Broadway Pitman's 'Camelot': Great singing, less great musical
'Camelot' hasn't aged well. The songs are still great, but the flat storytelling needs a lot of help. The Broadway Pitman Theatre production has some great singing, but in the end can't quite revitalize the beloved, creaky show all the way.
Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe's Camelot has not aged well since its 1960 Broadway premiere, and the Broadway Theatre of Pitman does little to contemporize it visually. The famous standards still soar musically, but the flat storyline of Lerner's book bores in comparison to the swashbuckling adventures of T.H. White's The Once and Future King, on which it is based.
And yet the Broadway Theatre of Pitman finds a few reasons to produce it. Most of these moments come vocally, especially in the duets between Guenevere (Anna DeBlasio) and Lancelot (Luke Brahdt) as they navigate the perilous love triangle between themselves and Guenevere's husband, King Arthur (CJ Kish).
DeBlasio's glowing soprano ranges from earnest and whimsical (in her early numbers) to bouts of lovesick pathos in her rendition of "I Loved You Once in Silence." Brahdt's baritone delights comically in his ego-inflating "C'est Moi," his caddish confidence balanced by an impressive display of vocal power in "If Ever I Would Leave You."
However, I would have much rather heard their voices in concert production, as visually, this production, and the musical in general, leaves much to be desired. Both in acting and singing, Kish holds his own as the beleaguered, reluctant king (he's meant to be outshone by the more tempestuous, confident pairing of Lancelot and Guenevere). But only Brahdt, Jim Ludovici (as the aged knight Pellinore), and Tim Garner (as Arthur's bastard son Mordred) act well enough to flesh out the story line, with Ludovici providing needed comic relief via his exaggerated mannerisms that buttress Garner's underused creepiness.
The backdrops of John D. Smitherman's set shimmer in the enchanted forests of Camelot but, with little exception, Kate Edelson's costumes look flat in comparison (for a queen, Guenevere wears only one stunning gown, and Lancelot's coat and armor dazzle). Loewe's score and Lerner's lyrics merely narrate the action of two of the most exciting scenes, and Meredith Kresch provides little excitement in her choral choreography.
Thematically, Camelot still resonates in its depiction of how to tame unchecked power and what results when human nature and instinct trump idealistic goals and social planning. Smitherman's direction builds powerfully toward illustrating these ideas (in the final scene, Kish bursts with youthful energy and hope), but, again, I kept thinking of the X-Men films, which in a different yet contemporary medium employ the Arthurian themes to much greater effect.
Camelot. Through May 14 at the Broadway Theatre of Pitman, 43 S. Broadway, Pitman, N.J. Tickets: $28. Information: 856-384-8381 or thebroadwaytheatre.org.