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Storyline: The musical re-telling that follows the journey taken
when unexpected passion and betrayal upend the world of an idealist King
Arthur, his beloved Queen Guenevere and the virtuous Knight Lancelot. Set in
Arthur’s enchanted kingdom, where “might for right” is the new creed.
Alan Jay Lerner (1918-1986) and
Fredrick Loewe (1901-1988) were a collaborating team starting in the early
1940’s. Before Camelot there were Brigadoon (1947), Paint
Your Wagon (1951), and My Fair Lady (1956). Based upon T. H.
White’s The Once and Future King, Camelot was rewarded with four 1961
Tony Awards. It has been revived on Broadway several times including 1980
once again starring Richard Burton who was the original Arthur. Then in 1981 with Richard
Harris as Arthur and in 1993 starring Robert Goulet as Arthur, some three
decades after his originating the role in the of Lancelot in original
production. Director Nachamie has allowed the darker essence of the book to
percolate and soak into the audience. He has not hidden away the failings of
the royals, nor concocted upbeat theatricality to blind the audience to
Arthur’s dithering, Lancelot’s narcissism or Guenevere's youthful desire for
affection. As Nachamie wrote in his program notes “they are just as mortal
and flawed as the rest of us.” Time will tell if a next generation of
theater-goers will find Camelot a lasting classic when those who
remember President John F. Kennedy are gone and his mythical status is as
distant as the Arthurian legends.
Bill Largess is a kindly,
befuddled Merlyn the Magician in Act I and then the zesty grand fellow
Pellinore. In both roles he brings solidness and delightful comedic
virtues as the proceedings darken. Evan Casey creates a self-absorbed Mordred, the illegitimate son of Arthur. He makes the most of his time on
stage with sharp-witted verve and lively mannerism. He cares not a fig for
anyone as he brings the kingdom’s hidden impurities to light. Casey’s
ability to needle Johnson is like a sharp fingernail under the ribs leaving
a welt. The ensemble that play ladies in waiting and knights are an affable
lot who stay in character even as they cavort in scene work and the simple
choreography that adds some pleasant entertaining oomph to the evening.
There is no escaping this; the
seven piece orchestra has a rather limited sound quality and power, just too
much brassiness with no strings to temper the horns. The set design is
suggestive with skeletons of scenery. Bits and pieces are dropped from the
flies or moved from the wings. It is a set that implies and hints rather
than offering a substantial visual on which to feast the eyes; a canopy of
woods over the stage, a sinister-appearing leafless tree, the arched windows
of a castle and representational stone walls. Costumes are not skimped upon,
especially for the many off-the-shoulder rich velvet gown changes for the
strikingly attired Hurley. An annoyance was the microphone amplification;
the delicacy of the gentler lyrics were over-energized, especially in what
is a relatively small house.
Book and lyrics by Alan Jay
Lerner. Music by Frederick Loewe. Directed and choreographed by Stephen
Nachamie. Musical direction by Christopher Youstra. Fight direction by Casey
Kaleba. Design: Jeremy W. Foil (set) Eric Propp (costumes) Charlie Morrison
(lights) Jarett C. Pisani (sound) Stan Barouh (photography) Renee E. Yancey
(stage manager). Cast: Sharen Camille, Evan Casey, James Chatham, Caitlin
Diana Doyle, Maria Egler, Jarid Faubel, William Goniprow, Patricia Hurley,
Carrie A. Johnson, Todd Alan Johnson, Bill Largess, Deborah Lubega, Don
Kenneth Mason, Thomas “Tommy” McNeal, Michael Nansel, Aaron Ramey, Carl
Randolph, Kirstin Riegler, Andrew Sonntag, Kara-Tameika Watkins and Ryan
Speakman,
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