Udderbelly's Pasture
6 - 16 Aug, 8:35pm (9:35pm)

Canadian actor Charles Ross has a lot to live up to.  In 2006, he took the Fringe by storm with his cult One Man Star Wars, and he basked in the glory of another sell-out run of the same show the following year.  So how can he possibly cap the achievement of condensing George Lucas's magnum opus into a 60-minute solo act?  Why, it's obvious: pull the same stunt on the most famously interminable trilogy of our times, and do a One-Man Lord Of The Rings.

Yes, it's true: Frodo, Gandalf, Gollum, those two spare hobbits, and even the Ents will all be played by Ross himself in this whistlestop tour of Tolkien's classic.  If it sounds exhausting for the audience, think what it's like for the actor.  But we're sure Ross won't be daunted, for his physical energy was what most impressed in his 2006 show; to accompany his Gatling-gun vocal delivery, Ross threw himself manically around the stage, evoking the essence of the characters through his voice and posture alone.  When his Yoda was such a joyous delight, we can't wait to see how he does Gollum!

This show's coming back from a lengthy lay-up, but on its tour of America a few years back it clocked up some downright ecstatic reviews.  Die-hard LOTR fans blogged enthusiastically about the subtle in-jokes; the Toronto Star, meanwhile, proclaimed it "one of the most enjoyable shows in 25 years".  If the Star Wars show is a guide, you'll need a good knowledge of the films to understand much of the humour - but if you know your way around the Rings, you should enjoy this madcap and impossibly ambitious hour.  Note well: this show's on a short run, heading home to the Shire halfway through the Fringe on 16 August.