CAMELOT Returns to Broadway - Reviews Thread — Page 26

But i do disagree with the criticism of the removal of all the magic nonsense. Updating the book to be squarely in favor of justice, reason, fairness, science-- it strengthens the parable. It makes the ending pack a punch. It makes everyone more human.

Exactly. Just like WICKED.

CAMELOT is (or,apparently now, was )about Arthur's attempt to lead England out of the superstitions, ignorance, and barbarity of the Middle Ages. Hence the magician Merlyn, the nymph Nimue, Morgan le Fay, etc.

Updated On: 4/10/23 at 10:29 PM

PipingHotPiccolo said: "But i do disagree with the criticism of the removal of all the magic nonsense. Updating the book to be squarely in favor of justice, reason, fairness, science-- it strengthens the parable. It makes the ending pack a punch. It makes everyone more human. I applaud Sorkin's effort to drag this tale out of the 1950s on these fronts..."

The book was always strongly and explicitly in favor of justice, reason, and fairness. The only thing that's added there is the science. But there was no "magic good, science bad" content that I can recall. If anything, the magic was there, paradoxically, to remind Arthur that magic is limited and can't be depended on in a major crisis.

Ensemble1681133217 said: "The acting was fine throughout. Soo was the closest to a standout for me. I can't say I'm fully aboard the Andrew Burnap performance. By the end you see a transformation into the King we all know about. But for the rest of the show, it was a little too wishy washy for me. That lack of machismo threw off the love triangle for me. Neither of the men exuded that heat that this cold production needs"

This seems to be on purpose - the re writing of Arthur makes him much more of a young unsure king - unable to act on his feelings for Guinevere (which he admits in the end). It is Lancelot for whom the machismo is required. Not Arthur."

Absolutely. It all felt intentional. My assumption is that this love triangle has worked in previous productions, so I'm trying to figure out why this one fell flat.

Will someone please confirm after or during the show tonight that Jordan Donica has indeed returned?

Updated On: 4/11/23 at 06:55 PM

I heard front of house is no longer doing covid tests at LCT but masks are still to be worn. The non profits have been more rigid than Broadway houses. City Center dropped their mask mandate. One has to wonder though if theaters will at least require one vaccination a year in the future given 1500 people are still passing away daily in the USA. Probably not given what Biden signed recently.

I kinda felt the same way but I still liked it. I just did not realize how long it was! Some people left during intermission because they were falling asleep. Granted, it was an evening performance. I do think Phillipa’s Guinevere was simply stunning and is the true standout of the show. I’m sad that I won’t get to see Jordan Danica‘s performance as Lancelot, but his understudy was magnificent. I have no doubt that the acting in this company is top-of-the-line! In the end, it was worth it, mostly because I cut to meet Phillipa Soo after the performance! She was so friendly to everyone, and took her time at the stage door! I honestly don’t know how the critics are going to review this. I definitely don’t think this will get raves but we will just have to wait and see.

Updated On: 4/12/23 at 08:15 AM

By contemporary standards, the show seems almost under-composed. Arthur has no decisive 11 o’clock spot - he doesn’t get Henry’s “Accustomed to her Face” - and the show loses interest in the singing and dancing citizens until “Guinevere.” So a new production that tells the story through book scenes isn’t inconsistent with original intentions. But it perhaps makes the same case: the score can feel muted, merely story adjacent. We’re used to bigger than life characters - Quixote, Jean Val Jean, Evita - voicing operatic emotions through aria like songs. The understatement in this score may be tasteful and commendably well crafted but audiences expect to be thrilled and moved by sung emotion. Particularly as a story gathers steam. The second act probably fails to satisfy that expectation. And the book is still stuck doing the heavy lifting.

I think I assumed the production would be more lavish so perhaps others made the same assumption. The production design was darker than I expected on all fronts and that influenced the general tone while hinting at a tragic ending.

It may have been moved up here, but the reprise of "Camelot" is the show's end, its profoundly moving coda to the story; it's not a true eleven o'clock spot. Certainly not (to me) the missing number in which the protagonist wrestles with the primary obstacle in the story, or a personal turning point. "Accustomed to her Face" has layers of emotional power, because Higgins's vulnerability, its reveal long absent, is tapped fully. But greater than that, he's at a crossroads about this baffling woman. What she means to him, how unexpectedly he finds himself responding to triggers he didn't believe himself capable of acknowledging. That heart stopping "And yet..." gives his unbidden self-examination such resonance. .

To land on two more recent examples, "Hurricane" in Hamilton and "Edges of the World" in Fun Home, neither the final song but both plot-driven crescendos in which a main character confronts demons or decisions in front of us in song. Alexander, his entire life leads to writing "his way out." Bruce, everything closing in on a suicide. In a musical about a king who loses his kingdom, it always seemed odd to me that Arthur wasn't given such a moment in song as everything is crumbling. The second act offers him no such turning point. And we get to "Guinevere," in which the narration takes over. No show is bound by rules, but even the non-singing character of Desiree got "Send in the Clowns" when her life was falling apart. If the show were written today, surely he'd get a "Clowns" or "Face."

Updated On: 4/13/23 at 08:35 AM

Saw it last night, full cast was in aside from one ensemble member. Outstanding performances by Burnap, Soo, and Donica. Beautifully sung and orchestrated, very impressive sword choreography, the costumes and rear projections were astounding. The acting of Burnap and Soo in particular was what stuck with me the most, they were just fantastic and affecting from start to finish.

But I have to agree that the production is on the anemic side when competing with the vastness of the Beaumont. Lancelot's entrance is one of the few instances where the depth is used to its advantage. I thought it was wonderful overall, but might've been better served on a smaller stage.

Obviously this production trims "The Lusty Month of May". I've done two productions of the show and in both instances when the number was over everyone felt it was June. Oh, and all those "tra-la's" !!!!!

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I don't know what to predict for the reviews."

Same here - usually I have a pretty strong inkling/prediction of what the reviews will be, but with this one, I just don't know. I, personally, LOVED this production, but I would not be surprised if the critics don't warm to it.