Camelot Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 36 out of 52 people found the following review useful: "........a fleeting wisp of glory, called Camelot." from Buffalo, New York 17 December 2005 I wish I had seen the original Broadway production of Camelot. As a lad the Broadway cast album was a treasured staple in our house, played over and over again by my parents. Can you imagine a cast led by Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and introducing Robert Goulet as Lancelot? So why couldn't Warner Brothers sign the original cast from Broadway for the movie? Robert Goulet had in fact come to Hollywood and didn't set the world on fire, but the other two were already big box office names by 1967. Julie Andrews had won an Oscar for Mary Poppins and just did the Sound of Music. And Richard Burton was one half of the most noted show business couple of the Sixties with his wife Elizabeth Taylor. Jack Warner, usually a smart guy, said that he didn't think that anyone would believe that two guys like Arthur and Lancelot would put a kingdom at risk for the love of Mary Poppins.

So Julie wasn't even asked and Vanessa Redgrave got the call. She's certainly sexy enough, but she opted for the Rex Harrison talk/sing in doing Guinevere. If you have the video or DVD of Camelot play that and then listen to Julie Andrews sing from the original cast album. My favorite song from the score is I Loved You Once In Silence and Julie Andrews is at her best singing that song. Vanessa doesn't come close. Ditto for Richard Burton and Richard Harris. Though in the case of Harris I think he was toning it down a mite for a clearly handicapped co-star in the vocal department. Harris later in his life toured extensively in various productions of Camelot as Arthur, virtually taking over the role originated by his close friend Burton. The biggest hit from the Camelot score was If Ever I Would Leave You, sung by Robert Goulet. In 1961 you couldn't get away from that song being played on the radio right in the midst of all the rock and roll. Goulet also toured in various stock companies of Camelot and like both Burton and Harris revived it on Broadway. I don't think anyone ever asked Franco Nero to tour.

But Redgrave and Nero certainly created their own screen magic, they got involved with each other on the set. But folks this is a musical and musically they don't measure up. David Hemmings takes over the role of Mordred from Roddy McDowall who did it on stage. His Mordred is a clever schemer, but a coward as well. For myself the best Mordred ever portrayed on screen was in Knights of the Round Table by Stanley Baker. Baker's interpretation of Mordred is light years from Hemmings, he's a schemer, but he's definitely no coward. I love the score of Camelot and when it was filmed I only wish the singing was half as good as the Broadway show. Was the above review useful to you? 27 out of 38 people found the following review useful: tragic and inspiring film adaptation.well done. from Pa. 20 July 1999 a fine atmospherc sreen adaptation of lerner and loewe's classic. Richard Harris is quite simply magnificent as arthur,the best actor to play the role on stage or screen. redgrave is compelling,although julie andrews singing is sorely missed.

the film adds more of a tragic feel,not like the original broadway version which had more humor. lerner himself rewrote his stage production after the film screenplay. franco nero is mis cast as lance ,even his dialoge was dubbed!! but david hemmings comes across quite well as mordred, too bad his song (along with 5 others) was cut. yes, at times it gets a bit long but its well worth it for the final inspiring scene when arthur passes on the camelot story to young tom of warwick. Harris is at the heart of this film and he keeps you glued to the screen. Was the above review useful to you? 20 out of 26 people found the following review useful: Begging for a remake, but... from Tampa 7 April 2002 Now that movie musicals are in vogue again, maybe somebody at Warner Brothers will give the green light to remake this Lerner & Loewe spectacle that was poorly filmed in 1967. This version is really a shame, considering how beloved the original 1960 Broadway musical is.

Lerner & Loewe wrote some of their best songs for this show: "If Ever I Would Leave You", "Camelot", "What do the Simple Folk Do?" and "Fie on Goodness". But when making the film, producer Jack Warner chose tone-deaf actors, one of the worst directors in the medium, and had Alan J. Lerner rewrite his script, stressing the drama over the comedy (to the narrative's detriment) as well as throwing out half the score (including, sob, the show-stopping "Fie on Goodness"). Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave ARE great actors, and in their dramatic scenes, they are quite effective, but they most certainly are NOT singers, especially poor Ms. Redgrave (although, her orgasmic rendition of "The Lusty Month of May" has to be seen to be believed). Franco Nero, a beautiful, beautiful man, has a great opening with "C'est Moi", but then goes downhill from there. David Hemmings manages to bring some mirth to the film, but he's only in the last third, and by that time it's nearly too late (plus, they cut his only song!).

On the plus side, the film DID deserve the 3 Oscars it won: Best Scoring (if you take the voices out, the music sounds magnificent), Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, and Best Costume Design (the flick IS sumptuous). And the cinematography is rather breathtaking at times. (If you do watch it, try to see it on DVD, where it's letterboxed.) So, if anybody from Warner Brothers, or any other studio for that matter, is reading this, give it another go: go back to T.H. White's original source novel and Lerner's original B'way script, keep ALL the songs intact, and hire actors who are proven singers, say, Ewan McGregor (he demonstrated his pipes in Moulin Rouge!) as Arthur, Kate Winslet (who scored a British top 10 hit last year) as Guinevere, and Hugh Jackman (who got his start in a West End production of Oklahoma!) as Lancelot. Please.... Was the above review useful to you? 21 out of 29 people found the following review useful: interesting ...

from United Kingdom 17 November 2002 One of the reviews I once read of this marvellous film dismissed it as 'kohl and overacting'. No way. It has so many scenes that live in the memory as I write, not having revisited the movie for quite some time. The wedding sequence with all its lights; Guinevere, beautiful in her wonder of the magical land where leaves 'blow away altogether, at night, of course'; If Ever I Should Leave You (not sung by Franco Nero, as I understand, really, but you'd never guess); How To Handle A Woman ('what's wrong, Jenny? where are you these days? I don't understand you ...'); creepy Mordred; and the ending (run, boy, run) which is terrific. I have heard Burton as Arthur and have to say I was disappointed. They made the right casting choice for the movie. A pity some of the songs got cut (except it would have been even longer then, good for us who like it, intolerable for those who don't).

Also interesting to compare with other Lerner/Loewe movies with their themes of magic, understanding, and change (My Fair Lady, Brigadoon, Gigi and Paint Your Wagon). As they sit together as a body, Camelot is one of the best. Was the above review useful to you? 27 out of 41 people found the following review useful: A bit muddled in the execution, but saved by the marvellous music! from United Kingdom 22 October 2002 CAMELOT is, of course, the story of King Arthur (Richard Harris), his Queen, Guenevere (Vanessa Redgrave), and Sir Lancelot (Franco Nero), the best and brightest knight of Arthur's treasured Round Table. To Arthur's infinite sorrow, his queen and love falls hard--irrevocably so--for his friend and ally, and he is forced to choose between indulging the hatred that overwhelms him as a man, and the nobility that accompanies his stature as a king. Choosing the latter, Arthur must live with the whispers of 'poison in the court' as the other knights bristle at Lancelot's stolen kisses with Guenevere.

All this while the king clings to his flame of hope, the idea of establishing a civil court to establish law and order where once there was violence and bloodshed. When Arthur's illegitimate son Mordred (David Hemmings) devises a plan to get Arthur out of the castle and the knights into Guenevere's room to trap the clandestine lovers, 'Jenny' and 'Lance' are found out... even as they're pledging to part in order to honour their love and loyalty to Arthur. The eventual demise of each of the three main characters, which I'm emphatically *not* going to reveal but you might suspect anyway if you know any Arthurian folklore, is heartrending and quite well played-out. 'Tis a tale rich in ironies, this tale of Camelot, and in the end a story about two ideas--that of an ideal i.e. the peaceful lawful Camelot as envisioned by Arthur, and that of love. Neither are 'real' in the sense of being tangible, can't be seen or felt or heard, and yet both are worth fighting to the death for. They can bring a king to his knees, but they can also make heroes of men.

It's a shame that the film doesn't do handle this too well; whenever it sets out to do so, it becomes a tad overdone. Take for example the quandary Arthur finds himself in--should he turn a blind eye to the adulterous pair's trysts? Arthur's dilemma is expressed by a soliloquy superbly delivered by Harris. It's a great piece of acting and a solid writing job--it's just not something that works on film, even in a musical (when one is more inclined to accepting an actor directly addressing or serenading the camera than with other film genres). The point is made *too* overtly, and the film and characters suffer as a result. It probably isn't helped by the fact that the majority of the lush, beautiful shots in the film (see the 'Lusty Month Of May' number) are marred by some equally jarring shots that seem completely out of place, or just wrong.

During the montage of shots to Nero's solo 'If Ever I Would Leave You', there is one sequence in which Guenevere enters Lancelot's room--it would make a perfectly lovely shot if done in an understated fashion, making the point that it is Guenevere who comes to Lancelot and not (always) the other way around. Unfortunately, in an attempt to create 'romance' (something that doesn't need overt manufacturing if the actors are capable of generating that atmosphere sans special effects), both actors are subjected to a wind machine, and end up looking like the melodramatic lover-idiots of a Mills & Boon dramatisation. Arthur's chat with young Tom as well is great in the conception, and suffers in the execution--something is lacking from that scene (I think the ability to underact by Gary Marsh as the boy), and it spoils what would otherwise be a great message and ending. (The too many 'Run, boy, run!'s also wears on the nerves after a while.) CAMELOT is caught uncomfortably between being a stage production and a film, and that shows in how it rigidly keeps to the 'Overture/Intermission/Entr'Acte/Ending Music' structure...

while *annoucing* it with captions! Whatever problems there might be with direction and execution, however, there can be no faulting of the score and songs written with the distinctive stamp of songwriting team Lerner and Loewe. Every song has its own charm, but I particularly enjoyed 'Camelot' (a sweet and fitting theme tune for the love between Arthur and Guenevere, and Arthur and his kingdom); 'Then You May Take Me To The Fair' (Guenevere's deviousness put to glorious song); and 'If Ever I Would Love You' (with smashing lyrics but spoilt somewhat by Nero). The actors, or at least the two leads Harris and Redgrave, do a creditable job by these songs... Harris in particular. He is consummately King Arthur, the vulnerable man and the noble king, and he brings the character off (dodgy blue eyeshadow or no!). The role of Guenevere is a tough one to make sympathetic, and even now I don't know whether I like her...

but I do know that Redgrave did as good a job as can be expected with a woman who falls *instantly*( in love with her husband's best friend after trying her best to get him killed in (not one but three!) jousts. Neither Harris nor Redgrave are singers by profession, and it's rather a shame that Julie Andrews (who created the role of Guenevere on Broadway) didn't reprise her role for the film, but neither of them hinder the beauty of the Lerner/Loewe music. I'm afraid the same can't be said of Nero, whom I thought annoying as the puffed-up prat Lancelot. Watch and you'll notice that he emotes, in between a bad attempt at a French accent, by flaring his nostrils. Hardly attractive, especially in close-up! CAMELOT is far from a perfect film or even a perfect musical. (That adjective can probably be applied only to the score, and that has nothing specifically to do with the film.) It would have been interesting to see it onstage, or to have the main Broadway cast reprise their roles in this version--yet the film *does* have its own quaint charm.

The costumes are breathtaking, for certain, and Harris really works very very hard at trying to make the film one worth seeing. For his performance, despite the rest of the film and the uneven writing for his character, it almost *is* worth it. And I cannot deny that the ending still made me cry. So don't take it from me alone that CAMELOT isn't a great film--there *are* many things about it to like. But be warned that liking it, as I do, doesn't translate into loving it. 7.5/10 Was the above review useful to you? 21 out of 33 people found the following review useful: Mediocre Stage to Screen Adaptation from United States 13 July 2008 It's hilarious that one reviewer here on IMDb singles out Franco Nero as the best singer out of the three leads. He obviously wasn't aware that Franco Nero didn't do his own singing ad was in fact dubbed by Gene Merlino! Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave did do their own singing. Overall, Camelot has a melodious score by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe and some first rate production values but it drags in spots.

It's also very much a product of the 1960s as "The Lusty Month of May" is turned into some sort of pseudo hippie medieval love-in. As for the performances Harris is a little too fey for my tastes as King Arhur. Vanessa Redgrave, although a good actress lacks the beautiful vocal renderings Julie Andrews gave the part and Franco Nero is hopelessly wooden as Lancelot. David Hemmings is a delightfully devious Mordred and almost steals the film from the rest of the cast. Camelot is ultimately a very good example of the over-produced, over-stuffed musicals the studios were turning out during this period. Was the above review useful to you? 15 out of 23 people found the following review useful: Ballads For King Arthur from San Francisco, California 20 March 2005 The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table has endured for centuries, and has inspired many movies. One of them is the musical "Camelot," based on the stage production by Lerner and Loewe. Richard Harris stars as King Arthur, with Vanessa Redgrave as Queen Guinevere and Franco Nero as Sir Lancelot.

The story follows the classic legend, Arthur creating the perfect land of Camelot, but suffering betrayal by his queen and favorite knight. The eyes are presented with a lavish sight of dazzling scenery, lush locations and beautiful costumes. There are memorable songs, such as "If Ever I Should Leave You," "What Do the Simple Folk Do?" and of course, "Camelot." This epic offers a lot for both the eyes and the ears. Was the above review useful to you? 15 out of 24 people found the following review useful: Best Musical in the history of Musicals.... no joke 11 June 2005 *** This review may contain spoilers *** I'm not big on musicals. When people break out into song, it just seems so awkward. You become acutely aware that you are watching a movie. Camelot, on the other hand, is so professionally and cleverly done, that the songs seem to be a natural part of this beautiful, magical world. Instead of bogging down the action or interrupting the plot, the songs propel the plot forward. It is a brilliant way to allow the characters to say things they could not get away with in regular conversation.

For example, Lancelot could never recite lines of dialog revealing himself as pompous and arrogant as his song, "C'est Moi" (Besides bragging about his greatness and incredible perfection, he declares himself "The godliest man I know", among other outrageous assertions). How could Guenevere better portray how absurdly selfish and self-involved she really is if she couldn't sing about "the simple joys of maidenhood" which include her desire to have love-struck, heartbroken knights jump to their death. There are so many things to admire about this movie: action, drama, intrigue, romance, great music and astounding lyrics. I love listening to songs such as "C'est moi" and "What Do The Simple Folk Do?" In the entire history of musicals, there has never been anything to approach the sheer genius of Camelot. Since I'm not a big fan of musicals, I would never run out and buy the soundtrack to one. But I have the soundtrack to Camelot! In 38 years of listening to it, the songs have never lost their appeal.

(The following is not really a "spoiler", but it reveals some general plot elements from the end of the movie, so don't read this if you don't know how this movie ends!!!) Camelot also has another amazing distinction. Think of all the sad scenes you have ever seen, then compare it with Guevere's final scene in Camelot. It is the true Classical Greek meaning of the word "tragedy". Because Guenevere contributed to her own downfall, and since everything she loved is irreparably lost, there is no hope for redemption. It is a sad and bitter end for her. Was the above review useful to you? 25 out of 44 people found the following review useful: A gift to Monty Python 28 March 2007 *** This review may contain spoilers *** I am a huge, huge fan of musicals, especially the overblown kitsch ones with wobbly sets from the 1960s and 70s, so I really thought I had found my dream in Camelot. Not so.

Even if, like me, you actually enjoy a camp classic once in a while, Camelot is such an unwatchable stinker that you'll be fast-forwarding in wide-eyed disbelief well before the intermission. Camelot is a truly dreadful musical, with a totally forgettable score and one of the clunkiest scripts I've ever sat through. Richard Harris presents King Arthur as a drooling, retarded, camp flibbertigibbet, prancing about in purple eyeliner like a profoundly stupid and tone-deaf child. Franco Nero plays Lancelot as a vain, preening Muscle Mary, whose sexual tension with Arthur so overshadows any hint of romance with Guenevere that the entire film briefly promises to take a far more interesting direction. Meanwhile, Vanessa Redgrave plays Guenevere as a spoilt, tiresome and vaguely sadistic halfwit. Stick a bodice and a garland of mayblossom on Paris Hilton and you'd get roughly the same effect. I nearly tore out my own eyes in horror during her ghastly rendition of "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood", a song that seems to have been written with the sole purpose of torturing anyone with an IQ over 60.

At the end, when Guenevere was rescued by Lancelot from being burned at the stake, my friends actually booed. The thing that is most striking about watching Camelot these days, apart from a sharp pain in your frontal lobe, is the degree to which it provided all the material for Monty Python and the Holy Grail. All the elements of the Holy Grail are right here: Arthur is a prig, Lancelot is a comically violent moron, all the supporting characters are either Brave Sir Robin or Wise Sir Bedevere, some of the songs are virtually identical (though significantly worse), Merlin is a dead ringer for the Old Man From Scene 24, etc etc. These parallels almost redeem the film, but really you'd still be far better off just watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Worst of all, this dire mess goes on for three interminable hours. I don't believe anyone with a soul could actually get through it alive. I really did want to love it, but this isn't so bad it's good; it's so bad it's terrible. Was the above review useful to you?

5 out of 6 people found the following review useful: Beautiful costumes are not enough from United States 13 May 2013 Beautiful music and strong performances from Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave, however they are not singers and it hurts the picture mightily, leaving you wondering how much better it could have been with Richard Burton, Robert Goulet and especially Julie Andrews. True Burton wasn't a singer either using the talk singing method that Rex Harrison employed on My Fair Lady so Harris' replacement isn't as glaring as Redgrave/Andrews or Nero/Goulet. Where the picture really runs into problems through is the lumbering pace set by director Logan. A fine director of drama but with no skill at setting the right tone for a musical although that didn't stop the studios from handing him several throughout the years ending with the disaster of Paint Your Wagon. Some of the costumes are truly amazing and justly famous but this can be a trial to sit through. Was the above review useful to you?

Page 1 of 9: Camelot (musical) - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki More info on Camelot (musical) Wikis Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Related top topics Top rankings for Camelot (musical) 13rd From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For the film version of the musical, see Camelot (film) . Camelot Camelot is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner (book and lyrics) and Frederic Loewe (music). It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T. H. White tetralogy novel The Once and Future King . The original 1960 production, directed by Moss Hart and orchestrated by Robert Russell Bennett and Philip J. Lang , ran on Broadway for 873 performances, winning four Tony Awards and spawning several revivals, foreign productions and a 1967 film version . The original cast album was America's top-selling LP for 60 weeks. [1] The musical has become associated with the Kennedy Administration .

Contents 11 External links Background In 1959, Alan Jay Lerner and Moss Hart decided to adapt T. H. White's The Once and Future King as their next project. As discussed in Lerner's 1978 book, The Street Where I Live, Frederick Loewe , who had no interest in the project, agreed to write music, with the understanding that if things went badly, it would be his last score. [2] After the tremendous success of My Fair Lady , expectations were high for a new Lerner and Loewe musical. However, the show's production met several obstacles. Lerner's wife left him during the writing process, [3] causing him to seek medical attention and delaying the production. When Camelot began rehearsals, it still needed considerable work. However, the producers were able to secure a strong cast including Julie Andrews , Richard Burton and Roddy McDowall , as well as Robert Goulet in his first Broadway role. John Cullum also made his Broadway debut as Sir Dinadan; Bruce Yarnell was Sir Lionel. Cullum later replaced McDowall, and William Squire replaced Burton.

Other replacements included Patricia Bredin , Kathryn Grayson , and Janet Pavek for Andrews. The show's first tryout was in Toronto, at the O'Keefe Centre in 1960. The curtain came down at twenty minutes to one in the morning; Lerner later noted that "Only Tristan and Isolde equaled it as a bladder endurance contest." [4] The morning papers, though kind, hinted that the show needed much work in order to succeed. Lerner was hospitalized with a bleeding ulcer and had to withdraw from preparations for a time. Hart then suffered a heart attack, and Lerner stepped in as temporary director for the rest of the out-of-town run at the behest of Kitty Carlisle Hart . Camelot then moved to Boston, nearly an hour and a half shorter, but still running very long. The production team tried to find another director, even phoning Jose Ferrer , who could not undertake the job. [5] Lerner and Loewe disagreed on how to proceed with the show, as Loewe did not want to make any major changes without Hart's guidance.

Lerner wrote: "God knows what would have happened had it not been for Richard Burton." Accepting cuts and changes, he radiated a "faith and geniality" and calmed the fears of the cast. [6] Guenevere's song "Before I Gaze at You Again" was given to Andrews at the last minute before the first New York preview, which provoked her famous quote, "Of course darling, but do try to get it to me the night before." [7] After the show opened on Broadway, Hart was released from the hospital, and he and Lerner began cutting the play even further. Two songs, "Then You May Take Me To the Fair" and "Fie on Goodness," were cut. The advance sale for the show was the largest in Broadway history. [8] The New York critics' reviews of the original production were mixed. [9] Fortunately for the show, Ed Sullivan approached Lerner and Loewe to create a segment for his TV show "Toast of the Town," celebrating the fifth anniversary of My Fair Lady. They decided to do very little from their previous hit and instead to perform four highlights from Camelot.

The show stimulated ticket sales, and Camelot achieved an unprecedented advance sale of three and a half million dollars. [10] It was also publicized, just after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (a classmate of Lerner at Harvard ), [11] that the show's original cast recording had been favorite bedtime listening in the White House , and that Kennedy's favorite lines were in the final number (in which Arthur knights a young boy and tells him to pass on the story of Camelot to future generations): Don't let it be forgot That once there was a spot, For one brief, shining moment That was known as Camelot. Since then, Camelot has been associated with the Kennedy Administration . [8] [12] The obstacles encountered in producing Camelot were hard on the creative partnership of Lerner and Loewe , and the show turned out to be one of their last collaborations (although they did work together to adapt their 1958 award-winning movie " Gigi " to the stage in 1973, and collaborated again the following year on the movie musical " The Little Prince "). Camelot was Hart's last Broadway show.

He died of a heart attack in Palm Springs, California on December 20, 1961. [13] The 1960 Original Broadway Cast Recording CD cover Productions Camelot opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre on December 3, 1960 and closed on January 5, 1963 after 873 performances and 2 previews. Directed by Moss Hart, the choreography was by Hanya Holm , scenic design by Oliver Smith , costume design by Adrian (who worked on the designs prior to his death in September 1959) and Tony Duquette, and lighting design by Feder. It won four Tony Awards . The original cast album was America's top-selling LP for 60 weeks. [1] A two-year U.S. tour followed the Broadway closing, starring Kathryn Grayson and William Squire , who was succeeded by Louis Hayward . There was also a 1963-64 bus-and-truck tour starring Biff McGuire as Arthur, Jeannie Carson as Guenevere, and Sean Garrison as Lancelot. An Australian production opened in Adelaide in October 1963 produced by the J. C.

Williamson company and ran for two years. [1] The London production opened in August 1964 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and featured Laurence Harvey as Arthur, Elizabeth Larner as Guenevere and Barry Kent as Lancelot. It played for 518 performances. The film version was made in 1967 starring Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave . Richard Burton reprised his role as Arthur in a revival that ran from July 8, 1980 to August 23, 1980 at the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center . Christine Ebersole played Guenevere, and Richard Muenz was Lancelot. The show was revived on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theater from November 15, 1981 to January 2, 1982, and broadcast on HBO a year later, starring Richard Harris as Arthur, Meg Bussert as Guenevere, and Richard Muenz as Lancelot. Harris, who had starred in the film, and Muenz also took the show on tour nationwide.

Another Broadway revival ran from June 21, 1993 to August 7, 1993 for 56 performances at the George Gershwin Theatre , with Goulet now cast in the role of Arthur. Goulet reprised this role at Toronto's O'Keefe Centre in 1993. [8] An 18-month U.S. tour, starring Michael York as Arthur, James Barbour as Lancelot, and Rachel York as Guenevere, began on January 9, 2007 and ended in April 2008. Alan Jay Lerner's son, Michael Lerner , contributed changes to the libretto, and Glenn Casale directs. The cast also includes Shannon Stoeke as Mordred and Eric Anderson as Merlyn. Notable cast replacements included Lou Diamond Phillips as Arthur, Matt Bogart as Lancelot, and Rachel De Benedet as Guenevere as of September 2007.

[14] [15] From June 27-30, 2007, the tour played at Toronto's Hummingbird Centre , formerly the O'Keefe, where the musical had premiered in 1960. [16] [17] While the 2007 "Michael York" tour was performing across the U.S., Candlewood International ran a separate, largely non-equity national tour that played to cities not visited by the union tour. Jeff Buchsbaum directed a cast headed by Robert Brown as Arthur, Matthew Posner as Lancelot, and Mollie Vogt-Welch as Guenevere (ironically, Vogt-Welch would go on to perform with James Barbour of the union tour in Broadway's A Tale of Two Cities ). The cast also included Geoff Lutz as Mordred, Noah DeBias as Dinadan, Dave Howard as Lionel, Gregory Van Acker as Sir Sagramore, and Heather Faith Stricker as Lady Catherine. As in the union tour, for this production the Morgan Le Fey sub-plot was removed.

From May 7 to May 10, 2008, the New York Philharmonic presented five semi-staged concerts of Camelot directed by Lonny Price and produced by Thomas Z. Shepard . The cast starred Gabriel Byrne as King Arthur , Marin Mazzie as Guenevere, and opera singer Nathan Gunn as Lancelot. It also featured Christopher Lloyd as Pellinore, Marc Kudisch as Lionel, Bobby Steggert as Mordred, Will Swenson as Sagramore, Christopher Seiber as Dinadan and Fran Drescher as Morgan le Fey. The May 8 performance was broadcast nationally on Live from Lincoln Center on PBS . [18] Roles and original cast Tom of Warwick - Robin Stewart Synopsis Advertisements Act I King Arthur is nervous about his upcoming arranged marriage and is hiding in a tree. Merlyn the Magician, his wise tutor, calls Arthur down to warn the young king that he must learn to think for himself. Merlyn, who lives backwards in time and remembers the future as well as the past, knows he will soon be separated from Arthur. Merlyn persuades Arthur to climb down and chides him for his unkingly behavior.

Arthur then left alone, ponders both his subjects and his own feelings about the intended nuptials ("I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight?"). Arthur hears someone coming and scampers up the tree again. Guenevere comes to the woods, having snuck away from Camelot where she is to marry, is uncertain about herself and the impending marriage ("Simple Joys of Maidenhood"). She stumbles into Arthur, who initially calls himself "Wart" (his childhood nickname) and then, hearing of her reluctance to marry, tells her of the joys of life in Camelot ("Camelot"). When his attendants come upon the two of them, he is revealed as the King. He tells Guenevere the story of how he pulled the sword from the stone and became king, and she, charmed by him, agrees to marry. The wizard Merlyn is amused by this development, but his joy turns to sorrow as his memories of the future begin to fade. He realizes that Nimue, a beautiful water nymph, has come to draw him into her cave for an eternal sleep ("Follow Me"). He begs Nimue for answers, as he has forgotten if he has warned Arthur about two individuals-Lancelot and Mordred.

His memories fade permanently, though, and he is led away. Five years later, Arthur sits with Guenevere in his study, debating about what to do. He explains that he wishes to create a new kind of knight-one that does not pillage and fight, but tries to uphold honor and justice. He is eventually inspired, with Guenevere's help, to establish the Round Table to "fight for right, not might." When news of this reaches young Lancelot in France five years later, he is determined to come to Camelot and join Arthur's knights ("C'est Moi"). King Pellinore (a middle-aged old friend of Arthur's from his boyhood), also arrives and becomes a permanent guest of Arthur and Guenevere. A May Day celebration takes place on the castle grounds ("The Lusty Month of May"), where Arthur introduces his wife to Lancelot. Guenevere takes an instant dislike to the overly self-assured young man (as do also most of the rest of the court). Guenevere incites three knights of the Round Table: Sir Dinadan, Sir Sagramore and Sir Lionel, to engage him in a jousting match ("Then You May Take Me to the Fair").

Arthur (who has now become "best friends" with Lancelot), is dismayed by this; and at a loss to understand a woman's way ("How to Handle a Woman"). In the jousting match Lancelot easily defeats all three knights. He appears to kill the third, Lionel, with his jousting lance. But the dismay of the crowd turns to awe and adoration, as he "miraculously" restores the dead Sir Lionel to life (due to his faith and purity). This adoration of the crowd extends to Guenevere, who is forced to re-evaluate her feelings about the passionate young knight ("Before I Gaze at You Again"). She is now deeply in love with Lancelot. Lancelot falls in love with Guenevere in turn, and is torn by the conflict between this love and his devotion to Arthur. Arthur makes Lancelot a Knight of the Round Table. Arthur is painfully aware of the feelings between Lancelot and Guenevere, but remains silent to preserve the tranquility of Camelot. He soliloquizes to his sword Excalibur, that they will all rise to the challenges they will all face, together.

Act II Several years later, Guenevere and Lancelot are still tormented by their unfulfilled love. He finally reveals his feelings to her ("If Ever I Would Leave You"). They both believe that Arthur is not aware of it. Nevertheless, she remains faithful to Arthur, and helps him in carrying out the affairs of State. Mordred, Arthur's illegitimate son, comes to Camelot to dishonor the King and tries to gain the throne for himself. Arthur puts him in the knights’ training program, not knowing that Mordred is there to destroy the Round Table in revenge against Arthur for abandoning him ("Seven Deadly Virtues"). Arthur begins to feel the strain of ruling England, and both he and Guenevere wonder "What Do the Simple Folk Do?" without any such responsibilities. Mordred, meanwhile, has devised a plan to ruin Arthur and his kingdom permanently. He enters an enchanted glade where his aunt, the sorceress Morgan le Fay, dwells in an invisible castle. By bribing her with sweets, he convinces her to build one of her invisible walls around Arthur for one night ("The Persuasion").

During this night, Mordred returns to the castle and provokes the knights to ally with him, promising that they will have fighting and pillaging as opposed to their current peaceful ways ("Fie on Goodness!"). Meanwhile, Lancelot visits Guenevere in her chambers, where she reveals her love for him and kisses him ("I Loved You Once in Silence"). Mordred and some of the Knights of the Round Table interrupt, accuse Lancelot of treason, and try to take him prisoner. Lancelot fights them off and escapes, but Guenevere is arrested, tried, found guilty of treason by reason of her infidelity, and sentenced to be burned at the stake ("Guenevere"). At the execution Arthur watches from a distance; he is torn between upholding his law and doing his duty as a king, or sparing Guenevere (as Mordred insincerely urges him to do). At the last moment, Lancelot rescues her and takes her off with him to France. But in the process, Lancelot has been forced to kill some of the other knights, leaving some of the survivors vowing revenge.

For the sake of his own honor and that of Camelot, Arthur must now wage war against Lancelot at his castle Joyous Garde in France. Mordred has taken up his own army against Arthur, back in England. The war takes a terrible toll on Camelot, as more than half of the Knights of the Round Table are killed. Before the final battle, Arthur meets Lancelot and Guenevere. Guenevere has become a nun, and the Round Table is now broken. They offer to face up to justice in England, but Arthur will not see Guenevere burned or Lancelot beheaded. He forgives them both, and they depart separately. That night in camp, Arthur meets a young stowaway named Tom of Warwick, who has come to join the Round Table. His speech reminds Arthur of the idealism and hope that he had as a young king, and inspires him. Arthur knights Tom, and sends him back to England to grow up there, that he might pass on to future generations the ideals of chivalry and Camelot ("Camelot" reprise).

Musical numbers "Camelot" (reprise) (King Arthur) Critical assessments The New York critics' reviews of the original production were mixed to positive. [9] A 1993 New York Times review commented that the musical "has grown in stature over the years, primarily because of its superb score.... [which] combined a lyrical simplicity with a lush romanticism, beautifully captured in numbers like 'I Loved You Once in Silence' and 'If Ever I Would Leave You.' These ballads sung by Guenevere and Lancelot are among the most memorable in the Lerner-Loewe catalogue. King Arthur supplies the wit, with songs like 'I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight.'" [8] A 2003 review noted, "this musically rich, legend-based classic evokes enough swashbuckling spectacle to keep one smiling. And for lovers of dime-store romance, Camelot has it all – a beautiful English princess swept off her feet by a shy, but passionate bachelor king; an ardent French knight, torn between devotion to his liege and an uncontrollable hunger, reciprocated, to be sure, for the king's tempestuous wife....

Camelot features a score rich in English country-tune charm by Mr. Lerner. [sic: Loewe wrote the music] Its lyrics, by Mr. Loewe [sic: Lerner wrote the lyrics], never fail to dazzle with their virtuosity and wit." [19] However, "Jay Lerner's murky book... has helped sink many a revival of the musical.... It's a good story, but Lerner's book is talky and dense, filled with pontificating soliloquies that would have been more powerfully contained in song. Moreover, while the entire show rushes towards a bloody climax... when it finally arrives, it is merely sketched upon in one song, "Guinevere." ...The score, though, is pure magic" [20] Awards and nominations Lerner & Loewe's Road to Camelot | Playbill Lerner & Loewe's Road to Camelot Lerner & Loewe's Road to Camelot Sep 29, 1996 Romance and magic will be in the spotlight this holiday season, as the Walnut Theatre in Philadelophia presents a sparkling new production of the Broadway musical, Camelot.

This classic Lerner and Loewe musical whisks the audience back to the glorious, mystical days of King Arthur, Lady Guenevere and the Knights of the Round Table. Romance and magic will be in the spotlight this holiday season, as the Walnut Theatre in Philadelophia presents a sparkling new production of the Broadway musical, Camelot . This classic Lerner and Loewe musical whisks the audience back to the glorious, mystical days of King Arthur, Lady Guenevere and the Knights of the Round Table. Director Charles Abbott explained his concept for the upcoming production, which runs Nov. 16 through Jan. 5: "I plan to tell a classic story, almost a Shakespearean tale, with a little of Disney World, storybook charm for the magical moments," he said. "It's a beautiful romance with moments of mysticism!" The veteran director of Walnut holiday shows, including The Wizard of Oz and Mame , said the tale of Arthur, Guenevere and Lancelot is "the stuff of which legends are made." According to Abbott, there are two factors that contribute to Camelot's timeless appeal: Most obvious is Camelot's romantic aspect. The sheer romance of this musical can take your breath away.

The characters are in love with each other for all the right reasons, Abbott said. "In the case of Lance and Guenevere, they attempt to deny their love because it is the correct thing to do, but their emotions get in the way." The second, perhaps surprising, aspect of Camelot's appeal is political in nature. "Our judicial system and government have their roots in Arthur's ideals of justice and honor," Abbott said. "We've abandoned the 'eye for an eye' philosophy for honesty and logic." Camelot was the final Broadway collaboration for Alan Jay Lerner (1918-86) and Frederick Loewe (1904-88). Loewe was gaining a reputation as a popular song writer in 1942 when he heard of Lerner's talent for lyrics. Loewe met Lerner at the Lamb's Club in New York that year and asked if he was interested in working with him. Lerner said yes, and thus began a partnership that would last 18 years. Their first collaboration was The Life of the Party, a musical version of a 1920s comedy. It was slated for a New York engagement but closed during a Detroit try-out.

Success eluded them again in 1943, with the failure of the Broadway show What's Up. Undaunted, the two continued to work together. Their off-beat musical comedy The Day Before Spring ran for 176 performances in 1945. This won them a small group of fans who felt Lerner and Loewe were the only serious competition for Rodgers and Hammerstein. In 1947, the romantic fantasy Brigadoon established their reputation, winning the New York Critics Circle Award as Best Musical. Lerner interrupted the partnership in 1948 to pen the book and lyrics for Kurt Weill's Love Life, which enjoyed a 30-week Broadway run. Hollywood filmmakers commissioned him to write the libretto for An American in Paris , the first film musical to win an Oscar. After contributing to the success of the films Royal Wedding and Brigadoon, Lerner rejoined Loewe in 1951 to write the musical Paint Your Wagon. In 1956, the duo wrote the blockbuster My Fair Lady ; two years later, the film musical Gigi , winner of nine Oscars.

And in 1960, they created Camelot, their last triumph, which ran on Broadway for over two years. Tickets for the Walnut's production of Camelot are now on sale. Call (215) 574-3550, ext. 4, 10 AM to 10 PM. daily for tickets. -- By Maria E. Sticco REVIEW: Camelot at Drury Lane Theatre - Chicago Tribune REVIEW: 'Camelot' at Drury Lane Theatre (By Johnny Oleksinski) Chris Jones Contact Reporter Chicago Tribune At the Drury Lane Theatre, a revised 'Camelot' for a 'Game of Thrones' generation. Given its inexorable associations with the glamorous Kennedy White House and such formidable but distant personas as Richard Burton and Julie Andrews, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's exquisitely scored "Camelot" now usually comes with a retro patina, a stiff echo of an age long gone. And I speak not of King Arthur's Britain, but of 1960.

The genuinely revisionist new production at the Drury Lane Theatre — the local debut of the New York-based director named Alan Souza and authorized by Liza Lerner, the keeper of the flame for musicals by Lerner and Loewe — ponders a rather different question: Wither "Camelot" for a generation seduced by frozen dystopias and "Game of Thrones"? One answer, of course, would be to put some sex in the show, which is certainly one of Souza's tactics. "The Lusty Month of May," generally the kind of flower-encrusted gavotte you might associate with Disney, is a desire-filled romp here, with Christy Altomare's young and dangerous Guenevere even suggesting that her ample sexual energies may not be satisfied merely by Arthur and Lancelot. The Royal Bedchamber — the setting for the seemingly sexless classic "I Loved You Once in Silence"— is framed by a melange of sheets and naked flesh. And, most important of all, the show's classic triangular structure has been filled with young, hot actors (HBO has much for which to answer).

In many productions, Arthur is cast as older than Lancelot, who awakens something in the queen. Not here. As played by Ken Clark and Travis Taylor, Art and Lance are both attractive peers — different types, you might say, each appealing to a different side of Altomare's Genny. (Sam Marlowe) I've seen a rash of shows and movies of late featuring people having affairs who are totally miserable throughout — so why bother? One of Souza's real achievements here is the sense that Lancelot and Genny are thrilled and compelled by each other — you can see some panic in Taylor's eyes from the very moment he sees her. Meanwhile, the Knights of the Round Table are all very young men, testosterone-infused dudes for whom all this new civil law is, demonstrably, a bummer. The backdrop to all of this is a daring stunner of a set from Kevin Depinet, who truly outdoes himself here, building a giant tree as his dominant visual image, with a root structure so extensive it was tripping up actors on opening night.

This huge sculpture is capable of rich seasonal change — you can watch its spring growth and falling leaves, and, when the show demands an interior, lighting designer Lee Fiskness fills its branches with candles. When you add Maggie Hofmann's costumes, the overall effect really illuminates one of the show's dominant themes — the struggle for civilization, even urbanization, in a world more comfortable with sorcery, sensuality and the changing rhythms of the year. Lerner has authorized two new Chicago productions of her father's titles in the last year — this show follows Rachel Rockwell's higher-profile "Brigadoon" at the Goodman Theatre , which already has a commercial producer attached. Yet of the two, it is "Camelot" that takes the far bigger risks and leaps of modernity and that departs the most thoroughly from the usual approach, even as it uses the original Lerner book. The "Brigadoon" storyline was revised. It's all in the conception and the casting. If all of this talk of bare torsos has you nervous, rest assure that the famous ballads such as "If Ever I Would Leave You" are rendered with full-blooded spirit. Altomare and Taylor are excellent singers.

And the comedy, featuring Jonathan Weir as Merlyn, Pellinore and the handler of a huge pooch, is stellar. I'd argue there is work to be done in the second half of Act 2, when some of the emotional intensity dissipates and the scenes involving Mordred (Patrick Rooney) come off as too facile and predictable. The show loses its hitherto remarkable sense of focus. But it's Clark's anti-Arthurian performance that is the most interesting here. You can see what he and his director are doing most clearly in the number "How to Handle a Woman," which has, of course, a problematic lyric once we left the "Mad Men"-era of its gestation. The takeaway in Clark's rendition is that King Arthur has no idea at all how to handle a woman, and certainly not this woman, their mutual love notwithstanding. I had a brief flash in my head of Arthur Miller's last play, "Finishing the Picture," wherein the great writer lamented at length his agonizing inability to give Marilyn Monroe what she needed. Arthur as Miller, Guenevere as Marilyn, maybe Lance as Joe DiMaggio (or JFK)?

Not exactly "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood," but then who believes Guenevere in that moment anyway? It's certainly a fascinating and accessible reading of one of the great American musicals, at once period-appropriate and very fresh. This kind of risk-taking is rather more than you'd expect from a suburban theater serving dinner in the lobby. But then Drury Lane — well worth your drive for this show — ain't for the simple folk.

Question: """Camelot"" in 1960 was the last Broadway musical of which famous duo?"
Answer: LERNER and LOEWE