Celebrating Tolkien
Ahead | Celebrating Tolkien
Elvish Impersonators
By ETHAN GILSDORF
And, how to eat there...
Chefs Create Middle-Earth Magic
By EMILY DENITTO
Elvish Impersonators
By ETHAN GILSDORF
DESPITE the growth in the ranks of J .R .R. Tolkien enthusiasts since the “Lord of the Rings” films put his fantasy world of Middle-earth on screen, Tolkien’s most avid admirers still risk being labeled geeks. But wearing elf ears or not, they are a force to be reckoned with.
“The Lord of the Rings” has sold 200 million copies in 39 languages. The movies based on the novel broke box-office records. And while Tolkien, the Oxford don who created “Rings,” “The Hobbit” and “The Silmarillion,” died in 1973, this year will be another big one for him.
The first “new” work by Tolkien in 30 years arrives in bookstores on April 17. The book, “The Children of Húrin,” is an incomplete manuscript edited by Tolkien’s son Christopher. And the release of a multiplayer Internet game, “The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar,” is set for April 24.
Naturally, the Tolkien faithful organize Tolkien-themed events. Game players, medievalists, linguists and other scholars all have reasons to become lost in the heroic fantasy of “Rings” and can find gatherings to match their sensibilities. More
And, how to eat there...
Chefs Create Middle-Earth Magic
By EMILY DENITTO
WITH its name and its tag line, “Taste the Magic,” I expected Frodo’s to be some kind of theme restaurant geared toward children. Once there, the décor didn’t make things much clearer. Murals of majestic mountains evoke J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, as do the slate wall tiles, stonelike table tops and sly ring shapes created by much of the food presentation. More