Theater Review: CAMELOT (North Coast Repertory Theatre)

A BRIEF SHINING MOMENT AT NORTH COAST REP

Sometimes less can be more in the arts. Consider the Lerner and Loewe musical Camelot. The show set a record for the biggest advance sale in Broadway history at the time it opened in 1960. From the creators of My Fair Lady, Camelot seemed to have everything going for it — the hit composer team of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, superstar Richard Burton in the role of the legendary King Arthur, Julie Andrews as Queen Guenevere, and Robert Goulet, who became an instant star as Sir Lancelot. Camelot ran a decent 873 performances on Broadway, but never achieved megahit status, largely because of its lavish production costs. A recent Broadway outing at Lincoln Center had writer Aaron Sorkin eliminate all the sorcery and magic, but it only made a fair book worse, and the production flopped.

Jered McLenigan, Jason Heil

Enter director Jeffrey B. Moss at the North Coast Repertory Theatre. Moss has put together a stunning revival, shunning the gaudy, star-driven, overlong original by reducing the size of the cast and orchestra, and using just one basic set. He has brought in a terrific set of eight actors and cut the orchestra to four very talented musicians to bring the atmospheric score to life: Daniel Lincoln (piano and musical director), Mark Margolies (reeds), Jacob Thompson (cello), and Smith Kiersten (violin). Most of all he has reexamined the original book, burnishing the work’s character and plot development.

Jered McLenigan

Camelot is based on T. H. White’s retelling of the story of the legendary King Arthur in his 1958 novel The Once and Future King. Arthur is the founder and leader if of the chivalrous Knights of the Round Table in medieval England. He has a dream of establishing the Round Table as an elite collection of nobility who would travel throughout the world doing good deeds. But the king’s ideals are shattered when his friend Sir Lancelot and wife Queen Guenevere fall in love. Their secret affair is exposed, ultimately leaving Arthur’s kingdom in ruins.

Lauren Weinberg

The first act introduces us to Arthur and Guenevere when both are young and insecure in their royalty. The composers give Arthur and his queen a selection of charming numbers that have become major components of the Lerner and Loewe songbook, notably “I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight,” “The Simple Joys of Maidenhood,” “The Lusty Month of May,” and “How to Handle a Woman.”

Brian Krinski, Scott Hurst Jr.

The atmosphere starts to darken by the end of the first act when Guenevere and Lancelot realize they have fallen in love (“If Ever I Would Leave You”) and (“I Loved You Once in Silence”). Problems in Camelot accelerate in the second act with the unexpected appearance of Arthur’s bastard son Mordred, who has arrived to establish his position on Arthur’s family tree. The Knights of the Round Table also start making rebellious noises (“Fie on Goodness”), disenchanted with their roles as vessels of charity and honor when they prefer fighting enemies on the battlefield. The Round Table finally dissolves, a heroic idea that could not survive the frailties of the real world.

Jered McLenigan, Lauren Weinberg

The production is presented in the intimate five-row deep NCRT theater. With heavenly lighting by Matthew Novotny, Marty Burnett‘s single setting consists of a minimalist pair of three-step wooden staircases, a plain wooden table, and some hangings portraying medieval religious scenes (Audrey Casteris, props). The major visual elements are the detailed and authentic looking medieval costumes by Elisa Benzoni  with hair and wigs by Peter Herman. There is some dance movement but no elaborate choreography. Yet the production never looks underdone.

Lauren Weinberg, Brian Krinski

The narrative is led by Jered McLenigan as the king, confused at the beginning but gaining in authority and wisdom as the action moves on, finally defeated by a world unworthy of his high ideals. McLenigan is well match by Lauren Weinberg‘s fetching Guenevere. She is the only female in the ensemble and possesses a radiant soprano voice to match her splendid acting chops. Brian Krinski is a dominating Lancelot with a potent voice and the build of a tight end. It is a stretch to accept Lancelot, with all his monumental ego (“C’est Moi”), but that’s the way the story is written and Krinski makes it work.

Nick Apostolina, Jason Heil, Lauren Weinberg, Scott Hurst Jr., Jacob Caltrider, Elias Wygodny

Nick-Apostolina-Jason-Heil-Lauren-Weinberg-Scott-Hurst-Jr.-Jacob-Caltrider-Elias-Wygodny-photo-by-Aaron-RumleyThe four macho Knights of the Round Table are credibly performed by Jacob Caltrider (Sir Dinidan), Scott Hurst Jr. (Sir Lionel), Elias Wygodny (Sir Sagamore), and Jason Heil (Sir Gareth, and a fine cameo as Merlin the magician). And a special shout out to Nick Apostolina as a Mordred played as more ambitious and cynical than two-dimensionally nasty, considerably deepening the character. Apostolina’s sneering rendering of “The Seven Deadly Virtues” is a highlight of the production.

Everyone associated with this production deserves a standing ovation.

Brian Krinski, Jered McLenigan, Lauren Weinberg

photos by  Aaron Rumley

Camelot
North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive in Solana Beach
Wed and Thurs at 7; Fri at 8; Sat at 2 & 8; Sun at 2 & 7
ends on June 23, 2024 EXTENDED to June 30, 2024
for tickets ($54 to $79), call 858.481.1055 or visit North Coast Rep