Byrne, Mazzie and Gunn Lead Philharmonic 'Camelot' Cast

The New York Philharmonic's five, semi-staged performances of Lerner and Loewe's Camelot will star Gabriel Byrne (King Arthur); Marin Mazzie (Guenevere); Nathan Gunn (Lancelot); Christopher Lloyd (Pellinore); and Marc Kudisch (Lionel). All but Mr. Gunn are making their New York Philharmonic debuts in these performances, and will appear alongside the musicians of the Orchestra on the stage of Avery Fisher Hall. Lonny Price will direct; Paul Gemignani is the conductor and music supervisor; and Thomas Z. Shepard is the producer. The performances will take place Wednesday, May 7, at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 8, at 7:30 p.m., Friday, May 9, at 8:00 p.m., and Saturday, May 10, 2008, at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m. The May 8 performance will be broadcast nationally on Live From Lincoln Center on PBS. The cast also includes Bobby Steggert (Mordred); Christopher Seiber (Dinadan); and Will Swenson (Sagramore). Additional casting will be announced.

Also collaborating on the production are Josh Prince, choreographer; Tracy Christensen, costume designer; Jim Noone, set designer; and Paul Miller, lighting designer. 

Camelot, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, first appeared on Broadway at the Majestic Theater on December 3, 1960. Based on T.H. White's novel, The Once and Future King, about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, the musical features songs such as "I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight," "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood," "Camelot," "The Lusty Month of May," "How to Handle a Woman," "If Ever I Would Leave You," and "What Do the Simple Folk Do?" It starred Julie Andrews as Guenevere, Richard Burton as King Arthur, Robert Goulet as Lancelot, and Roddy McDowall as Mordred and ran for 873 performances, winning four Tony Awards. The musical — about the idealized kingdom of Camelot, the love triangle among King Arthur, Queen Guenevere, and Lancelot, and the treachery of the king's illegitimate son, Mordred — was made into a 1967 film that starred Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero, David Hemmings, and Lionel Jeffries. It won three Academy Awards.

For more information please visit www.nyphilharmonic.org