The Lord of the Rings in 90 Minutes
Archery Lawn, Christchurch Botanic Gardens, Christchurch
09/01/2026 - 25/01/2026
Production Details
Darlene Mohekey - Creator
Daniel Pengelly - Creator
Lizzie Tollemache - Creator
Presented by Rollicking Entertainment Ltd
Calling all elves, orcs and halflings! Buckle up for a glorious, laugh a minute journey into Middle Earth (and back again). Rollicking Entertainment (from the 2025 Summer Theatre hit, The Complete Voyage of the RMS Titanic) returns this summer, as three actors and a musician attempt the impossible – to retell the famous trilogy in one outrageous live experience!
Complete with battles, LOTR bingo and a banging early noughties soundtrack, expect an evening filled with irreverent delight, based (loosely) on the books by JRR Tolkien.
Pack up a picnic (be it lembas bread, potatoes or something raw and wriggling) and see you in the gardens, for the return of the zing!
Anthony Harper Summer Theatre is free to attend, but koha donations will be gratefully accepted by Rollicking Entertainment. Audiences are encouraged to bring chairs, picnic blankets and food to enjoy during the show. All ages are welcome, although these shows are best enjoyed by ages 12 years and over.
9th to 25th January 2026
Wednesday to Sunday 7pm
With additional 4pm matinees at 4pm
Archery Lawn, Christchurch Botanic Gardens.
Follow Rollicking Entertainment on socials for updates throughout the season.
Cast and Creatives:
Darlene Mohekey - Creator/Performer
Daniel Pengelly - Creator/Performer
Lizzie Tollemache - Creator/Performer
Criss Grueber - Musician/Performer
Molloy - Technician/Sound Design
Chris Reddington - Set Design and Construction
Christy Lassen - Prop Supply and Manufacture
Sonya Li-McHenry - Production Intern
With special thanks to Kim Te Pairi Garrett, Penny Ashton, Brendon Bennetts and David Ladderman.
Theatre , Outdoor , Music ,
90 minutes
Quality madcap fantasy comedy and action
Review by Erin Harrington 14th Jan 2026
First published on Flat City Field Notes.
Happy 2026, and happy first major production of the year: the Anthony Harper Summer Theatre production of The Lord of the Rings in 90 Minutes!, on the Archery Lawn at the Botanic Gardens. This irreverent show, presented by the same team who produced last year’s excellent The Complete Voyage of the RMS Titanic, sets a high bar for the year.
Creator / performers Darlene Mohekey, Lizzie Tollemache and Daniel Pengelly take on big, competing comic personas as they collaborate, undermine each other, and appeal to the audience, all while flicking between dozens of characters. Muso Criss Grueber, who is tucked behind a battlement with his keyboard, gives musical support, occasional comic asides and some nice bits of foley. Chris Reddington’s large, multi-levelled set offers dark mountain peaks and valleys, menacing towers, and Bilbo Baggins’ distinctive round door, all of which recall Tolkein’s style of illustration. There are lots of hiding places for various bits of well-designed and surprising props (care of Christy Lassen) and daft costumes.
…Read the rest of the review here
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