CAMELOT Returns to Broadway - Reviews Thread — Page 18

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 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.

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?

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

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.

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 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 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.

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.