After playing Elvis Presley, Rob Mallett returns to the stage, or rather Middle Earth as Strider in The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale.
Tell us about your character, Strider.
Strider is an all-action hero. He’s born into royalty yet chooses to live in the shadows and fight evil. The Lord of the Rings story centres around good versus evil, and Strider plays his role in that, as does the whole fellowship. Tolkien wrote the story and themes around his experiences from both world wars, and Strider parallels Tolkien’s life right down to the relationship with his betrothed. The love story between Strider and Arwen is the only one in the show, and it’s based on Tolkien’s, except we have an immortal half-elven woman and a mortal man.
Rob Mallett Photo credit: Ruby Sam
How did you prepare for the role?
I love the films and know the character, and with the fact that it’s a musical, any actor can bring themselves into the role. My previous task of playing Elvis Presley was a one-of-a-kind imitation where I had to represent a very particular performance that people knew, but in the instance, there were no real boundaries. It’s about working with the text, music and my other actors in figuring out where it’s all at.
Strider is what we might call a swashbuckler who carries a big sword?
(Laughs) Yes, he does! And people love him for that. In the second act, he gets presented with the lost sword of the king, and at some point, the music was affectionately labelled Strider’s Massive Sword. But we have more of an official song title now. Strider is all-action!
Do you have a favourite moment in the production?
When we first meet Strider, he’s a hooded figure who emerges from the darkness with a torch and sword. He comes to save the Hobbits from the White Riders and it’s quite epic to do that every night.
Rob Mallett Photo credit: Ruby Sam
He sounds like Wicked’s Fiyero, roughed up on steroids!
Exactly. A Fiyero without deodorant who lives in the forest. He also has less focus on the women and more on his moral duties.
Did you prepare by ‘going bush’?
(Laughs) I have that covered, as I was raised on a farm in Tasmania and take every chance I can to get out into the countryside. When the news was out that I got the role, my friends were like, “Off you go! No more showers for you. Go grow your beard!”
“At the gym, a trainer said to me, “I’ve just told my client you’re Orlando Bloom!”
How did you go from farm life to the theatre?
It was a funny sort of clashing of worlds. I grew up in regional Southern Tasmania and always had a performing vein. There was Irish dancing. My mum is Irish, and I have three sisters, and it made sense to go with the flow. Music was always part of family gatherings, and with large extended family and friends, we’d always descend into a jam session. But performing didn’t come about until late in my schooling, where I had planned to join the Navy and was in and out of Defence Force recruiting. Then the Navy locked onto the fact that I’d done lots of performing in my teen years, which I kind of swept under the rug because I was ashamed of it. That threw me and made me reflect on, “Do I want to be part of Defence, which will crush this creative side of me, or do I want to see where this ends up?” So, I decided to audition for drama schools, got into the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and the rest is history.
Rob Mallett as Strider in The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale
What was your first break after WAAPA?
I received an email as I was standing backstage at my showcase in Melbourne, and it was for Hot Shoe Shuffle with David Atkins. That was a fun entry into the business with twelve months of tap dancing. Then came Les Misérables, and after that, I certainly felt a part of the industry.
You’ve also played Marius in Les Misérables, Brad in The Rocky Horror Show, Kassim in Aladdin and Elvis in Elvis: A Musical Revolution! Is there another role you have your sights on?
These things always change as we get older and move through our playing ranges. To have the chance to play Jean Valjean in Les Misérables would be a full-circle moment. Variety is the spice of life and I’m happy moving from piece to piece. I mean, if Marvel has an opening … I’m available, well after The Lord of the Rings!
Who has been the greatest inspiration to your career, thus far?
My wife Chloe (theatre star Chloe Zuel) has been exceedingly inspirational to my journey. I’m inspired by so many. I’m not out to replicate anyone’s career but I draw from every teacher, coach, director, and choreographer and take bits from my friends and colleagues who I work with. I’m always stealing – nothing is original (Laughs).
What about on the screen?
I love the James Bond films. Count any number of those guys who played 007, but then, is it them or James Bond who’s inspiring me? I’m not sure! Hugh Jackman certainly has a career that I would love to emulate, and who wouldn’t?
Speaking of Hollywood, do you ever get compared to Orlando Bloom?
Every day of my life! At my current gym, the trainers exclusively call me Orlando Bloom. They’ve given up on Rob. When I was working on Aladdin in Auckland, I was at a gym and a trainer said to me, “I’ve just told my client you’re Orlando Bloom. Can you come over and say hello?” I put on some faux confused American/British accent, and he was chuffed. We even took a photo. A week later, the guy came up to me and said the rug had been pulled from under him, in front of all his golf mates. He’d become the butt of their jokes all week!
What advice can you give to anyone wanting to break into theatre?
For musical theatre specifically, my advice is that you need to become good at your craft. You need to be quite skilled at singing, dancing and acting, and have the courage to pick up a text and make something of it. Of course, a lot of attention is needed on the right drama schools, headshots and such, but if you’re good at your craft, you’ll get noticed and find a way in. I think the biggest commodity in performing is passion. If you don’t have the interest, then every audition will become an excruciating process of dragging up the energy. Those who have the passion are the ones who’ll continue to work.
How would you explain the popularity and longevity of The Lord of the Rings?
I think it’s a well-told tale about these things the world was wrestling with in the 20th century, and we haven’t stopped wrestling with. Good versus evil, courage, sacrifice and friendship, and it’s an entertaining adventure story. Tolkien is the godfather of fantasy. In a way, he created the genre of that deep fantasy, inventing the language and building on mythology with all the different characters. He has inspired so many other authors to develop these fantasy worlds.
The Lord of The Rings: A Musical Tale is currently in Perth before moving to Melbourne.
For more visit: lotronstage.com
Follow Rob on Instagram @robmallett
