A Lord Of The Rings Dark Rider is set to make Toronto theatre history.

TORONTO - Middle Earth is starting to come to life on King St. as the March 23 gala opening of producer Kevin Wallace's $27-million stage adaptation of Lord Of The Rings draws closer.

Down at the Princess of Wales Theatre, where 30 tons of concrete have been removed to install a brand new computer controlled stage floor, Sauron's Dark Riders have begun what is hoped will be a long ride into Toronto theatre history.

The Dark Rider's cloak, made of 24 yards of fabric, is just one of some 504 costumes that will be on stage in the three-and-a-half-hour extravaganza.

Many of the costumes, like Brent Carver's costume for the role for the wizard Gandalf, have been made at Toronto's Seamless Costumes, where almost 38,000 person hours have gone into building costumes and hats for the show.

Those costumes have been supplemented by props and set pieces shipped from England -- enough to fill a total of 20 sea freight containers, each 4,000 cubic ft. in volume.