Lord of the Rings: The Musicial!

I don't know whether to laugh or order tickets. I watched a few video clips, and none of them have any emotional resonance. The songs are bland and I'm not sure it's possible to combine an epic mythology with the silly, fleeting aspects inherent in musicals.

The set is absolutely gorgeous though. Watch clip #2 on the site. The visuals are almost as cinematographic as the movies, which is amazing for a play.

What this play really is though is the first test of LotR fans' nerdosity. (I know it's not a word, but it should be). It has been a few years since the movies. Will LotR have the same cultural resonance that Star Wars did, where fans devoured spin-offs and related merchandise for years after the movies?

My guess is no, for reasons that have nothing to do with the movies and everything to do with how it is less likely nowadays for people to find identity in just one or a few groups.

This is my definition of (cultural) group identity: something that you take pride in being part of or having an interest in, along with an awareness that there are other people that share your interest.

The second part is important because twenty years ago, it must have been more difficult to find people that shared an obscure interest. If you liked an unknown band and knew no one else you did, wouldn't you feel a little lonely? There was probably a gravitation towards national cultural phenomenons, like Star Wars or Dallas, because it was easier to have that feeling that there were other people with the same interest. You could put a "I Shot J.R." bumper sticker on your car and know at least some people would get it.

It's a nice feeling. I remember seeing a Homestar Runner bumper stickers and feeling a little happy seeing it. I felt positive about the mysterious person who owned that car, like we shared a bond.

My guess is that today, with all of the media choices available, and the ease in finding people who share our interests, that we belong to many more groups than people twenty years ago. At the same time, this makes being part of a particular group less special. I love the LotR movies, but I don't have the psychological need to be part of the LotR group that I likely would have had twenty years ago. There are dozens of TV shows, interests, and bands that I like that help satisfy my need for connection.

That's why I think the cultural phenomenon of Star Wars will never be repeated. There will be more wildly popular movies like Titanic or LotR, but none of them can have the long-lasting psychological impact that they could have had twenty years ago.

The long-lasting part is the critical word. In the short-tern, I do think The Matrix, LotR, and so on were as beloved as Star Wars was initially. But there are so many new movies and TV shows out there, along with ways to connect with people, that there is no psychological reason to devote yourself to just one. The same way that it is easier to find a group, it is easier to leave one too.

(On a side note, I realized as I was writing this why I try so hard to encourage my friends to share some of my interests, usually a TV show or movie that I love. I feel a little disconnected to them if they haven't seen or heard something I like a lot, as if I joined a club that they're not members of.)