Review: CAMELOT at Brookfield Theatre

Everyone knows the beloved story of Camelot – the rise and fall of the legendary and idealistic King Arthur and the heartbreaking betrayals by his wife, his best knight, and his illegitimate son. The musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe never gets tired and seeing it again at the Brookfield Theatre for the Arts is more than just a pleasant theater experience. Under the skillful direction of Jane Farnol, this small cast version of Camelot remains closer to its original version instead of the Aaron Sorkin’s reconstructed story that was produced in 2023, but it loses nothing of the original story. The bonus is that Farnol’s interpretation makes the audience ruminate on society’s path to distinction, honor, and civility and the slippery path back to destruction.

The talented cast includes Jared Reynolds as Arthur, Jennifer Wallace as Guenevere, Billy Hicks as Sir Lancelot, and James Murphy as Mordred, and all these performers portray these figures as multi-dimensional rather than predictable.

The rest of the cast includes Chris Fay as Sir Sagramore, Robert Roda as Sir Dinadan, Vincent Chistoni as Sir Lionel, Tom Heydenburg as Squire Dap, Rebecca Spalvieri, Melanie Fay, Susan Chapin, and Eden Schwanke as ladies of the court, and Oliver Gunderson as Young Tom.

Farnol’s staging uses only about two-thirds of the Brookfield Theatre’s large stage, but it makes the show up close and personal. With the actors walking through the aisles, they are more prominent and their complexities more visible to the audience. Jared Reynolds transitions from an insecure king with vision to a man conflicted by the successes of his vision and his love for the people who betray him. Jennifer Wallace has a glorious operatic soprano voice and gives Guenevere both strength and darkness. Billy Hicks plays Lancelot as a complex man – cerebral, idealistic, religious, sinner, cunning, and still admirable. You could see his mind working while he is in the joust scene with the other knights. James Murphy pulled off everyone’s fantasy. He had never set foot on stage before, but his husband, Billy Hicks, convinced him to have some margaritas and then to audition for the role. He. Nailed. It. His Mordred is intricate – slighted, clever, jealous, ambitious, adventurous, unchivalrous, playful, sympathetic, and vengeful. Murphy was meant to act.

Vincent Chistoni, Chris Fay, Robert Roda, and Tom Heydenburg are credible as the knights and squire. Despite their differences in style, they are compatible on stage with each other and with the rest of the characters. Rebecca Spalvieri, Melanie Fay, Susan Chapin, and Eden Schwanke appear together in a few spots, and they all add to the show, especially during the scene of “The Jousts,” with their mannerisms and upper-class thirst for blood spilling. Oliver Gunderson (Tom) captures a young boy’s innocence, excitement, and hope for the future.

Jessica Chesbro’s choreography is clever and delightful, even with less stage to dance on. The numbers “The Lusty Month of May” and “The Jousts” are truly impressive. Adam Battelstein’s fight choreography is dazzling and the actors who play the knights execute the motions flawlessly. (BTW, Battelstein is the owner of Catapult Entertainment and was the collaborative choreographer and creative director of the renowned Pilobolus Dance Theater.) Andrew Okell’s set design, built by Bob Lane, works well with the staging (note: that isn’t always the case, even on Broadway!), and Stephen Cihanek’s lighting design complements it perfectly. Kudos also to Caroline Stanton, the assistant lighting design and technician. Remember, the aisles are used in the staging, and it is important for the audience to see the actors’ faces in spaces that are usually dark. Rebecca Pokorski’s costumes for the women are gorgeous and the ones for the men just as splendid. The only tweak necessary in this production is the sound. Sound designer Gary Blu and technician Bill Sopchak would have had it perfect if they’d tamped it down slightly, especially to accommodate Jennifer Wallace’s operatic voice. The music was performed by a live band under conductor and keyboard player Sarah Fay with Seray Goktekin on violin, Isabella Palacpac on cello, Adam Agonoy on the French horn, Chris Babcock on percussion, and Anthony Pelligrini and Matthew Calorossi on reeds. This happens many times at many theaters. Apparently, a sound rehearsal is not enough because once people are in the theatre and absorbing and bouncing sounds, it’s different. Even Betty Buckley had this problem when she did a concert at Stamford Center for the Arts. She gutsily stopped the show a few times to talk to the sound technician.

Other backstage heroes who deserve to be lauded are Ron Malyszka, stage manager, Lou Okell, assistant director and, of course, director Jane Farnol, who made this production visionary. Even with a smaller cast version, Camelot is not a light undertaking, and this show is not to be missed.

Camelot runs through August 2 at the Brookfield Theatre. 184 Whisconier Road (Route 25) in Brookfield. The theatre is right behind the library. For tickets call (203) 775-0023 or visit www.BrookfieldTheatre.org. Reserved seating tickets are $35 adults/$30 seniors/$25 students with shows on Friday & Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Save the dates for M Butterfly (September 12-27), and She Loves Me (November 14-December 6). You won’t want to miss these shows, either. For more information, visit www.brookfieldtheatre.org.

Photo credit: Stehen Cihanek. Pictured: Jared Reynolds and Jennifer Wallace.