Lerner and Loewe’s glorious musical about the life and times of King Arthur
Camelot
Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre: 18 May – 3 June 2018
Hot on the heels of the delicious The Play that Goes Wrong, is the magical tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table: Camelot which comes to the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on UKZN campus from 18 May – 3 June, 2018.
Camelot is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the epic T. H. White novel The Once and Future King.
One of the most enduring, revisited and familiar of the legends is that of King Arthur – the legendary fifth century British leader and brave and fair Knight who led Medieval Britain’s defence against Saxon invaders. He is known for his Kingdom of Camelot; his magical sword Excalibur; his beautiful wife Guinevere and his followers known as the Knights of the Round Table, championed by Sir Lancelot du Lac, who fought for justice and right.
It features some of Lerner and Loewe’s most beautiful music, with songs like Camelot, If Ever I Would Leave You, It’s May and I Loved You Once in Silence.
Directed by Steven Stead assisted by Mervyn McMurtry, it stars Steven Stead as King Arthur, Jessica Sole as Queen Guinevere and Lyle Buxton as Sir Lancelot, and features Peter Court as Merlin / King Pellinor, Nathan Kruger as the evil Mordred, and Anne-Marie Clulow as the magical wood nymph, Nimue. With sumptuous Game of Thrones-inspired costumes by Terrence Bray, atmospheric sets by Greg King and choreography by Janine Bennewith, this promises to be a romantic, swashbuckling spectacle.
Camelot was staged in 1960 under the direction of writer / director Moss Hart (who also directed Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady) and with orchestrations by Philip J Lang and Robert Russell Bennett featuring a top notch cast: Lerner and Loewe’s darling from their recent success My Fair Lady, a youthful Julie Andrews as Guinevere, alongside Richard Burton as Arthur, Robert Goulet as Lancelot in his first Broadway role, and Roddy McDowall as Mordred.
The production instantly captured the public’s attention and imagination, and ran on Broadway for 873 performances. Excerpts from this watershed production made for the Ed Sullivan Show on TV can still be viewed on YouTube. During its lengthy Broadway season, it won four Tony Awards, and was the top selling LP for a record 60 weeks in the USA.
Of course, the quintessential English myth and much-loved hero found its way across the Atlantic Ocean to open in London in 1964 at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. It soon spawned an array of revivals, international versions and the iconic 1967 film featuring Richard Harris as Arthur, Vanessa Redgrave as Guinevere, the dashing Franco Nero as Lancelot and David Hemmings as Mordred.
KickstArt’s Camelot comes to the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on UKZN campus from 18 May – 3 June, 2018. For schools’ performances, charity fundraisers or block bookings of 50 or more, contact KickstArt Theatre via email: kickstart@letni.co.za.
Booking is through Computicket 0861 915 8000 or online at www.computicket.com.
Camelot
18 May – 3 June
Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre
Ticket Prices: R255 / R215 / R185
Please note there are no concession discounts
Previews R185 throughout on Friday 18 at 7.30pm, Sat 19 May at 2.30 and 7.30
Season formally opens Sun 20 May.
(Not suitable for children under eight years old)
