Tolkien tale comes to the stage

80 years after the publication of J R R Tolkien's The Hobbit, the book that the poet W H Auden described as 'one of the best children's stories of the [20th] century', a local community theatre group in is bringing a stage version of the world-famous tale to Sheffield.

This modern adaptation by Glyn Robbins retains all the humour, mystery and excitement of the original tale and will keep young and old alike on the edge of their seats, as it tells how Bilbo Baggins, who positively loathed adventures, one day found himself embroiled in the greatest adventure in the whole of Middle Earth.

This is the story of how a small and very frightened Hobbit becomes a hero. How he battles against goblins, befriends elves, makes a deadly enemy of Gollum by stealing his precious ring and out-riddles the most cunning and murderous dragon Smaug the Terrible.

Dez Martin, chairman of Hallam ’89 Theatre Club who are performing the play at the University Drama Studio next week, said: “There has rarely been a more relevant time than today for a play that depicts the need of the ordinary little man to stand up for honesty and decency and fight the greed, fraudulence and deception that threaten to overwhelm his peaceful, contented world.

A cast of 28, ranging in age from 7-70 and including many schoolchildren from Sheffield and the Hope Valley, will help recreate Bilbo’s story at the University of Sheffield Drama Studio, Glossop Road, on February 9-11, at 7.30 pm. Tickets, priced £7.50 (£5 concessions), are available from [email protected] or phone 0114 2335333/2303718.