Review: CAMELOT at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre

1960 was a very good and hopeful year for Broadway musicals. The Theatre District welcomed a host of spirited and enduring musicals ~ Finian's Rainbow, Bye Bye Birdie, Irma La Douce, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, West Side Story, and CAMELOT.

It was looking good for the country as well when a charismatic young man was elected 35th President of the United States and evoked the promise of a New Frontier, calling upon the young in heart to explore the uncharted areas of science and space, the unsolved problems of peace and war, the unconquered pockets of ignorance and prejudice, and the unanswered questions of poverty and surplus.

That the young king of Lerner & Loewe's CAMELOT seemed to parallel the idealism of the new Administration was fortuitous for the musical's future as an endearing testament to possibility and romance...and to the fragility of all dreams.

As John Kennedy offered a new vision of the American dream, King Arthur, calling upon his Knights of the Round Table, promised a New Order where might is only used for right, where power is used to improve instead of to destroy, and where violence is not strength and compassion is not weakness.

The parallels between the two idealistic reigns would become set in stone after JFK's assassination, and their themes would become fixed in the American mind as interconnected. In each case, their fulfillment would be denied ~ for the time being ~ by sinister forces that lurked in the wings.

So it is that their stories resonate and remain relevant and that, in due course, CAMELOT holds a special place in the hearts of theatre-goers.

Co-directors Joe and Lorraine Bousard seize upon that devotion and give homage to the classic in a refreshing and imaginative revival of the musical (running through April 30th at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre in Scottsdale AZ). In their redolent staging of the Arthurian legend, they have conjured up a light-hearted and evocative affair that fits the theatre's intimate setting and connects the audience more directly and emotionally with the tensions of the story.

They also prove that less is more.

Less of fancy sets ~ save for a raised platform in the square and a hand-crafted tree on the side ~ that might distract from the arc of the ill-fated love triangle.

More of talent! The Bousards have assembled an impressive cast of youthful spirited artists, spearheaded by Adam D. Shelton as Arthur, Alexandra (Ixy) Utpadel as Guinevere, and Matthew Dodaro as Lancelot.

Shelton brings a youthful vigor and freshness to his role as the reluctant King. He manages Arthur's passage from a mischievous and carefree young royal hiding in a tree to an ethically- conflicted monarch with seamless dexterity and authenticity. Heeding the counsel of his omniscient mentor Merlin to learn to think, Arthur brainstorms a series of propositions that culminate in the conception of a social order grounded in virtue and reason ~ all of which will be tested when Guinevere's infidelity comes to light.

Soprano Utpadel is an immensely refreshing version of the young queen. She seasons every measure of Guinevere's vocal lines with an expressive mix of salty flirtatiousness and sugary romanticism. Her arc, like Arthur's, is pathos-filled ~ shifting from a maiden with an independent streak to a tormented woman, balancing her devotion to her husband with an irresistible attraction to Lancelot.

Dodaro rounds out the triangle, infusing Lancelot with a blend of charm, pretentiousness, and chivalry. If there are moments when his performance could be more nuanced, his soulful rendition of If Ever I Would Leave You leaves the question in the dust. His acting chops and vocal range are further accentuated in the couple's tender rendition of I Loved You Once In Silence.

Lee Cooley invests Merlin with a stately and erudite demeanor as Arthur's sage advisor who knows what future lies ahead for his charge student but cannot tell as his own fate intervenes.

Merlin may be gone, but enter Tom Endicott as Pellinore, the good-natured and feisty old king who becomes guest and confidant to Arthur. Endicott is brilliant in the role, an ebullient gust of energy as a sometimes-muddled sometimes-cantankerous but always savvy observer of the court's intrigues.

Something rotten befalls the realm when the treacherous Mordred enters the scene. In a role portrayed by Noah Brown with delicious villainy, the order of things is hopelessly disrupted and endangered. Arthur's bastard son has returned to wreak division among Arthur's knights (Fie On Goodness!) and bring ruin to Arthur's dream.

Alixandra Giordano is alluring as she doubles as Nimue, the water nymph who lures Merlin to an eternal sleep, and then as Morgan LeFey, the sorceress who confines Arthur in an invisible wall at Mordred's behest.

The die is cast but not without one last effort to ensure that future generations might know and be inspired by the possibility of an order marked by civility, reason, and virtue. From Arthur's mouth to all our ears in the reprise of Camelot!

All these fine performances benefit from the accompaniment of a solid supporting cast ~ Christopher Sean Devous, Christian Penn, Kasey Ray, Deryl Wayne, Joshua Ransford, Nathalie Agnes Brasseur, Raini St. John, and Charlie Jordan Darling; Bret Reese and Don Bluth's mood-enhancing lighting; Roger McCay's music direction; and Corrine Hawkins's dazzling display of regalia.

CAMELOT runs through April 30th at:

Don Bluth Front Row Theatre ~ 8989 E Vía Linda #118, Scottsdale, AZ ~ 480-314-0841 ~ https://www.donbluthfrontrowtheatre.com/

Poster credit to DBFRT

To post a comment, you must register and login.