Camelot: Knight Errors

 


It's always tricky reviewing musicals or plays in the early-preview time frame. You realize that many of the acting and directing choices might be adjusted and even completely changed before opening night.  saw the Lincoln Center Theater's revival of Camelot on March 15, about one week into previews. So for the purposes of fairness, I'm not going to criticize some of the acting or directing choices that I think need improvement.

They could improve ... or not. However, the biggest issue with this revival is something I don't see improving. That would be Aaron Sorkin's new book for the Lerner and Loewe musical. It was so wrong-headed, so ill-conceived, that a few days later I'm still in shock at how bad it was. By the way, as a disclaimer: I love Sorkin's work. I loved The Social Network and To Kill a Mockingbird. I also enjoy Bart Sher's revivals of classic musicals. My Fair Lady was mostly wonderful, South Pacific was all wonderful.

This is why the evening's failure was so depressing. Where do I start? First of all, the first act runs 1 hour 45 minutes, which is roughly the same as the first act of Parsifal. The show is 3 hours 10 minutes overall. This gives you an idea of how much talking Sorkin has the characters do. Second of all, Sorkin's book has no idea what it wants to be. Most of the first act has a sort of sitcom-y humor about rulers and politicians that is Camelot's West Wing. Then there's a switch into the inevitable Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot love triangle. The third act becomes a dark rumination on war that resembles All Quiet on the Western Front.

Everyone has a new backstory. Arthur is just a regular bloke who one day pulled the Excalibur Sword out of the rock, and thus became king. He's very socially conscious and aware that it was the previous attempts that "loosened the sword," so of course he wears his power with humility. Guinevere (called "Jenny" in this version) is a feminist who never wanted to marry. Arthur is guilty that he chose such a reluctant bride, so the marriage is never consummated (???) and he pushes Jenny away by calling her a "business partner." Enter "Lance"-lot. Jenny and Lance glower at each other a lot in the first act because they're in lust? Note: people have told me now that they were also called Lance, Jenny and Pelly in the original version. Which ... okay, my bad. It doesn't mitigate the serious problems with the Sorkin book.

The second act introduces Mordred, Arthur's illegitimate son. In this production, he's a Ramsay Bolton-lookalike sociopath. His mother Morgan LeFay is in Sorkin's reimagining a Marie-Curie-like scientist. Jenny and Lance give into their passion, but it turns out Arthur and Jenny have secretly loved each other all along, but Arthur was afraid of expressing this because of issues of consent. Everyone goes to war, everyone dies, but (in a rare nod to the original book) a young boy named Tommy will tell the story.  And so for one brief shining moment, that was known as Camelot.

I don't have a problem with modernized re-imaginings of ancient myths. But they have to have internal consistency. Into the Woods, Hamilton -- they both retell familiar stories in a modern way, but both have incredible consistency. For instance, in Hamilton, the conflict between Burr and Hamilton is articulated from their first interaction. Burr says "Talk less, smile more. Don't let them know what you are against and what you are for." History and character conflict are introduced in a seamless, organic way. Lin Manuel Miranda was sitting a few rows in front of me, and I couldn't help but wonder what he really thought of this misguided effort. 

In contrast, Sorkin's Camelot has no consistency. It lurches between different moods and genres, all the while with the operetta-like Lerner and Loewe songs in the background. The conflicts do not seem organic -- trying to make this myth conform to 21st century ideas of democracy, sexual consent, power, and war just frankly come across as preachy and didactic. 

It's a shame because there's a ridiculous amount of talent onstage. Phillipa Soo (Guinevere/Jenny) has a soaring soprano and a winning stage presence that won't be a surprise to anyone who saw her as Eliza in Hamilton and Cinderella in Into the Woods. Her voice is heavenly. Andrew Burnap is so charming and winning as Arthur that he almost makes the preachy, enlightened-ruler Sorkin book work. Jordan Donica (Lancelot) has the least to do character wise, but his deep baritone does make "If Ever I Would Leave You," and "I Loved You Once in Silence" appropriately dreamy. Dakin Matthews was funny as Pellinore  and Taylor Trensch (Mordred) made the most out of his Ramsay Bolton imitation.

So there are good reasons to see this show. And Lerner-and-Loewe's music is very beautiful. I also understand that the original musical's book was considered problematic. But the Sorkin book just drags this evening down like a lead balloon. This is not a knight errant, but a knight error.

Comments

  1. They were often referred to as Jenny and Pelly in the 1960 original.

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  2. Just so you know, in the original Alan Jay Lerner book of CAMELOT, Guinevere is referred to as Jenny, and Pellinore is called Pelly. This is not an Aaron Sorkin innovation.

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    Replies
    1. I did not know that. However, that was the least of the problems in the new Sorkin book.

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  3. And Tom of Warwick (a/k/a Thomas "Morte d'Arthur" Malory) is also in Lerner's original book (as well as its source, T.H. White's "The Once and Future King.") Lerner revised his book for the revival with Richard Burton. That version (with Richard Harris) taped by HBO is available on YouTube.

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  4. The only thing new you've mentioned is the idea that their marriage wasn't consummated. Otherwise, you're just having problems with Camelot.

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    1. Very disappointing revival for the same reasons and more the latest Music Man was disappointing. Musicals are flawed, that’s why they are fun. Sorkin/Sher - stop trying to investigate it. Just do the productions, maybe highlight or cut a couple
      of things and stop taking it so seriously. And for lords sake get two leading actors who can sing!

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  5. Why are you writing reviews unfavorably comparing a revival to the original if you don’t know the original…

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    1. Because I'm judging the Sorkin book which is completely new, and it didn't work for me.
      I also saw the movie a long time ago, Don't remember much about it.

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  6. I could not agree more and I am thoroughly acquainted with the original production. Sorkin said he wanted to remove the “magic.” He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. What a mess. I saw it Saturday and was disgusted and demoralized. Thanks for your review.

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  7. Remove the magic?!?! This is a tragedy......there wasn't enough in the original to begin with.... Any humor left???

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  8. Just watched video of Donica sing If Ever I would leave you and I loved you once in silence like 5x each and I'm sure I'll be back to watch them more in the next week. Going to see Camelot in a couple of weeks and hopefully he & Soo will make up for the production's shortcomings.

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  9. Hi Ivy, I enjoy reading your commentary on all my favorite things: NYCB opera and theater. I am very torn about this Camelot. I adore the score and have been eager to see a revival. But I don’t think this is the one for me to see. Unlike you I detested what Sorkin did to TKAM—the sequencing of events, the characterization changes (the Mrs. DuBose speech to Calpurnia?). Bob Ewell being given a vocabulary that he would never have had…this is only the beginning of my disappointment. And yet. I don’t regret seeing original cast for the incredible performances, especially Celia Keenan-Bolger—mind blowing. I also never watched a full episode of West Wing. Now here. I have seen Philippa Soo in everything she has done and I am a huge fan. Didn’t care for Jordan Donica in My Fair Lady and do not like the clip I saw of my favorite song going to Lancelot and hearing it at maybe 10 rpm. Don’t know the Arthur. Do I see this show for one actor and the gorgeous score? Maybe not.

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    1. Soo is wonderful. She's just not given much material.

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  10. I appreciate your review very much. I for one, don't like Sorkin's re-writes so far, and like to be informed about this one. I didn't like what he did with Mockingbird. I believe some things are a treasure exactly the way they were but with 'improvements'. Not changing them to suit 'today'.

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    1. My only reason to see what sounds like a horror show is Philippa Soo and I am wondering if it is worth it. I didn’t care for Donica in MFL or his rendition of I Loved You Once in Silence and don’t appreciate that Guenevere’s most beautiful song is taken from her. And I HATED TKAM. It might have had great acclaim but it did a great disservice to Harper Lee. I could write a volume about that. However I still found it worth seeing for Jeff Daniels and the mind-blowing Tony award performance of Celia Keenan-Bolger. So I am torn.

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  11. Thank you for your very comprehensive review. I for one do not enjoy Sorkin's re-writes so far. So I am glad to be forewarned. I believe I'd feel exactly the same. I was extremely disappointed with Mockingbird. This lets me know, I would likely feel the same on this.

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