CAMELOT to close in July

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:05pm

https://www.theatermania.com/news/camelot-to-end-broadway-run-in-july_1707188/

Lincoln Center Theater will close Bartlett Sher’s revival of Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot on July 23 after 38 previews and 115 regular performances. Plans for a national tour and West End production are in the works, according to spokespeople for the show.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:11pm

Woah. Didn't expect this quite so soon (since it was already onsale for a limited amount of time), but it's a big expensive show to run and the WOM clearly isn't there.

Wonder if LCT will produce a Broadway show in the Beaumont this fall or if they'll rent it out until next spring?

[BETTY22]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:14pm

OUCH. I wonder what they will do next.

It feels like they have run out of R&H shows to revive. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:15pm

I really hope Bart Sher can find that magic touch once again when he works on future revivals. 

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:15pm

What a shame! I know this revival wasn't a HUGE hit, but I still enjoyed it! As for the theatre, I wonder if this could be the potential Broadway home if Crazy For You transfers to New York after it ends its West End run in January.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:16pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "I really hope Bart Sher can find that magic touch once again when he works on future revivals."

I'm sure he will, as long as the material he's dealing with doesn't need revising.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:19pm

BETTY22 said: "OUCH. I wonder what they will do next.

It feels like they have run out of R&H shows to revive."

When Bart was interviewed by Playbill on June 22nd, 2020, I submitted in a question asking him "Are there any other classic musicals that you have not directed that you'd love to direct one day?" He said "there are many" and that one of them was Man of La Mancha.

[thedrybandit]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:21pm

Such a shame. I feel like LCT has a massive marketing problem. It's almost become a fluke for a show there to get a run of more than a few months.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:21pm

What a shame!

When I saw it in early previews the audience energy was so strong it lifted the entire production up and infused it with a passion that felt lacking when I saw it after it opened.   The cast played their hearts out - and I wish they'd had a more successful run.   

I'll always be glad to have seen it - and to have even felt passionate about it at the start.   

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:23pm

This coming to the West End would be a terrible idea. 

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:25pm

I thought it would make it through the summer just because it's LCT but yikes. This was a big flop for them. It's been diminishing returns for each big classic they do there so hopefully they get a spark for their next big revival.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:25pm

thedrybandit said: "Such a shame. I feel like LCT has a massive marketing problem. It's almost become a fluke for a show there to get a run of more than a few months."

It kind of IS a fluke if a show extends — everything starts as a limited run there because of the nonprofit structure, even if for a big show like Camelot they kind of have to extend to make any money.

But yes, LCT in general has a marketing problem and the McMullan art feels stale and tired in a digital age. But this production also got awful reviews that made a long run insurmountable. The marketing problems stem from the very top of the organization — an organization which also has some programming problems. All that to say, it’s time for Andre Bishop (who will turn 75 this fall) to retire with dignity. He had a remarkable run but appears to have lost touch with the audience, artistically and commercially.

As for Sher, I’m fine if he sits on the bench for a while. He’s really disappointed me with his recent work and think he needs to find his passion again & recalibrate himself. 

Updated On: 6/28/23 at 06:25 PM

[smallvillefan16]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:29pm

All his shows feel the exact same - the basic sets, the basic costumes, the basic program and poster.   There's only so much before get bored.  He needs to do something different.  But, I am sure we'll see another 50s/60s musical that he'll adapt exactly the same way.  Yawn.

[perfectpenguin]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:33pm

Camelot closing before NYNY was definitely not on my bingo card… 

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:38pm

There was a lot working against this production from the get-go.

First, Camelot is just not a particularly compelling or exciting property to begin with, especially compared to the likes of My Fair Lady, The King and I, and South Pacific.

Second, allowing the wordy, tedious Aaron Sorkin to take a deep dive into the book after he eviscerated To Kill a Mockingbird was just taking a boring show to start with and making it even more difficult and annoying to sit through.

Finally, losing several members of the creative team that often make a Bart Sher revival so fabulous (Catherine Zuber, Donald Holder, Ted Sperling...) just spelled that this wasn't going to be another magical Sher revival.

And so, onto the next on a lot of things. First, let's hope Pippa Soo doesn't stray far from Broadway again. She turned in three incredible stage performances this past season and I hope we continue to get more of her. Second, let's hope Aaron Sorkin strays as far from Broadway as possible. Third, let's see if Bart can reassemble his dream team for his next big musical revival, which I personally think should be The Sound of Music. They clearly had a synergy that worked for them for several productions. Finally, I hope LCT can pick itself up and carve out a path for the future that isn't just more dusty Golden Age musicals. I think it might be time to look toward the later generations beyond the 1950s and consider reviving shows from the '60s and '70s. Imagine LCT taking a whack at some of the Sondheim greats. I doubt we'll get another Woods revival for quite some time, but could you imagine how epic it would be on the Beaumont stage? How wonderful A Little Night Music would be with Bart at the helm? So many great properties out there to revive on this stage, with this director, and his OG team.

This production was a swing and a miss, but hopefully it will serve as a lesson learned.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:47pm

Such a disappointing production. Thought it would run through Labor Day at least. Curious what's next for Lincoln center?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 6:54pm

Man, I'd love for "Man of La Mancha" to come to LCT. Maybe with Audra as Aldonza. And hell, just get Stokes again, too. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 7:04pm

First, Camelot is just not a particularly compelling or exciting property to begin with, especially compared to the likes of My Fair Lady, The King and I, and South Pacific.

I knew it wouldn't extend when it won no Tonys and no one seemed to care for their performance, but I wasn't expecting it to close early. It has a great cast but the story just isn't a good one. Also, many people around me complained about the length of the show (3 hours). People these days already have no attention span, but anything past 2:35 doesn't usually bode well. "Dark, cold, and too long" said a gentlemen leaving with his wife at the end. Bummer. 

Jordan Donica is a star though and he will continue to rise. I cannot wait to see what he does next. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 7:20pm

Yes, this production suffered from Sorkin's re-write. But no, that doesn't mean he should stay away. Mockingbird was pretty wonderful, IMHO. They can't all be successful. 

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 7:22pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Man, I'd love for "Man of La Mancha" to come to LCT. Maybe with Audra as Aldonza. And hell, just get Stokes again, too."

Or Jordan Danica. I'd pay top dollar to hear him do 'Impossible Dream'.

[mshalo18]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 7:30pm

So this explains Phillipa Soo's Instagram thank you message last night. 

Their marketing was awful- there was no reason why this shouldn't have last through the summer. Sad, I have no regrets having seen it, I enjoyed it- for all of the talk that it was too long, I didn't find it slow moving at all. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 7:32pm

I’d like to see LCT revive something from the past 50 years that might not otherwise be revived on Broadway. Take a big swing on a show that NEEDS a stage of that size and the cushion of membership. And let someone other than Sher direct it.

Or, you know, a new musical that’s not about LSD.

Updated On: 6/28/23 at 07:32 PM

[RUkiddingme]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 7:35pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I’d like to see LCT revive something from the past 50 years that might not otherwise be revived on Broadway. Take a big swing on a show that NEEDS a stage of that size and the cushion of membership. And let someone other than Sher direct it.

Or, you know, a new musical that’s not about LSD."

STARMITES?!??!

[blaxx]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 8:06pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Man, I'd love for "Man of La Mancha" to come to LCT. Maybe with Audra as Aldonza. And hell, just get Stokes again, too."

Aldonza's mom?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/28/23 at 8:15pm

I think audiences - and myself - have come to expect some sort of “wow” moment from these revivals and this show had none of that. Minimal sets, nothing really exciting or new staging wise. I think Sher’s style has gotten worse and worse. South Pacific and Piazza were sweeping and gorgeous… but Bridges ( one of my favorite scores, but awful staging), Mockingbird (odd directional choices), and now this…