‘Fellowship! The Musical‘ at the Maverick Theater satirizes ‘Lord of the Rings‘ perfectly for fans and detractors of the Tolkein, ‘classic.’
The cast of ‘Fellowship! The Musical‘, running from now through May 17, 2025, at the Maverick Theater.
“All right, look, there’s only one ‘Return,’ okay, and it ain’t ‘of the King,’ it’s ‘of the Jedi‘.” – Randall Graves, ‘Clerks II‘ (2006).
As someone who once flung ‘The Hobbit‘ across a classroom in sixth grade—loudly declaring, “THIS IS HORRIBLE!”—and earned his first detention because of it, I never imagined I’d be laughing as hard as I did to a musical parody of anything Tolkien. Yet here I am, absolutely elated by ‘Fellowship! The Musical‘ at the Maverick Theater.
Parody at its best is a brilliant balancing act: it roasts what needs roasting while honoring what fans adore. And that’s exactly what this production nails. If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at Tolkien’s endless pages of tree descriptions, you’ll be in comedic heaven. If you are a Ringer, you’ll love how lovingly everything sacred is poked with a very silly stick. Either way, you’re going to laugh—a lot at ‘Fellowship! The Musical‘.
Steven Alcantar’s Frodo is truly impressive. His vocal control? Legendary. He holds notes with such control and grace, it’s like the Ring is powering his diaphragm. Enrique Muñoz Jr. doubles up as Sam and Galadriel, and his comedic chops are on full display—flipping between sweet, bumbling gardener, love-struck, hobbit to otherworldly elf queen with ease and hilarity. Miranda Seighman brings chaotic charm as Pippin, leaning into the lovable fool role in all the best ways.
Jonathan Haidl totally bro’d up Boromir, turning him into the kind of overconfident alpha fail you’d expect to find at a Gondorian frat party. And his take on Bilbo? A neurotic, beautifully nebbish old man who wouldn’t be out of place muttering to himself in line at a fantasy DMV. It’s delightful.
But the true scene-stealer? Kyle Slayton as Merry. His growing frustration over being constantly overshadowed and overlooked for Pippin was so genuine and sharply performed, you couldn’t help but root for him…even after being chastised by him during the performance. He brought heart, humor, and just the right touch of envy.
Then there’s Ashton Haugen as Gimli—this production’s showstopper. From the moment she stomped on stage, it was impossible to look away. Her physical comedy, earnest delivery, and fully committed dwarf energy was amazing. Her costume however, had me singing, ‘Diggy Diggy Hole‘ in my head wishing to hear her breakout into the song mid-scene. Her performance had me fixated and belly laughing the entire time she was on stage.
And we can’t forget Justin Gonzalez (Strider) and Samantha Green (Legolas/Arwen), continuing to showcase their stellar stage presence and comedic timing fresh off, ‘Shakespeare in Love‘. These two are fast becoming the Maverick Theater’s secret weapons.
Directed by Brian Newell, with a script by Kelly Holden-Bashar and Joel McCrary and music by Allen Simpson, ‘Fellowship! The Musical‘ features twelve original songs performed by a tight, wildly talented cast of nine. I pulled Newell aside after the performance confessing my love and hatred for him with the level of ingenuity he has in pulling off such a fantastic production.
The Maverick’s budget may not cover wizard staffs (just asking Brian Cook’s Gandalf and his staff infection joke) is worth their weight in gold, especially when it comes to creativity, talent and hilarity.
‘Fellowship! The Musical‘ at the Maverick Theater runs from now through May 17, 2025.
To purchase tickets for ‘Fellowship! The Musical‘ at the Maverick Theater visit: https://mavericktheater.com/fellowship/ or by calling 714-526-7070.
The Maverick Theater is located at:
110 E. Walnut Ave. Unit B
Fulelrton, CA 92832
Summary
Whether you worship at the altar of Tolkien or once got detention for literary heresy, ‘Fellowship! The Musical‘ is an epic journey worth taking. You don’t just walk into Mordor… you sing, dance, and laugh your way there.
