimately a "silly but spectacular" show.
Theatre Royal Drury Ln, Catherine St, WC2, 0870-890 6002. Until March 28. £30.30-£66