The Good Knight Theatre Company presented J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit as Hellgate’s spring play this year. The dramatization, created by Patricia Gray, showed on Mar. 19-21 in the Hellgate auditorium. The play highlighted the students’ acting abilities and a large cast added to the fun; however, the ending was confusing to me as a fan of Tolkien’s work.
Aniston Onougu was the star of the show playing the main character Bilbo Baggins. Complete with slip-on hair for his feet, Onougu perfectly portrayed the reserved and comfortable hobbit who is uprooted from his home and sent on an adventure. Onougu was constantly onstage, but seemed happy in the spotlight as he was easily heard and believed by the audience.
The other main characters shone in their roles as well, with Cormick Keilman as Gandalf and Mack Williams as Thorin Oakenshield. Williams’ role as the dwarf leader was spectacularly cast. He mainly played Thorin as a calm and collected boss, but as tensions rose, Williams heightened his acting as well. Meanwhile, Keilman leaned into the absurdity of his character, a wise wizard who disappears when others need him the most. Many of Gandalf’s witty jokes came through to the audience, though I felt that some were far-fetched and left the watchers confused on whether or not they should laugh. This, I believe, was a fault in the writing, and not in Keilman’s performance.
I think director Laramie Dean (Hellgate’s beloved theater teacher) took a risk with The Hobbit, as it requires a very large cast including the main fourteen adventurers (thirteen dwarves and a hobbit) and a few other big roles, several smaller roles, and an ensemble of seven. That added to 32 student actors. Generally speaking, a larger cast poses a risk for a loss of talent; however, I don’t think that was the case. Every role, even those who were onstage for very little time, was well cast and well performed. Even the little scenes stood out due to well-executed small roles such as the trolls, goblins, and elves.
Easily the most impressive “small” role was Khaden Meyers as Gollum. Though his only appearance was one (fairly long) scene, Meyers took on and brilliantly performed the difficult character, complete with a squeaky, raspy voice and grey face paint.
Speaking of paint, another standout part was the set design. The sides of the stage were fully covered in murals of mountains and forests, depicting the landscapes of Middle Earth. A dragon was even included in the one stage right. In addition, the main set elements were triangular prisms with each side painted as a different scene, and would be spun to face the audience to represent different parts of the adventurer’s journey.
Everything about the acting and the set and the production was very well done. My only critique was actually in the writing of the play, specifically the ending. It was almost completely different from the conclusion of the novel. While the book ends with Thorin and other dwarves dying, the Battle of Five Armies, and Bard the Bowman slaying Smaug, the ending of the adaptation included none of these vital details. In the play, Thorin stays alive and is the one to kill Smaug. He and the Elven Queen in Hellgate’s production also have a budding enemies-to-lovers romance, which was a shocking moment. The Battle of Five Armies is left out entirely, as is Bilbo’s journey home, presumably for lack of time. These changes are attributed to the playwright, and have nothing to do with the production itself; however, I did find it to be a disappointing end—story-wise—to a wonderful play.
Overall, despite the story’s alterations, I thoroughly enjoyed the Good Knight Theatre’s production of The Hobbit. Though Hellgate’s play season is over this year, I am looking forward to next year and the amazing performances to come.
