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Regional Reviews: New Jersey Lerner-Lowe-Hart Camelot Compelling and Powerful Also see Bob's reviews of Elf and The Fabulous Lipitones Following the triumphant My Fair Lady and follow-up original M.G.M. film musical Gigi, Alan Jay Lerner (book and lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music), along with director Moss Hart, their Lady collaborator, returned to Broadway in 1961 with the highly anticipated Camelot. The breathtakingly lavish, spectacularly cast (Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet) hit musical boasted a superior score and ambitious, copious book. However, it was also problematic and a bit of a disappointment. Director Moss Hart was sidelined through much of the pre-Broadway try-out engagements due to a heart attack. Alan Jay Lerner, who stepped in for him, was reluctant to make major changes. Thus, the overstuffed, unmanageable musical, which ran in excess of four hours when it began its pre-Broadway tryout in Toronto, was still unwieldy when it opened on Broadway. During the ensuing months, Hart and Lerner revised Camelot, eliminating two songs, with Lerner making extensive revisions in the book. Over the years, the two cut songs have been restored and directors have further tweaked this extremely popular musical. However, it is doubtful that any other production of Camelot has been as extensively revised as the relatively minimalist one currently being staged by the Two River Theater.
Director David Lee's re-examined and streamlined production proves to be a well thought out, efficacious variant on the Lerner and Loewe imperfect classic. It is likely to become widely produced, joining with future productions of the large scale original model, in bringing this worthy musical to new audiences for many years to come. This production clears away much of the phantasmagorical underbrush surrounding the essential legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Merlin, Morgan Le Fey, the Lady of the Lake, Pellinore, along with enumerable knights, ladies and attendants to the Court are gone. Eight actors (only one of whom is female) portray nine featured roles and a small handful of background roles in lieu of the fifty-three member original cast. The basic plot is conveyed in stark relief with heightened tension and sensuality (that is not a bare burgonet which we view as Lancelot and Guinevere passionately embrace at the end of act one). Betrothed to marry King Arthur, Guenevere arrives in Camelot where she mistakes the young ruler for a commoner and falls in love with him. Arthur devises a plan to establish a kingdom based on law, justice and chivalry, and recruits honorable knights to join him in establishing, protecting and ruling it. They will govern from a round table where all will be equal. Pure in spirit and unrivaled in strength, a maddeningly egotistic Lancelot du Lac arrives from France. Attracted to Lancelot, but angered by his arrogance, Guenevere cajoles the three strongest knights to challenge him to joust. Lancelot deposes each of them easily, magically restoring life to the one whom he has killed. Overtaken by passion for one another, Guenevere and Lancelot make love. Arthur senses their feelings, and arranges matters so that Guenevere and Lancelot never are able to have a tryst. His evil son and enemy Mordred (long ago conceived by the enchantress (Morgan Le Fey—this history only rates a parenthesis in this production)) arrives at the palace, and the weak and kindly Arthur permits Mordred to become a knight of the Round Table. Mordred cunningly weakens the dedication of the other knights and then convinces Arthur to provide the opportunity for the Queen and Lancelot to come together to prove Arthur's claim that Guenevere is loyal to him. For those who may not have more than a nodding acquaintance with Thomas Mallory's Le Morte d'Arthur or any of the many other re-tellings of this legend, I'll stop here. Suffice it to say that it is this central story of a well intended, but toothless, ruler told in relatable human terms that informs this Camelot. The script has been extensively revised. The actors frequently speak directly to the audience ("The story begins on a hill ... It is winter, a light snow is falling"). They appear to be playing a troupe of itinerant actors. At the conclusion, the actors directly address the audience to tie King Arthur's enlisting young lad Tom of Warwick to carry the dream of Camelot to future generations. There is an implication that young Tom would someday write Le Morte (which was actually written centuries later than the era depicted). Scott Bradley's effective and playable set, a series of wooden platforms, stairways and a ramp, is expansively spread full stage from floor to ceiling. It is supplemented by various furniture and props. For the opening scene, there is a framed painting of a castle, hanging upstage. A central area is decorated by a diaphanous, loosely hung, spread about white cloth or plastic which resembles the wintry background for a department store Christmas window. A gong hangs from the ceiling. The English Channel is represented by a ship's wheel mounted on a platform. Director David Lee's overall approach to the material is exemplary. There is a continuous stream of mostly effective directorial touches. The story of Arthur magically removing a sword from a stone is illustrated by two actors. However, when Lancelot sings "If Ever I Would Leave You" to Guenevere, an actor in a mask poses balletically on a high platform. Assuming that this was an illustration of Lancelot's ardor for Guenevere, I was discombobulated when it turned out that the masked man was Mordred making his first appearance. However, the effective directorial touches heavily outweigh the few missteps. The performances are all praiseworthy. Britney Coleman is a youthful, sweet Guenevere. Her sweet, surprisingly gentle Guenevere does not aspire to be regal, although her lovely soprano is. Oliver Thornton as Arthur matches her in style and vocal ease. Nicholas Rodriguez sings strongly and brings the necessary passion and sensuality to Lancelot. Best of all is the distinctive, simultaneously richly amusing and truly scary Mordred of Hunter Ryan Herdlicka. His performance of "The Seven Deadly Virtues" is so alive with venom and wit that against all odds it is the musical highlight of this production. My only major reservation about this production is the low impact of this beloved and lively Lerner and Loewe score. I do not believe that this is as a result of the production's powerful emphasis on the storytelling, for the songs play a major role in the successful storytelling. However, while listening to the score, I felt that the arrangements were distressingly unattractive. Although I later discovered that the unseen orchestra has eight musicians, (including a keyboard), it sounded to my ears as if the dominant, possibly only instrument that I was hearing was a keyboard which was thinly and ineffectively simulating orchestral sounds. I can only conjecture as to what may have caused this problem at the performance which I attended, but it was a major distraction. David Lee and the Two River Theater have produced an innovative, sensual, intellectually and emotionally satisfying new Camelot. Most importantly, it is time to acknowledge the fact that Artist Director John Dias has fulfilled the mission of growing Two River into one of America's major regional theatres. Camelot continues performances (Evenings: Wednesday 7 pm; Thursday, Friday and Saturday 8 pm/ Matinees: Wednesday 2 pm; Saturday and Sunday 3 pm) through December 14, 2014 at the Two River Theater, Joan and Robert Rechnitz Theatre, 21 Bridge Ave., Red Bank 07701; Box Office: 732-345-1400 / online: www.trtc.org Camelot Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner; Music by Frederick Loewe; Directed by David Lee Cast
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