CAMELOT Returns to Broadway - Reviews Thread- Page 18

[MCfan2]

Posted: 3/11/23 at 8:50am

By the way, if Nimue doesn't magically lure Merlyn away, then why/how does he leave?

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 3/11/23 at 8:58am

MCfan2 said: "By the way, if Nimue doesn't magically lure Merlyn away, then why/how does he leave?"

He's over 100 years old and just dies. 

[JAS]

Posted: 3/11/23 at 10:28am

NYadgal said: 
“Arthur, Guenevere, and Lancelot are more fully realized. They are no longer simply a King who wants to rule the land, a reluctant maiden queen, and an ego-defined knight. They are a King without a drop of royal blood who wants to make a difference, an independent thinker of a Queen who has been sent to England by her unenlightened father/king, and a man devoted to the ideals of the Round Table and the people who started it.”

Where does the notion that Arthur is a “King without a drop of royal blood” come from? Arthur is the son of King Uther Pendragon, the King of the Britons. So he absolutely IS of royal lineage! The “reveal,” of course, of White’s The Sword in the Stone, is that Arthur (or “Wart&rdquo is completely unaware of any of this until he pulls the sword out of the stone. 

 

 

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 3/11/23 at 10:43am

JAS said: "Where does the notion that Arthur is a “King without a drop of royal blood” come from? Arthur is the son of King Uther Pendragon, the King of the Britons. So he absolutely IS of royal lineage! The “reveal,” of course, of White’s The Sword in the Stone, is that Arthur (or “Wart&rdquo is completely unaware of any of this until he pulls the sword out of the stone."

In this Aaron Sorkin version, Arthur is just a random kid, who possibly was able to pull the sword from the stone just because so many people before him loosened it up for him. There's no magic or royal lineage. 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 3/11/23 at 10:49am

RippedMan said: "And, I'm going to ask how, how is the design/production? I know it's minimal, but anything interesting? King and I at least had the boat at the beginning, My Fair Lady had the house reveal, etc."

I didn't find any design moments that would be comparable to these.  I would say that the castle structure, costumes, and the projections were the investment here with appropriate individual elements brought in to support specific scenes.

 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/11/23 at 11:02am

Well, I'm besotted with the reported updates, as itemized by NYadGal. These types of changes explain why Sorkin was hired -- if they wanted a sweet and funny romantic polish, Harvey Fierstein would've been the choice -- and it sounds like these textual revisions are both consistent with original intentions yet appropriately postmillennial in the best sense. This was always a tale tethered to timeless issues of power, privilege, and yes, gender. Rather than pretend otherwise, it sounds like Sorkin earned his fees by giving us a fresh yet respectful prism. Losing the puffs of smoke and lightning bolts that belong in Wicked won't bother me. The Arthurian legend has always served as a Rorschach Test befitting its eras (see Kennedy Dynasty), and why not an iteration that addresses all that we now know about earned vs entitled hegemony and the struggle to introduce democratic ideals? I'm twice as excited to see it. 

Updated On: 3/11/23 at 11:02 AM

[NYadgal]

Posted: 3/11/23 at 11:16pm

You articulate it so perfectly, Auggie27!  

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/12/23 at 12:05am

Overall, I really really enjoyed this tonight. Got out at 11:15  so it is a long night in not the most comfortable seats but I found the evening worth my time. When Act One ended around 10pm, I said to my friend how that just flew by for me. Funny enough though, Act Two at just an hour and change seemed to last a lot longer.

“Camelot” is a show I do know but have only ever seen it performed live once before - the rest of the times I’ve seen it have been on film so I can’t really tell everything that was changed in the book but what I thought it was all extremely well written and what was obviously updated was great, I thought.

Cast was all great, with the standouts for me being Andrew and Jordan. Phillipa was really wonderful but I felt she held back a little bit and maybe needs a little more time to feel out her Guenevere (not a bad thing at all, this was only the third preview). But Andrew impressed me so much, I had forgotten just how fantastic an actor he is. 
 

I’m looking forward to going back in a few weeks to see how it’s tightened up and to hear that glorious orchestra play one of my favorite Broadway scores again  

 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 3/12/23 at 3:08am

Jordan's experience of the acts' timing mirrors my own: despite being much longer act one flew by whereas act two was a slog. 

I'm interested to see how they try to fix that during previews as I think it is less about pacing and more about the storytelling and how it engages us ... or doesn't. I also think the final few minutes send the show out with a whimper, but I may have just become too weary by then for them to lack much impact.

Still, a good production overall even in these early days.

[Jimmyb1969]

Posted: 3/12/23 at 8:15am

Woahhhh! Where’s the fun? Show gets off to a very slow start and is not helped by the set that is like an empty football stadium/ field. Phillipa picks up steam as the show goes on but I kept waiting for the “magic” I thought for sure in the spring/may scene there would be an awakening - nope. I was afraid the maypole would fall down. I was expecting Grand and got Gray! The tournament scene set looks like a high school theatre. Cheap! Like I said The set does nothing to help. The costumes are the win and fun and then finally Jordan arrives and brings some badly needed energy and pacing and “fun” to this slog fest. It’s like we’re running through glue. I’m like ok let’s go let’s pick it up. And let’s have some fun. It takes forever for each scene to land which further sucks the life out of the piece and I wasn’t sure why since there’s no big set pieces? Just gray arches. The idea is good but the execution is lacking. And I’m going to go out on a limb and make some folks mad but in this rewrite we needed a real musical theatre actor in the lead as Arthur - yup I said it. Someone to play the comedy. And they needed another week of rehearsals on this huge set to refine and amp up the comedy. Phillipa plays it much to small for such a cavernous house but she does pick up speed. And the three knights missed out on the comedy completely . Too serious. And im not sure why Merlin and pelinore were played by the same actor? I’m like there he is again. Didn’t he just die? I know it’s early in previews but they need to cut 30 minutes out of act one and can get 15 out of act two and they need to have more fun. The chorus looks absolutely bored / and it’s a small chorus - again unable to fill the stage and provide the energy needed to help us move this show along. And the choreography - whew! Totally uninspired. This should’ve been big and grand and joyful and what we’ve come to expect - maybe spoiled over the years to expect at Lincoln center and from Sher. And it all gets lost in that big empty stage…running through glue. Cement boots.

Updated On: 3/12/23 at 08:15 AM

[BJR]

Posted: 3/12/23 at 10:00am

How did a sword get completely embedded in a stone, if not for magic?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/12/23 at 12:40pm

BJR said: "How did a sword get completely embedded in a stone, if not for magic?"

I mean there actually is a real sword in a stone at Montesiepi Chapel. How did that happen?

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 3/12/23 at 5:00pm

What are its Tony chances? Will it nab Best Revival over ITW and Sweeney? How about its actors - any potential nods/wins? 

[MCfan2]

Posted: 3/12/23 at 6:22pm

Jimmyb1969, I believe Merlyn and Pellinore are usually played by the same actor.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/12/23 at 6:55pm

Musicaldudepeter said: "What are its Tony chances? Will it nab Best Revival over ITW and Sweeney? How about its actors - any potential nods/wins?"

It's possible this could benefit from the Sondheim revivals potentially canceling each other out.

[starlightlocamotion]

Posted: 3/12/23 at 7:08pm

i think we will see a split in the vote between SWEENEY AND ITW…and I really think Parade will (deservedly) take home the Tony for revival.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/12/23 at 7:14pm

It will be interesting to see if the NYT sends one of its top critics to review PARADE on Bway. They assigned a third-stringer (Juan Ramirez) for the City Center production; I believe this would be Juan's first Broadway review for the NYT.

Reviews could swing this race, if any productions get love letters (which, it should be noted, WOODS did).

Updated On: 3/12/23 at 07:14 PM

[UWS10023]

Posted: 3/12/23 at 8:03pm

My sentiments echo Jordon as usual. I thought Andrew was wonderful. His portrayal had many colors which included a sweet self deprecating sense of humor and a warm persona.His performance was the glue that held the show together. I hope he has a long and prosperous career. Phillipa seemed like she had not entirely made the leap and I could not quite tell what was holding her back. She wasn’t bad it was just that the performance did not feel complete. I wanted her to be even more playful to match Andrew. Jordon was appropriately earnest and sounded great. I think he can now live in the emotions within his numbers and rely less on his vocal technique.
 

The staging was a bit leaden for some reason and felt at times unmotivated.  I knew why the actors were continuously repositioning in circular movements but it felt heavy handed.  I am sure that will iron itself out as the production grows. The chorus does read as  a chorus rather than people who live in the world of the play.

I get why the show is not produced very often. It doesn’t feel like it is propelling forward until the last 20 minutes of the play and then everything happens so quickly. Kind of like a Hallmark movie in that misunderstanding and lack of communication wreck havoc. It almost feels melodramatic. Andrew’s acting does help matters because he is quite empathetic.  I kept thinking how My Fair Lady is constructed so much better with smoother transitions.

If there was a musical number that could be cut I would suggest Fie On Goodness. I think cues will be picked up and that will shave off a few minutes. It seemed a bit like that actors were still figuring out how to deal with laughs for there is a lot of humor in the text.

I think the actors in general can play more to the back row of the house without compromising natural acting styles. The setting and the grand thrust permits it. It will enhance the scene work. I also think some of the microphones can be turned up a tad and the actors can be even more comfortable with playing to the entire house as if they were acting in the round making slight adjustments here and there without making major crosses. At times the show felt like a play with music rather than a musical where the music thrills as well as assists in the story telling.

The production design is dark which kind of sets the tone for tragedy so when things come crashing down it comes as less of a surprise. I do want to say that I was sitting way off to the side so I could not see the upstage wall with its projections and background actor compositions so I am commenting on what I was seeing on the built out thrust. I would recommend purchasing tickets in the 2 to 4 hundreds to get a complete view.

Updated On: 3/13/23 at 08:03 PM

[George Louis Holstein III]

Posted: 3/13/23 at 4:16pm

Do we think they will release a new block of tickets, and if so, when?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/13/23 at 4:48pm

George Louis Holstein III said: "Do we think they will release a new block of tickets, and if so, when?"

KING AND I announced its open-ended run in May 2015 (right after the Tony noms); SOUTH PACIFIC announced the day after opening. I can't find when MY FAIR LADY extended. Sales & demand will dictate this, but I would be surprised if it doesn't extend, unless it's doing abysmal numbers. It's currently on sale through June 25.

[UWS10023]

Posted: 3/13/23 at 5:03pm

It will run beyond June filling houses with subscribers the over 65 crowd. It was quite full during the performance I attended. Down the road it could suffer from the lack of any big names. It may then depend on reviews and word of mouth. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/13/23 at 5:47pm

UWS10023 said: "It will run beyond June filling houses with subscribers the over 65 crowd. It was quite full during the performance I attended. Down the road it could suffer from the lack of any big names. It may then depend on reviews and word of mouth."

It has had less than one week of previews, this is not the time to be making judgements based on a mostly-full preview. Most classic musicals should be able to pull in at least $800K for about 8 weeks. Beyond that remains to be seen. CAMELOT is not beloved on the level of KING AND I or MY FAIR LADY, and there’s a lot of product in the marketplace. If it gets rapturous reviews and wins Best Revival, that’s another story.

[UWS10023]

Posted: 3/13/23 at 10:19pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "UWS10023 said: "It will run beyond June filling houses with subscribers the over 65 crowd. It was quite full during the performance I attended. Down the road it could suffer from the lack of any big names. It may then depend on reviews and word of mouth."

It has had less than one week of previews, this is not the time to be making judgements based on a mostly-full preview.Most classic musicals should be able to pull in at least $800K for about 8 weeks. Beyond that remains to be seen. CAMELOT is not beloved on the level of KING AND I or MY FAIR LADY, and there’s a lot of product in the marketplace. If it gets rapturous reviews and wins Best Revival, that’s another story."

June is only three months away. It will run beyond June. I agree though that it may not be as popular as the other two shows you mentioned. I will say that it seemed to be a show that parents were bringing their kids to. I heard one excited little girl in the lobby talking about the legend of the sword and the stone while clasping a show poster tightly against her chest.

[Tippy2]

Posted: 3/14/23 at 12:25pm

I'm glad y'all seem to be liking this.  I was there Sunday and it felt like I was watching a turtle race. Where the love for Burnap is coming from, I just don't know?  His comedic timing was decent but I don't feel his ability to interpret a song was very good.  Granted, he's dreamy to look at but that only goes so far.  I enjoyed Soo for the most part and Donica was decent.  At this point they all seem very one dimensional.  Hoping it gets better because I LOVE a LCT production and was super excited about seeing this.  I thought I was in for a real treat during the overture but once the sparse cast started their attempt to fill that cavernous stage it went down hill from there.  I did enjoy some of Sorkin's rewrites and felt he helped to make the plot more cohesive but this thing still needs a lot of help. 

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/14/23 at 12:41pm

I have my tix for Friday. I am excited because of the leads but a bit apprehensive after reading some of the feedback provided here.