Camelot

Camelot (1960), a musical play by Alan Jay Lerner (book, lyrics), Frederick Loewe (music). [Majestic Theatre, 873 perf.] A somewhat reluctant King Arthur ( Richard Burton) awaits the arrival of his bride, Guinevere ( Julie Andrews), an innocent young lady raised on bloody romances, which have prompted her to look forward to a world where “kith will kill their kin for me.” Her innocence disappears soon after the marriage when she falls in love with Lancelot ( Robert Goulet). Their affair is betrayed by Mordred ( Roddy McDowall), and the idyll of Camelot, that “one brief shining moment,” is destroyed forever. Notable songs: Camelot; If Ever I Would Leave You; Before I Gaze at You Again; How to Handle a Woman. The musical, based on T. H. White's The Once and Future King, was beset not only by the serious illnesses of both Lerner and director‐producer Moss Hart during the tryout, but by the unrealistically high expectations in the wake of My Fair Lady. An advance sale of more than $3 million allowed Camelot to buck disappointed notices and to succeed both on Broadway, on the road, and by amateur groups ever since. The show is also fondly remembered as a nostalgic view of the Kennedy years, it being the president's favorite musical. Camelot was revived to more balanced reviews and good business on the road in the 1980–81 season, then taken back to New York with Richard Harris as Arthur, though a revival with Goulet as the King failed in 1993.