![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I picked up Monique at the airport yesterday afternoon and we went out to dinner and then we went to see Camelot at the Schuber Theatre in New Haven CT.
I hadn't seen the show on stage in about 20 years, since I played in the pit orchestra for it. They've given the show a pretty large face lift. A couple of the songs were completely cut and several of them had been reworked. The one that really struck me was "The Lusty Month of May". It was a lot more primal in its presentation. They added percussion to it and the dancing was a lot more, shall we say provocative, to go with it. Several of the songs had second iterations cut out, which was fine with me. It cost nothing and cut down the time of the show. Overall, the changes were quite good.
Arthur was played by Lou Diamond Phillips. He was excellent for the role. He had all the energy and emotional push for the part. He's not a professional singer, but his singing overall was quite good and his acting more than made up for any of the places where he lacked the singing power.
Rachel de Benedet was Guinevere. She has an amazing vocal range. Even when she sang quietly, it projected beatifully. And what a voice. I could listen to her sing a lot.
Matt Bogart as Lancelot was wonderful (once he remembered his French accent partway through the first scene). ;-) The power and passion in "If Ever I Would Leave You" was the most moving part of the show.
The costumes were outstanding. When I play Joval again, I want the costume Arthur wore for the knighting ceremony. Everything was so elaborate. I absolutely loved the costumes. The sets were minimal compared to the costumes. They weren't bad, but the wow factor wasn't there.
The orchestra was fabulous and the conductor did one of the most amazing jobs I've ever seen. From our seats in the box, I was easily able to see what he was doing. There were a few times when I was just astounded how naturally he followed the singers. There was so much ebb and flow on the tempos that I though sure he'd lose them on occasion and it just stayed together seamlessly.
This show gets a high recommendation and if it tours near you, it's well worth the admission.
I hadn't seen the show on stage in about 20 years, since I played in the pit orchestra for it. They've given the show a pretty large face lift. A couple of the songs were completely cut and several of them had been reworked. The one that really struck me was "The Lusty Month of May". It was a lot more primal in its presentation. They added percussion to it and the dancing was a lot more, shall we say provocative, to go with it. Several of the songs had second iterations cut out, which was fine with me. It cost nothing and cut down the time of the show. Overall, the changes were quite good.
Arthur was played by Lou Diamond Phillips. He was excellent for the role. He had all the energy and emotional push for the part. He's not a professional singer, but his singing overall was quite good and his acting more than made up for any of the places where he lacked the singing power.
Rachel de Benedet was Guinevere. She has an amazing vocal range. Even when she sang quietly, it projected beatifully. And what a voice. I could listen to her sing a lot.
Matt Bogart as Lancelot was wonderful (once he remembered his French accent partway through the first scene). ;-) The power and passion in "If Ever I Would Leave You" was the most moving part of the show.
The costumes were outstanding. When I play Joval again, I want the costume Arthur wore for the knighting ceremony. Everything was so elaborate. I absolutely loved the costumes. The sets were minimal compared to the costumes. They weren't bad, but the wow factor wasn't there.
The orchestra was fabulous and the conductor did one of the most amazing jobs I've ever seen. From our seats in the box, I was easily able to see what he was doing. There were a few times when I was just astounded how naturally he followed the singers. There was so much ebb and flow on the tempos that I though sure he'd lose them on occasion and it just stayed together seamlessly.
This show gets a high recommendation and if it tours near you, it's well worth the admission.
