In The Hobbit, novelist JRR Tolkein creates a textured, credible, and high-stakes fantasy world, but all of that is missing in Kim Selody’s stage adaptation and there’s not much to replace it.
Just two actors perform the whole thing. Tim Carlson’s core character — and the story’s central character — is Bilbo Baggins, the amiable, home-loving hobbit who gets sucked into helping Thorin Oakenshield (Peter Carlone) and his band of fellow dwarves regain their dwarvish treasure, which is being hoarded by the dragon Smaug far away in the Lonely Mountain.
This framing stays the same, of course, but my problems with Selody’s adaptation started with a glitch in the set-up. It’s clear Carlone is visiting Carlson around Christmastime so the two can reenact the story of The Hobbit: Carlone arrives dressed as Thorin. And it’s clear from the dramatic sound and lighting cues that reality shifts when they accidentally throw some ancient runes. Amidst this Sturm und Drang, the doors on the bookshelf in Carlson’s living-room glow with a message spelled out in runes. But there’s virtually no narrative transition from one reality to the other: the two friends’ minds aren’t blown by the banging, the flashing, and the symbols on the doors.
And the terms of the new reality are unclear. Just how deep into Middle Earth have these two ventured? They’re still using little toys as puppets to voice Thorin’s fellow dwarves. They still joke sometimes about the ineptitude of their storytelling, and they sometimes refer to one another as Tim and Peter. So maybe they’ve just officially entered the world of their imaginations, in which case why bother with all the sound and fury? And why do they narrate parts of the story as if reciting from the book? “Long after they have climbed out of the valley, they are still climbing.” As fans of The Hobbit, this might be part of their ritual, but there’s no sense of that here. To me at least, it feels more like this device is there more for narrative convenience. In any case, I don’t know why Selody has bothered with the runes if he’s not going to fully commit to a magical transformation.
There’s not a lot of depth or presence in the storytelling. Because the characters and their relationships are only sketched in, I felt no investment in the retrieval of the treasure; it was just generic treasure which, for me, resulted in a total absence of narrative tension. The wizard Gandalf, who is Bilbo’s mentor and a hugely important character, is represented by a radio and a speaker through which his voice is supposedly projected. This feels as hollow as can be. Similarly, the little assembly of toys and other baubles that Thorin uses to represent his band of dwarves, fail to register theatrically.
In Act 1, the episodes are rushed and undeveloped. Act 2, which concentrates on the confrontation with Smaug and its aftermath, is considerably stronger.
Some of the characterizations work. Carlone is at his best as the creepy, riddling Gollum, and Carlson brings a funny and fully embodied hauteur to the elf king Thranduil. The night I attended, the actors had a very good time sending up the staging of a conversation between Thorin and Thranduil, who was sitting on an imaginary horse. This bit may or may not have been improvised, but it was fun.
I also appreciated the versatility of Alaia Hamer’s set design. The bookcase transforms into all sorts of locations including, in director Laura McLean’s staging, a cliff, and the wall opposite depicts a forest, which Hamer renders in a style that looks like paint by numbers: nice touch. Every element of the physical production is strong.
I just wish I’d had a better time with the story.
It’s important to note that the performance I attended was a preview. I thank Pacific Theatre and the artists of The Hobbitfor accommodating my schedule.
THE HOBBIT Based on the book by JRR Tolkein. Adapted by Kim Selody with additional dialogue by Tim Carlson and Peter Carlone. Directed by Laura McLean. A Pacific Theatre production running at Pacific Theatre until December 21. Tickets
PHOTO CREDIT: (Photo of Tim Carlson and Peter Carlone by Chelsey Stuyt)
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