The purists are already in a tizzy over Trinity Rep's treatment of Lerner and Lowe's 'My Fair Lady' followup, 'Camelot.' Director Curt Columbus can be seen all over the internet explaining his vision and making the case for taking Arthur and Co. out of the forest and placing them in a bombed out tube station during the Blitz. Well, the last time More Teeth saw a drama set in a subway, it was the sequel to 'Planet of the Apes', and we were hoping that everyone would find the third rail before long.
So, all of Rhode Island is holding their breath and waiting to see what Columbus and crew do with a royal love triangle set among the turnstiles. Fingers are crossed that the tinkering works, the way their 'Julius Caesar' embraced multimedia successfully back in the 90's. But we fear, in the Underground, when the only way to go is up...you're already starting at the bottom.
September 13, 2010
Don't Know Where, Don't Know When...
"We'll meet again, some sunny day."
- Vera Lynn
Right out of the gate, we'll get it out of the way - yes, the concept (mostly) works. That being said, it's also worth noting the audience reaction which ranges from absolute delight (bordering on hero worship for some of this cast) to silent bemusement. More on that later...
Columbus, with the benefit of enough money and talent at his disposal, has managed a careful blend of elements that allow us to swallow the paradigm of a crew of Underground players fending off terror and boredom by presenting for us (and them) a homespun version of 'Camelot.' While the bombs rain overhead, a wonderfully understated Merlyn (Mauro Hantman) doubles as MC and narrator for the proceedings...or, rather, a wonderfully understated MC doubles as Merlyn. The wise choice here is that, instead of being asked to "imagine if you will", we're told what to envision and to swallow it whole. Wise indeed, since many of the conceits don't hold up to hard scrutiny.
There are three worlds here, all fighting for balance. Foremost, are the beleaguered underground denizens who huddle in fear yet maintain a stiff upper lip throughout via music, dance and playacting. As a reminder, many of the familiar musical numbers are subtly rearranged with jazzy period inflections as if the subway cabaret that is in effect has honed these numbers to a personalized sheen over time. The second world is the familiar 'Camelot' plotline of Arthur, Guenevere and Lancelot struggling with war, peace and love. It is in this world we see the craft of Columbus' cast come to fruition. As a musical theater ensemble, this is one of the tightest, most accomplished and engaging you're bound to find in any theater, anywhere. And given the task of creating the 'Camelot' universe, they do so, mostly, with what is at hand - a bunk bed for a tree, reversed blazers for animal skins and 78 rpm records for...well, records...
For this is the third universe depicted. There is a gray area that is *both* 1940 and King Arthur's realm at once. Here, there are no rules of time and space. Longtime Trinity resident Barbara Meeks can appear as the doddering, Quixotic Pellinore in drab tweed yet still sporting period armor...the murky gloom of Morgan Le Fey's forest stronghold is achieved through a blend of modern effect and the battered furniture at hand (Janice Duclos is a treat here, but entirely underutilized in what could have been a star turn)...and the climactic trial of Guenevere heralds the onslaught of war with the multimedia blitz that calls up images from The Wall. It is these moments where we have to hold on tight as the premise teeters a bit on the brink of collapse. Not that anything is unclear - the symbols and parallels are plopped in our laps. Where, at first, the new setting frames the play nicely, by Act Two, it feels that the play is superimposing itself on the setting. But, luckily, the three worlds come to a triangular balance that is able to sustain itself long enough to make it to the finale. It's bittersweet, almost tearful and, when all is said and done, we're sure that Columbus was hoping we would take away both a sense of nostalgia for bygone days and a feeling of hope for good things yet to come.
And we do, so all's well that ends well. There is just too much that is good here not to come away feeling satisfied. Eugene Lee's set and lighting is perfection. Whether intentional or not, the Tube stop, "Brompton Road" is obscured by furniture enough to leave only the word "romp" visible. For what does come through in spades, despite all of the sadness, terror and drama of all three worlds depicted, is pure joy. The cast is clearly having a good romp and the characters here are living life to the fullest in the darkest of times. Rebecca Gibel's Guenevere is at once cocksure and vulnerable and her interplay with Stephen Thorne's completely lovable Arthur is heartwarming. Thorne brings any good elements that Hugh Grant ever may have had to his reluctant monarch and creates a mannish boy that carries everyone along on a wave of hope. And, enough will be written and said about Joe Wilson, Jr.s ridiculously perfect Lancelot, that we leave it to you to show up and experience for yourself.
The spoiler of the Peace is Arthur's bastard son (by birth and disposition), Mordred, who is framed here as a campy Scottish beatnik by Jamey Grisham. While his "Persuasion" number with gluttonous Auntie Morgan works on a comedic level, it seems that Mordred was relegated to the third world of this play - neither here nor there, but doomed to float alongside the parallel streams. With enough of a mental stretch, this Mordred could be compared to the comedy villains of our world and the past world - Napolean, Hitler, Mussolini, Hussein, Kim Jong-il, Ahmadinejad...both history and current worldview paints them as outsized caricatures to be both laughed at and destroyed as a menace to peace loving folks everywhere. Seen as such, this Mordred makes sense...if you think real, real hard...
And, clearly, Columbus is hoping you do. He makes no apologies for reworking how one sees 'Camelot' in this context. Earlier, we mentioned audience reaction. This audience was clearly happy with what they saw, even if they didn't quite understand it all. One comment which stood out was, "well, hopefully you get all of the clever people in the first week and then just hope you sell tickets to the rest." An unfortunate statement, but a telling one. Is this "clever" theater for "clever" people? Or, simply good theater willing to entertain on multiple levels? Trinity's track record suggests the latter. 'Camelot' is musical theater distilled to its raw, basic elements and then built back up again into something else both familiar and innovative. Here's hoping the "clever" folk are done, now that the first week is over, and the rest of Rhode Island can simply show up and enjoy.
Trinity Rep presents 'Camelot' through October 10. Tickets range from $12 - $66 based on date and seat location. Purchase online or by calling the Box Office at (401) 351-4242. For first timers, give yourself enough time (or money) to park downtown. Fully stocked cash bar, so showing up early has its perks...
