Berkshire on Stage

For over 500 years the story of King Arthur and his Round Table has held us under its spell. The legend of the Celtic king who envisioned a social order of justice, compassion, and righteousness for Britain compels us to look at our own times and assess who we are. 

Director Alan Paul has chosen CAMELOT, the Lerner and Loewe musical for Barrington Stage’s 2025 season. Based on his acclaimed 2018 staging for Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC, Paul’s choice is squarely aimed at having us reflect on our own turbulent political times. With subtle interpolations, the past and future coalesce, especially when Arthur calls upon his mentor, the ancient wizard Merlyn, to appear and give him guidance. But Merlyn lives his life forward and backwards, so the advice is jumbled with a few important details left out and clever modern references are added in. For example, Merlyn alludes to the sources of the Arthurian legend including Sir Thomas Malory, who wrote the Le Morte d’Arthur, and T.H. White, who wrote The Once and Future King. So we see the past and present simultaneously.

Paul stages CAMELOT brilliantly, with pageantry, elegance and intelligence. He uses every opportunity to encourage us to draw comparisons to Arthur’s vision and our own political reality, but never in a blatant or accusing fashion. The end of the show will bring you to tears.

The story is well known of course, but it helps to remember the fundamental tale. When Arthur is a young squire, he is sent to retrieve the sword of his knight. He sees the magical sword Excalibur in the stone and pulls it out and is proclaimed the new king. He unites Britain and establishes a new golden age centered in Camelot. A benevolent and beloved king, Arthur marries Guenevere. But when Sir Lancelot joins the Round Table, Guenevere and Lancelot fall in love. Arthur’s illegitimate son, Mordred, uses that betrayal to start a war and destroy the idealistic world that Arthur created. 

Despite the sadness of the tale, CAMELOT is a glorious musical born aloft by the incomparable lyrics and music of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. Whether it is the charm and simplicity of “I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight?” or “What Do the Simple Folk Do?” or the poignancy of “How to Handle a Woman” or “I Loved You Once in Silence,” the songs are singable and memorable. More importantly, they define the characters and emotional tides. These are songs that move the heart – offering delight as in the “The Lusty Month of May” and fear and trepidation in the witch hunt to for “Guenevere.” The highlight of the show was “If Ever I would Leave You”—as sung by Emmett O’Hanlon in the role of Lancelot – eliciting bravos and applause for its magnificent performance. 

Paul has brought together an extraordinary cast for CAMELOT.  Ken Wulf Clark brings great humor and energy to the young Arthur and a passionate wisdom to the great king.  Emmett O’Hanlon is everything you could want in the role of Lancelot. He is an actor with all the gifts—a powerful Baritone voice, a classically handsome physique, and the ability to marry the arrogance and naivete of the complicated character of Lancelot.

As the beloved of Arthur and Lancelot, Guenevere, as played by Ali Ewoldt, has great chemistry with her appealing leading men. Ms. Ewoldt captures the girlishness and sensuality of Guenevere with her exquisite voice and incredibly charming demeanor. Pretty and petite, she has a gracefulness that encompasses both emotional strength and depth of feeling.

Another fabulous actor is Dakin Matthews who plays a convincing Merlyn and who is a standout in the role of King Pellinore, the old knight who has spent his life chasing beasts. Matthews fully realizes the humor, the sadness, and the humanity of this role. Moreover, he transforms from one role to the other so well, this viewer did not realize it was the same actor. Danny Kornfeld rounds out the marvelous cast, portraying Mordred with unbounded evil glee and commanding our attention in his every scene as he wreaks havoc on Arthur’s dream. 

The ensemble is only four women and five men but what a talented group they are—especially in dance. Although there are few dances in this musical, the choreography by Brandon Bieber is delightful and a challenge on a rather small stage. The ensemble also excels in singing and facilitating the ever-changing scene. Although there is a fair amount of it, no one is credited with designing the stage combat. That was my only quibble – the battle scenes looked too choreographed, too safe. Of course, this is always a challenge on the stage since movies can do it with different means and that makes us want to see more authenticity. But the men wearing the armor could have moved with a greater sense of weight that would have given the illusion of real armor.

The special world created by director Paul in this CAMELOT is a refreshing take on this classical musical. The settings are extremely simple, even abstract, but effective in moving us from the forest to the court to the joust to the battleground. Christopher Akerlind’s lighting was evocative, especially the use of the scrim. Also, the world of this musical is significantly enhanced by the lavish, even extravagant costumes. The original costumes were designed by Ana Kuzmanic for the Washington production and Lia Wallfish is credited for the remounting of this production. Guenevere’s numerous gowns were especially lovely, and it was fortunate that Ewoldt knew well how to move in them. The headdresses and armor were also impressive. While there were a couple of “modern” choices that jolted one out of the play, everything else worked so well to realize the romance and history of King Arthur’s Court. 

Finally, the music direction by Darren R. Cohen was superb. The nine-person orchestra is below the stage and was distributed by speakers into the house. Ken Travis is credited with sound design and I assume he engineered the balance between the body mikes and accompaniment. In any case, this was the best sound engineering I have ever heard for a musical. There was a perfect balance between the singers and the accompaniment and you could understand every word. It was such a pleasure to reside in the world of the play and not have to struggle to follow the story.

CAMELOT is an exhilarating evening of theatre. Arthur’s vision is of a world where “violence is not strength” and “compassion is not weakness.” It presents a place where three people can love each other and transcend jealousy and exercise forgiveness. It is a world of justice and equality where people fight for just causes and to right wrongs. We still can embrace this dream, and that thrilling possibility brought the audience to tears and to its feet in a resounding standing ovation. This CAMELOT was a beautiful experience and a wise choice for Barrington Stage. 

Credits

Book & Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner

Music by Frederick Loewe

Directed by Alan Paul

Original Choreography by Michele Lynch 

Choreographed and Recreated by Brandon Bieber

Music Director: Darren R. Cohen

Scenic Design by Lee Savage

Lighting Design by Christopher Akerlind

Sound Design by Ken Travis

Original Costume Design by Ana Kuzmanic

Remounting Costume Design by Lia Wallfish

Cast:

Ken Wulf Clark Arthur

Ali Ewoldt Guenevere

Emmett O’Hanlon Lancelot

Danny Kornfeld Mordred

Dakin Matthews Merlyn/King Pellinore

The Child Mekhi McClain

Ensemble:

Kate Bailey

Marquise Hitchcock 

Jaiden Jones

Helen Krushinski

Noah Ruebeck 

Michel Vasquez

Natalie Welch

Zach Williams 

Information

CAMELOT runs June 25-July 19

Box Office: 413-236-8888

Website: BarringtonStageCo.org

Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes with one intermission

Theatre: Boyd-Quinson Theater

Address: 30 Union Street, Pittsfield, MA.