'One Man Lord Of The Rings' in theater

Austin is known for hosting a wide variety of unusual artistic acts.

This weekend, you can see one of the most popular movie series ever in a whole new way.

Writer and performer, Charles Ross’s version of the "Lord of the Rings" series opened Wednesday at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin.

In the one-actor show, Ross plays all of the characters, sings versions of the theme music, and even creates his own sound effects.

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Ross said his goal is to tell the whole 12-hour film series’ stories in a shortened version that even someone who hadn’t seen the movies could enjoy.

“It is just me on the stage flopping around like a mad man sweating and spitting and taking everybody from the Shire to Mordor and back,” said Ross.

Ross, who is originally from Victoria, Canada, performs his version of "The Lord of the Rings" around the world. The comedic one-act has appeared everywhere from the Las Vegas strip to the Sydney Opera House.

"It's just crazy to have a professional geek job where technically I am acting,” said Ross. “I get to tour around the world with something that's so wildly popular and has a built-in fan base."

One of those fans was none other than "Lord of the Rings" star Sir Ian McKellen. After the performance, Ross said McKellen enjoyed the show, saying it was considerably shorter.

McKellen did not comment, however, on Ross’ performance of his role as “Gandolf.”

“I kind of felt bad because basically doing a long-form impression of him for that hour and 10 minutes,” recalled Ross. “He didn't seem like he was miffed; we just avoided that subject all together.”

Ross has permission from the creators of the Peter Jackson films for the shows, and this isn’t his first geek-centric show. In 2002, he started touring with his "One Man Star Wars Trilogy." He is also considering a third show to complete his “trilogy of trilogies.”

The "One Man Lord of the Rings" show will be at the Long Center for the Performing Arts through Sunday. There are shows at 8 p.m. each night with a matinee performance at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.