Cincinnati Music Theatre to Present Lerner & Loewe's CAMELOT

Cincinnati Music Theatre (CMT), a resident company of the Aronoff Center for the Arts, returns to the intimate Jarson-Kaplan Theater from May 11-19 with seven performances of the Broadway triumph Camelot.

Tickets are only $26.00 for adults and $23.00 for students, seniors, military, and groups of 15 or more. Tickets are on sale now at Cincinnatiarts.org, Cincinnatimusictheatre.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. Discount tickets for groups of 15 or more are available at (513) 977-4157.

Borrowing from the Arthurian legends, Lerner and Loewe's Camelot is the duo's fantastical masterpiece. Its Original Broadway Cast Album topped the charts for sixty weeks, with a score boasting such gems as "If Ever I Would Leave You" and "I Loved You Once in Silence." An idealistic young King Arthur hopes to create a kingdom built on honor and dignity, embodied by his Knights of the Round Table. His ideals, however, are tested when his queen, Guenevere, falls in love with Lancelot and the fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance.

After wrapping a sold-out run of their first cabaret partnership with the Cincinnati Arts Association, CMT is back at the Jarson-Kaplan Theater with Camelot, the type of classic Broadway production that has helped make the company a staple in Cincinnati's community theater scene for fifty-plus years.

For its production of Camelot, CMT attracted the finest talent in the city, casting real-life husband and wife team Sarah Viola as Guenevere and Dave Wilson as Lancelot. Sarah, a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, has performed regularly at both Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center with the New York Choral Artists and Concert Chorale of New York. Dave has performed in theater, film, and television, included Guiding Light and One Life to Live.

"Sarah and Dave are a dynamic couple," says Dennis Murphy, director of the musical. "They bring candor and affection to their scenes, and I am thrilled they are making their CMT debut with this production."

Camelot is not new to CMT's extensive repertoire of large-scale musicals, having been produced in 1989 with Rick Kramer (King Arthur) playing Lancelot. His wife, Kathy Kramer, played Nimue in the 1989 production and is the vocal director for this production. Rick, a two-time winner of the Cincinnati Entertainment Best Local Actor Award, is eager to play the role of King Arthur.

"While I loved singing the classic song, "If Ever I Would Leave You," as Lancelot, Arthur's character has more depth and dimension that I am excited to bring to life for the audience."

One of the biggest surprises of CMT's production of Camelot will be behind the stage, where a 28-piece orchestra (including a harp) will be directed and conducted by Charles Wilhelm, a long-time veteran of CMT who also played the French horn in the 1989 production. "An orchestra this large, especially for a community theater production, is a rarity," says Charles. "But this score deserves it. It's magic."

The music and lyrics for Camelot are by the dynamic duo of Lerner and Loewe, and its Original Broadway Cast Album was on the charts for sixty weeks. Come hear the beautiful music and relive the legend with CMT's production of Camelot at the Aronoff Center for the Arts this May!

CAMELOT is directed by Dennis Murphy and produced by Julie Beelman. It features Kathy Kramer as vocal director and Charles Wilhelm as musical director and conductor. Lerner and Loewe's Camelot is presented by arrangement with Tams-Whitmark Music Library, Inc.

For more information about Cincinnati Music Theatre, visit www.cincinnatimusictheatre.org, LIKE us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cincinnatimusictheatre, and follow us on Twitter @CinMusicTheatre.

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