Musical Monday: Camelot

(Originally posted on Minnesota Theater Love)

Ahh yes, Camelot - one of the classic shows from the 1960's. Based on T. H. White's book The Once and Future King, this Broadway show was written by Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe and staged by Moss Hart. The original cast starred Richard Burton and Julie Andrews. It also featured Roddy McDowell and Robert Goulet. The cast recording came out in 1960 and there are very few other recordings. This is a show that quite a few people know the score of, but it doesn't seem to be performed much.

The story is about King Arthur organizing the Knights of the Round Table, along with his relationship to Queen Guenevere, as well as Lancelot. The show opens with a lovely overture that provides a hint of all the big numbers. (Do you miss overtures as much as I?). Arthur is running away as he is nervous about meeting his bride on his wedding night. His bride is also running away and runs, unknowingly, right into Arthur. He shows her Camelot and eventually they marry. Then Lancelot shows up and trouble begins.

Though speaking of Lancelot and his big number...how could you resist this melody and this voice? Not to mention that very handsome face.



Here is one of the interesting things about this show. There is really only one cast recording. There have been a few revivals but not many recordings. So you have the original cast recording, along with a London cast recording from 1990. This is a recording with Richard Harris, who also played Arthur in the 1967 film. So you can purchase one recording with Richard Burton, or two different recordings with Richard Harris...the aforementioned 1990 cast recording, or the film soundtrack. There are other recordings of portions of the score and possibly some international recordings but the three listed above are where I would go to if I wanted a copy.

And should you buy a copy? I think you should. It is a classic, and a charming score. Just take a look at this number from the original cast on the Ed Sullivan show. This is just charming as all heck. While not every song is as charming or lovely as the two songs linked, it is a really good score. So why doesn't it gone that often? I would think that a large cast, large production and possibly an extensive book might be the issue. From my research, originally the show was close to three hours long. However, you may be in luck. There is a non-equity tour that opens at The Ordway May 12 and plays through the weekend. If you aren't able to see that, there are at least two film versions, both with Richard Harris as King Arthur. The first is the 1967 film with Vanessa Redgrave (Guenevere) and Franco Nero (as Lancelot). The other is a live film that was shown on HBO with Meg Bussert and Richard Muenz.

If you have never seen this show, I recommend that you see a live production. If you can't make it to a live production, you really should still see it in some format. And if you enjoy it, you may also enjoy the original book. I remember it being a charming and really interesting read.