A Noble Effort: This 'Camelot' Has Gusto

Camelot

Book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner; music by Frederick Loewe; directed by Gabriel Barre; musical direction by Bill Stanley; musical staging and choreography by Patricia Wilcox; original scenic design by Michael Anania; additional scenic design by Jerome Martin; costume design by Pamela Schofield; lighting design by Jack Mehler; sound design by John A. Stone; fight choreography by J. David Brimmer

Featured cast in order of appearance:

Adam Wylie as Tom, Merlyn, Page, Green Boy, Morgan Le Fey and Tom of Warwick

Josh Grisetti as Mordred

Joseph Dellger as Arthur

Nili Bassman as Guenevere

Maxime Alvarez de Toledo as Lancelot

David Coffee as Pellinore

Performances: Now through October 9 at the Shubert Theatre in Boston

Box Office: Telecharge.com or 800-447-7400; or www.wangcenter.org

It's pretty difficult for a director to come up with a new and workable concept for a musical that has been produced ad nauseum by high schools, colleges, community groups, and dinner theaters ever since it made legends out of Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, and Robert Goulet when it debuted on Broadway in 1960. But Gabriel Barre and the North Shore Music Theatre have made a gallant attempt to bring new life to an old "Camelot."

Grittier battles, sexier love scenes, and more visible magical forces create an earthier world for King Arthur to rule than is typically seen in romanticized versions of this Lerner and Loewe classic. Edgier performances also add depth to characters often portrayed one dimensionally as either good or evil, saintly or demonic. Once the novelty of Barre's albeit interesting conceptual devices has worn off, though, what we are left with is a painfully obvious book punctuated by a few memorable songs from an otherwise mediocre score.

Anathema, you say? Maybe. But the older this show gets, the older this show gets. The one brief shining moment that was "Camelot" may have resonated back in the early '60s when our own version of the Arthurian legend took up residence in the White House and inspired a nation to believe in utopia. Today, the show's idealism is much harder to sell.

This North Shore Music Theatre production and its fine cast deserve a great deal of credit for being able to stir the audience despite the clichés. Joseph Dellger as Arthur is delightfully boyish and playful in the early scenes as the youthful once and future king, and he ages seamlessly into the loving but distraught ruler who must put his crown above his personal feelings when deciding the fate of his wife Guenevere and her lover, the knight Lancelot. His rich baritone melts us with the ballad "How to Handle a Woman" and raises goose bumps at the finale with his impassioned reprise of the title song.

As Guenevere, Nili Bassman is a fine actress, and she brings a wonderful girlish spunk to her early queen-to-be scenes. She also has strong chemistry with both Dellger and Maxime Alvarez de Toledo as Lancelot, making her conflict between love and loyalty passionate and believable. Her singing, unfortunately, is less impressive. Her constricted soprano never resonates, and her obvious efforts to stay on pitch during her musical scenes rob numbers like "The Lusty Month of May" and "I Loved You Once in Silence" of any spontaneity.

Alvarez de Toledo as Lancelot is a revelation. His unabashed bravado and matter-of-fact egotism in "C'est Moi" are balanced with a self-effacing comic innocence that makes Guenevere, and the audience, love him in spite of himself. His gently romantic rendition of "If Ever I Would Leave You" is sultry, silken, and sincere. He also aptly struggles with his anguish over loving both Guenevere and Arthur and with his guilt in choosing lust over honor.

In support, David Coffee is a perfectly befuddled and whimsical King Pellinore, Josh Grisetti is a malevolent and mysterious Mordred, and Adam Wylie is a mercurial and mystical Merlyn, Tom, Page, and Morgan Le Fey. Wylie, in particular, raises this production from the mundane to the magical.

Sets, lights, costumes, and sound all enhance Barre's vision of a mythical kingdom gone awry. However, a large round raised platform taking center stage throughout the play (think Knights of the Round Table) draws undue attention and seriously restricts movement. Better to have taken advantage of the large proscenium stage at the Shubert than to try to fit an in-the-round peg into a square hole.

Despite the chinks in the armor of this battle weary musical, "Camelot" as recreated by Gabriel Barre and the North Shore Music Theatre is still a nice place to visit. At three hours long, you may feel as though you are happily ever aftering, but as the title song promises, there is no more congenial spot.

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