CAMELOT Returns to Broadway - Reviews Thread- Page 20

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 11:41pm

Saw this the other night. This was one of the most misguided efforts I've ever seen.

Full review here:

https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2023/03/camelot-knight-errors.html

[JSquared2]

Posted: 3/17/23 at 11:56pm

poisonivy2 said: "Saw this the other night. This was one of the most misguided efforts I've ever seen.

Full review here:

https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2023/03/camelot-knight-errors.html"

You have quite a few factual errors in your “review”.  For starters, Guinevere was always called “Jenny” and Pellinore was always called “Pelly” by Arthur. Those aren’t new names that Sorkin added. Maybe take another shot at it? 

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 12:01am

JSquared2 said: "poisonivy2 said: "Saw this the other night. This was one of the most misguided efforts I've ever seen.

Full review here:

https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2023/03/camelot-knight-errors.html"

You have quite a few factual errors in your “review”. For starters, Guinevere was always called “Jenny” and Pellinore was always called “Pelly” by Arthur. Those aren’t new names that Sorkin added. Maybe take another shot at it?"

Book still sucks. 

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 12:23am

JSquared2 said: "Jeffrey Karasarides said: "MadsonMelo said: "Question: Do you guys see Jordan as a lead or featured player regarding to the Tonys?

The reviews for Burnap are so great that I can't help but think Actor in a Musical will be a bloodbath this year."

As of now, Gold Derby has Jordan Donica listed as a featured actor. Of course, it will all come down to how the administration committee declares him."



There's no way that Lancelot would ever be considered a Lead.

Agreed. Arthur is the lead and Lancelot is a side piece. Definitely supporting.

[sm33]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 12:51am

Saw this tonight and enjoyed it, for the most part. I was totally unfamiliar with the show aside from a few songs, so I don't have anything to compare it to like some of you. I think Act I is stronger than Act II, and the ending is a bit anticlimactic, but i didn't mind that as much as my husband did.

Loved the costumes (that red velvet dress!!), the staging, and the three leads. This is the first time I've really appreciated Phillipa Soo in a role - she was bright and funny and sharp right from her introduction. Jordan Donica's "If Ever I Would Leave You" was gorgeous, and Andrew Burnap's Arthur really held it all together. There were maybe a few too many quippy Sorkin-isms in the book, but I can definitely see why he was drawn to the material and overall, I felt like it was reasonably up to date with fleshed out characters. 

We were seated dead center in the 300's in the second to last row (right in front of the people working on the show, much to our annoyance - a man giving notes to someone else typing was very bass-y and distracting, talked a ton and kept taking me out of the show. I know it's previews, but damn!!). But the visuals were gorgeous from that spot. The show ran less than three hours - started after 8:05 and finished just before 11. 

[MCfan2]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 11:05am

It's rather interesting that Sorkin wanted to simultaneously modernize the show and ground it in a particular time. It's just possible that a fantasy king could be preoccupied by issues of consent and power dynamics -- anything can happen in fantasies and fairy tales. But a real 15th-century king ... not terribly likely. So it seems like Sorkin's working against himself.

But I haven't seen this version, so I guess I shouldn't talk. And I certainly can't weigh in on whether it works. It just sounds like an odd conundrum, that's all.  

Updated On: 3/18/23 at 11:05 AM

[JasonC3]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 12:25pm

I think in general it works fine.  For those with whom I attended a few dialogue choices seemed a bit less likely, but not so much that it completely undermined the overall intention. As one friend said, "Sorkin gonna Sorkin."

Updated On: 3/18/23 at 12:25 PM

[leefowler]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 4:47pm

I found Sorkin’s book to be quite grating. Everything had this weird contemporary sitcom vibe, like an episode of Frasier. One thing particularly grating is that during the title song, Guinevere is given faux witty dialogue spoken between every lyric.

It’s true that, “Sorkin gonna Sorkin,” but the result is that the dialogue clashes with the music, lyrics, and orchestrations. 

 

 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 6:41pm

Surprised to see a lot of somewhat tepid reactions on here. I absolutely loved every second of this production. I saw the tour with Michael York and Rachel York years ago and remember very little other than being pretty bored. I  don’t remember enough of the original book from the tour to compare, but this new production is anything but boring. 

The three leads are absolutely perfect in every way. I was especially taken with Andrew Burnap’s Arthur - very charismatic. Phillipa Soo is delightful as Guenevere. Jordan Donica’s voice is that of an angel’s. The three play very well off of each other.

Bartlett Sher’s direction is typical “Bartlett Sher-esque”, but it works wonderfully. This deinitely aligns more with his revivals of The King and I and Fiddler on the Roof than My Fair Lady. The physical design is very much anchored in elegant minimalism. I loved the set, costumes, lighting, and projections. All just top notch and beautiful.

The show clocked in at exactly 2 hours and 55 minutes. It’s a long show for sure, and a HEAVY show at that, but I found it to be remarkable. The time just flew by. Another triumph for Bartlett Sher at Lincoln Center in my book!

[Rakesh Natarajan]

Posted: 3/18/23 at 9:34pm

Does anyone know where the lottery seats are located or how difficult the lottery is to win? I know that one person (a few pages back in this thread) won the lottery, but was curious to see if anyone else on here had entered or won it since then.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 3/19/23 at 3:48pm

Can anyone who knows Lerner's original book confirm that the new script still includes Arthur's lovely "Proposition" speech that ends Act I on such a high? I always felt that that remarkable speech combined with Lowe's beautiful underscoring created one of the loveliest musical numbers in the original Camelot, and I pray that when I see the show in 3 weeks I'll get to enjoy that passage as well.

[MackTheKnife2]

Posted: 3/20/23 at 2:11am

I went to see Camelot today and I absolutely loved it.

 

I’m not too familiar with the original book, but can say that I very much liked the new Aron Sorkin book. It is not perfect, by any means. There are some things that didn’t land for me (references to Voltaire and that whole “business partner” deal).
 

I understand that Sorking didn’t want to place the story on a particular time period, but I don’t think that was very well achieved. 
 

But all that aside, I think that the new book stands quite well on its own. This is evidentley a very hard story to tell correctly (judging by the reviews of the original and subsequent productions), and I think this production managed to do that.

 

The three leads’ performances are fantastic. I especially loved Andrew Burnap’s take on Arthur, he has a very youthful vitality to his performance and you can feel how the events have changed him by the end of act two. Phillipa Soo is amazing and she makes a very delightful Guinevere. Jordan Donica is also great, he has a very lovely and powerful voice, but character-wise, he is given less compared to Burnap and Soo.


I loved listening to the original orchestrations and very much hope that we get a cast recording, because I think the score really shines in this production with those lush orchestrations and great singers.

 

The production design is, as has been said before, very minimalistic but quite effective.

 

In general, I think this is a fantastic revival of Camelot. I understand why some people can differ with my opinion, but I can’t deny that I had a great time in the theater and was very moved by the evening’s end.

And to answer Someone in a Tree’s question, I can’t confirm if the original dialogue remains, but Act One does end with the “Proposition” monologue. I loved it.

Updated On: 3/20/23 at 02:11 AM

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 1:08am

maybe i missed it but i dont think ive seen any reports about seating? There are very affordable Loge seats. Where should I not sit?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 1:48am

Those are likely the very extreme sides of the theater, which, depending on how the show is staged might not be bad but given the pictures it looks like they utilized the depth of the stage so you might miss out on a lot of stage pictures, etc. But usually most of the action takes place on the thrust. But someone who has seen this production can weigh in there. For My Fair Lady they were great. 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 10:29am

https://ew.com/theater/camelot-is-returning-to-broadway-for-one-brief-shining-moment-get-your-first-look/

[sm33]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 12:58pm

PipingHotPiccolo said: "maybe i missed it but i dont think ive seen any reports about seating? There are very affordable Loge seats. Where should I not sit?"

I don't think the level really matters, but I'd recommend sitting as close to the center of the theater as you can for the best overall view of the staging - we were dead center and it looked fantastic. But I don't think you'd miss much if you're off to the sides, it just won't look as good. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 1:27pm

After just seeing the curtain call videos, I'm pleasantly surprised by how colorful it looks in the EW photos –– which of course is a benefit of a largely light-colored set, it becomes an ideal backdrop to allow costumes, lighting, and projection to pop.

Excited to see this in a few weeks.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 1:29pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "After just seeing the curtain call videos, I'm pleasantly surprised by how colorful it looks in the EW photos –– which of course is a benefit of a largely light-colored set, it becomes an ideal backdrop to allow costumes, lighting, and projection to pop.

Excited to see this in a few weeks."

YES - the show has some very vibrant scenes! The entire design is just absolutely breathtaking.

 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 1:36pm

Nice pic from A View From My Seat

[hollebolle]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 1:51pm

sm33 said: "But I don't think you'd miss much if you're off to the sides, it just won't look as good."

This was my experience, although I was in the side orch seats via LincTix. Because of the angle, I didn't really get any of the visuals in the above photos. It also didn't feel as vibrant as the photos because so much of the action takes place on the thrust, and for me the backdrop was the other side of the orchestra. 

All that said, the LincTix seats were still a great deal, and I loved being so close to the performers (though be warned that Donica does have a Groff-like tendency to spit during songs...)

 

[CathyM3]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 2:26pm

Pretty awesome!

Updated On: 3/21/23 at 02:26 PM

[Whiskers2]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 2:46pm

Rakesh Natarajan said: "Does anyone know where the lottery seats are located or how difficult the lottery is to win? I know that one person (a few pages back in this thread) won the lottery, but was curious to see if anyone else on here had entered or won it since then."

mine were orch left row H last week

[JasonC3]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 3:33pm

When I saw the show, I stared down these grates big time to try and determine if they were the ones from the wedding scene in The Light in the Piazza lol.

TaffyDavenport said: "Nice pic from A View From My Seat

"

 

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 4:06pm

That picture is absolutely gorgeous. Is that the new top of show or top of act 2? I love it. Seeing it in 2 weeks!

[sm33]

Posted: 3/21/23 at 5:17pm

BCfitasafiddle said: "That picture is absolutely gorgeous. Is that the new top of show or top of act 2? I love it. Seeing it in 2 weeks!"

Act 2!