Camelot- Page 2

[Weez]

Posted: 6/24/06 at 2:32pm

I adore 'Camelot'. It's my favourite Lerner and Loewe and it doesn't get half as much love as I think it needs. :3

It's always going to be fairly tricky to cast; Arthur is written very sympathetically, so you need a superb Guenevere and Lancelot to put across the subtleties of it all, otherwise they look like Big Mean Poo Poo Heads.

Agreeing with the "no need for geriatric Arthur" here. He fathered Mordred when he was young and naive, probably in his late teens. So 40 is probably an ideal age to cast around. Michael York is... worryingly significantly older than that. :/

[MCfan2]

Posted: 6/24/06 at 2:36pm

"Arthur is written very sympathetically, so you need a superb Guenevere and Lancelot to put across the subtleties of it all, otherwise they look like Big Mean Poo Poo Heads."

Exactly! Well said. :)

Michael York's age makes me think they're going with the already-done-to-death idea of young wife/nice-but-way-too-old husband to make the audience sympathize with her feelings for Lancelot. Yawn.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:11pm

I think they should show more of the love affair that surely exists between Arthur and Lancelot. They clearly love each other and maybe they could spice up the story if they punched up that angle.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 6/25/06 at 2:50am

The trouble with "Camelot" is that it is one of those shows that has to be big.

Like "Show Boat."

You need big cast, big orchestra (the original Broadway had over 30 players in the pit), big sets, big costumes and big talents in the parts.

And if you have anything less, people won't enjoy it as much and it makes them think that the show is the one at fault.

[Kevinoes]

Posted: 6/25/06 at 8:53am

We did a community theatre production of the show and words cannot describe how bad it was. Yes, it was a crappy production, but I'm not even a fan of the show. There are some AMAZING songs in there, but they have the fault of having no other purpose but to be there. Fine, they help develop a bit, but their segues are very awkward. Like the overwrought and overly long scene preceeding "What do the Simple Folk Do". Get to the bloody point!

I'm not a fan.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 6/25/06 at 9:44am

You have a point; but, there is nothing overlong when you're watching Julie Andrews and Richard Burton do the scene. That's the problem with the show. You aren't going to find anyone to replace those two, or anyone else who was in that production. It's best left to a cast recording.

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 6/25/06 at 12:15pm

Shows don't need to be Big. Everyone thought Sweeney has to be some huge industrial production but this year the nay sayers where told wrong. You just have to have a great directorial image and ideas.

[latheatrelover]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 3:49pm

"I think they should show more of the love affair that surely exists between Arthur and Lancelot."

Uh huh...and then let's have a revival of My Fair Lady and forget Eliza and focus on the living arrangements of Henry Higgins and Col. Pickering. And after that let's have a brand new revival of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" where we can see the reason for Bud Frump's hostility is that Finch prefers Rosemary. (after all, Frump was played by Charles Nelson Reilly).

But I am holding out for the Harvey Feirstein revival of Rodger & Hammerstein's classic "The King and I and the Bitch Who Stole Him Away From Me."


Updated On: 7/21/06 at 03:49 PM

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 4:09pm

I have played Lancelot before and I effing love this show but you must have an amazing cast and director/concept for it to work well. The only thing bad about CAMELOT is that there is too much wonderful material that often times gets cut.

[Magdalene]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 4:17pm

Hugh Jackman would be pretty good (IMHO) as either Arthur or Lancelot

[jewishboy]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 7:32pm

I think a revival would work.

Here is my cast:
Aurthur: Brent Barret
Guenevere: Laura Benanti
Lancelot: Marc Kudisch

And I don't think Hugh Jackman would work for Lancelot at all.

[Jon]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 8:08pm

Marc Kudisch seems to have intentionally moved himself into the "bald character man" category.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 10:17pm

I've played both ends of the spectrum - first Merlin, then Lancelot - now I'd love a crack at Arthur. I think it is a wonderful show, when directed well.

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 10:29pm

I vote for this as the next Mitchell and Mazzie Broadway revival... and you can throw in Danielly as Lancelot.

And yes, they're all too old, and yes, I don't care.

Let the games begin!

[BroadwayBulldog]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 10:43pm

^

[alterego]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 11:21pm

Allofmylife, CAMELOT was my first show too! Though here in Australia not Canada. Here the sets/costumes were redesigned by local John Truscott who later designed the movie for which he won an Oscar.

The score is wonderful, but the book...ugh. Could this be rewritten? Updated On: 7/21/06 at 11:21 PM

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 1:18am

"Marc Kudisch seems to have intentionally moved himself into the "bald character man" category."

But he's still damn, damn hot!

Sorry to threadjack...

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 8:10am

best12bars - Mazzie couldn't sing it at this stage of the game -and she's simply too horsey looking to play Guenevere ( I love her comedy stuff, but she's just not the right type to play this role). Stokes would sound great, but this is one of those instances where I don't think non-traditional or color-blind casting would work. And Danielly is not handsome enough to be Lancelot (to me).

Franco Nero in the film was really beautiful as Lancelot. I'd almost rather see this show cast completely with unknowns at this point if they were to revive it.

[daredevil]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 11:14am

i saw the original Camelot at the Majestic. Burton was incredible! Totally vulnerable and innocent. I really could not believe the performance. But in 1961 he was no more than 34, and ideally I think the role should be cast with a very young actor (21-34) who can convey that innocence. So I don't understand the Michael York casting, but even the leading men listed above, seem a little too complacent. Also, Arthur does not have to be a singer, Burton did the "talk thing" a la Rex Harrison. When I heard a singer do the role later, he seemed to overpower much of Arthur's music. Think of a young actor you think is ready for Hamlet, and that might be an ideal Arthur.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 12:28pm

Burton wasn't really doing parlando. He was doing Shakespear. It was a terrific performance by a man totally in mastery of his vocal instrument and able to use the richness and melodiness of his voice to make it seem like song. I was so moved when I saw him. It's the one performance that I sawas a kid which I can clearly remember.

And not a whit of nervousness. He knew who he was and what he was capable of doing and the composer had made certain he was well within his range. Kudos to Fritz Loewe as well.

[elmore3003]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 2:43pm

I'd vote for:

Ewan MacGregor or Russell Crowe as Arthur
Kelli O'Hara or Melissa Errico as Guinevere
Nathan Gunn as Lancelot
John Lithgow as Pellinore
Topher Grace or Robert Downey, Jr as Mordred

[jewishboy]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 4:11pm

I think that Rachel York would also be brilliant as Gunevere

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 4:13pm

This show is coming to FL with Michael York if im not mistaken. Should i go to see it? what musicals can Camelot be compared to?

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 6:20pm

Much as I would hate to see Stokes and Mazzie in this show, Mazzie would have no trouble whatsoever singing it. It's not as if it goes very high. I'm sure that Mazzie can sing it and then some.

After all, Andrews specifically requested Loewe to make it easier on her voice than Eliza was. And, for that matter, Mazzie could easily sing Eliza, a role for which she would have made more sense when she was the right age.

I don't love her singing but she does have a big range. She wouldn't even be stressed by Guinevere's music.

[MusicalDirector109]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 10:27pm

Did anyone see the recent Paper Mill Playhouse production? Who were the three leads?? Any opinions on this particular production?