This musically rich immortal classic with its country-tune charm evokes enough swashbuckling spectacle to keep one dazzled in virtuosity and wit for days to come.
"It's true! It's true! The crown has made it clear. The climate must be perfect all the year," King Arthur speak-sings to his bride-to-be, Guenevere, in the title number of Lerner and Loewe's musical, “Camelot.” Laguna Playhouse proves to be the perfect climate for its lithe and enchanting new production, based on Arthurian legend. The musical plays in the Moulton Theatre at Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach through August 11th.
Director Jeffrey B. Moss has successfully refreshed an adapted version of this fantastical Tony and Oscar-winning classic treasure with an extraordinary group of thespians, villains, artistes, barnstormers and technical wizards, into a sharply focused two-and-a-half hour masterpiece, accompanied by a seven-instrument orchestra, musically directed by Daniel Lincoln.
The musical has become associated with what was known as the "Camelot Era" in the early 1960's, because of a Jackie Kennedy interview in which she compared her husband's presidency to King Arthur's reign, specifically mentioning his fondness for the musical and particularly the title song's closing lyrics, which end Camelot. After JFK’s assassination, Jackie made another direct comparison to the Camelot storyline by saying, “There will be great presidents again…but there will never be another Camelot.”
After the show opened, a televised presentation by cast members Julie Andrews, Richard Burton and Robert Goulet on the popular Ed Sullivan Show created record-breaking ticket sales. The musical, beloved largely for its “magical score,” became the top-selling LP for 60 weeks and charmed US audiences during its National Tour. In 1967, it was filmed by Warner Brothers, starring Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave, and since then, multiple regional productions, adaptations, revivals and concert versions have been produced.
The story begins with Arthur (Jered McLenigan, founder of HotHouse Acting Company in Philadelphia; an actor with cut-glass cheekbones, outstanding regional credits and wonderful vocals) about to be married humorously reminiscing about his days being educated by Merlyn (Jason Heil), and how he was once called “Wart.” But Merlyn teaches Arthur to move forward with his life, and Arthur recalls that when he was an eagle, he noticed there were no physical boundaries between all of the little kingdoms that constituted the England of his time. He then reveals how he became king by pulling the sword out of the stone and resolves to have all the knights work together for the sake of peace in the kingdom.
That call for knights included people from all over the world, including France, where the unbeatable Lancelot du Lac (a stirringly powerful Brian Krinsky) shows up. Lancelot is the most accomplished knight, but he also falls in love with Arthur’s wife, Guenevere (Lauren Weinberg). Their infidelity, fueled by the appearance of Arthur’s son Mordred (Nick Apostolina, who knows how to work an audience), ultimately leads to the collapse of Camelot.
Mr. Krinsky, the thrillingly talented wayfaring actor/singer, who recently impressed as Billy Crocker in the national tour of “Anything Goes,” and Gaston in “Beauty and the Beast,” creates a commanding, too-pure Lancelot who, despite his devotion to achieve personal perfection, is really just a vulnerable young man with needs. Mr. Krinsky’s Lance fulfills every theatergoer’s musical expectations with his glorious “If Ever I Would Leave You,” while mining Lerner’s lyrics for every drop of humor in his monologue of modesty, “C’est Moi.”
Meanwhile, Arthur sets out to begin the task of making a more "civilized" Camelot, bringing together an egalitarian collection of knights who'll use their "might for right," knights who hold chivalry, valor and loyalty as paramount values. Yet, it is with Lance, his greatest friend and champion, that the King finds betrayal. Unwilling to seek revenge on his best friend, Camelot instead becomes a tale of youthful idealism, falling victim to human foibles.
Mr. McLenigan’s twitchy, impulsive movements add to his halting rendition of “I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight” as well as his charmingly seductive “Camelot,” which feels real and heartfelt. By the time Arthur muses about “How to Handle a Woman,” he’s aged a bit and his movements and delivery have sophisticated and mellowed. Even so, the young monarch is still very insecure about how to maintain8 a successful relationship.
By the end of Act I, when Mr. McLenigan freezes time during Lancelot’s knighting ceremony, Arthur delivers his Excalibur speech with a fuller sense of maturity and raises the audience’s expectations for fulfillment of kingly duty. The second act is much darker, spiraling toward a finale filled with sadness, infidelity, and bloodshed. Then in its final moments, after all the tragedy, and after seeing the courage of a young peasant boy, the show shifts back to a hopeful message that civilization will indeed thrive and Arthur’s noble ideals will be carried on for future generations.
Lovely Lauren Weinberg feels very appropriate to Mr. McLenigan’s vision. Unlike Julie Andrews‘ ladylike young queen, Ms. Weinberg plays Guenevere with gusto and a seething passion, creating a spunky, hot-blooded young woman with a crystalline soprano and an insatiable lust for life. Guenevere makes her first impression with “The Simple Joys of Maidenhood,” sung as a witty, tongue-in-cheek adolescent longing for adventure.
And by the time she is a twosome with Arthur, and later romping through the glen with sexual abandon during “The Lusty Month of May” with the knights, we realize this is a strong woman with a voluptuous sexual appetite. Understandably, playgoers won’t be as shocked by her carnal attraction to the rugged and robust Lancelot.
Attempting to assuage the tension and turmoil festering within their relationship, Mr. McLenigan and Ms. Weinberg team up for one of the show’s musical highlights, the witty “What Do the Simple Folk Do?” In this number, audiences witness Arthur’s final attempt to handle his woman and rekindle the connection they once shared.
As both the prudent wizard Merlyn, Arthur’s teacher and advisor, and Sir Gareth (who was accidentally killed while helping to guard the execution of Queen Guinevere), veteran character actor Jason Heil (Off Broadway: “Sea of Souls”) brings humor and laid-back wisdom to this production.
Nick Apostolina (doubling up as Squire Dap) creates a properly bratty and menacing Mordred. With villainous flair and authority, Mr. Apostolina delivers his songs, “The Seven Deadly Virtues” and the venomous, “Fie on Goodness,” accompanied by the talented ensemble, who all bring a youthful exuberance so necessary for the re-imagining of this story. Benjamin Cole’s finely executed fight choreography also provides additional power and excitement to the production.
Special nods to Jacob Caltrider’s Sir Dinaden, Scott Hurst Jr.’s Sir Lionel, Elias Wygodny’s Sir Sagramore and Eben Rosenzweig as Tom of Warwick (at this presentation). All produced exceptional roles.
So, for lovers of chocolate-box, toe-curling 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 for the king's tempestuous wife — all mixed perfectly in a musical canon of some of the best works from the Golden Age of Broadway.
WITH: NICK APOSTOLINA (“Master Harold…and the Boys”) as Squire Dap/Mordred; JACOB CALTRIDER (“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”) as Sir Dinadan; JASON HEIL (“Dracula”) as Merlyn/Sir Gareth; SCOTT HURST JR. (“Jekyll & Hyde”) as Sir Lionel; BRIAN KRINSKY (“Anything Goes”) as Lancelot; JARED MCLENIGAN (“Rosencrantz and Guilderstern are Dead”) as Arthur; EBEN ROSENZWEIG (“Peter and The Starcatcher”) as Tom of Warwick (at certain performances); NOAH WEIBEL (“Once Upon a Mattress”) as Tom of Warwick (at certain performances); LAUREN WEINBERG (“Guys & Dolls”) as Guenevere; ELIAS WYGODNY (“Sunday in the Park with George”) as Sir Sagramore; COLE FLETCHER (“All Shook Up!”) as Male Swing.
LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS, LERNER & LOEWE’S CAMELOT, Directed by Jeffrey B. Moss; Book & Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner; Music by Frederick Loewe; Original production directed and staged by Moss Hart; Based on "The Once and Future King" by T.H. White; New Orchestrations by Steve Orich; Choreography by Jill Gorrie Rovatsos; Musical Direction by Daniel Lincoln; Scenic Design by Marty Burnett; Costume Design by Elisa Benzoni; Lighting Design by Matt Novotny; Sound Design by Ian Scot; Properties Design by Audrey Casteris; Hair/Wig Design by Peter Herman; Fight Coordination by Benjamin Cole; Production Stage Management by Phil Gold.
CAMELOT plays July 24th through Sunday, August 11th. Laguna Playhouse is located at 606 Laguna Canyon Dr. in Laguna Beach. Performances will be Wednesdays through Fridays at 7:30pm; Saturdays at 2pm & 7:30pm; Sundays at 1:00pm & 5:30pm. Tickets range from $55 - $94 and can be purchased online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com or by calling (949) 497-ARTS (2787).
Chris Daniels
Arts & Entertainment Reviewer
The Show Report
Photo Credit Jason Niedle
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