Camelot had “Camelittle”

Critics Rating- 2.5 out of 5 Spotlights

Camelot, currently playing at the Kravis Center, is being presented by Broadway Across America through April 20^th. Currently starring Lou Diamond Phillips, this production was sure to bring the classic Lerner and Loewe’s musical back to life and to the stage. Unfortunately, if Phillips pulled Excalibur from the stone to become Arthur, he should put it back in.

Being a Tony nominated actor for his portrayal in The King and I, Phillips did not have a note in this show that could be called worthy of an excellent performance. I have heard previous recordings of Camelot and know it to be a fact that Arthur’s role is a lot of speaking during songs instead of singing, but I really can’t recall a time when Phillips sang a memorable note by himself.

Alongside Lou Diamond Phillips, Matt Bogart plays the French knight, Sir Lancelot, who along with Guenevere, become the downfall of Camelot. The general performance of Bogart was very well done, including his performance of "C'est Moi". His swordplay was beautifully choreographed and his connections with the other two actors were right on target. The only downfall that I had with Lancelot was his musical performance of “If Ever I Would Leave You” which is his signature piece in the show.

The saving grace of the show was Rachel de Benedet who played Lady Guenevere. A golden voice matched a beautiful presentation of a woman torn between two men and a country kingdom. Her many musical numbers were really something to look forward to and never disappointed this critic.

Additional recognition goes to Christian Whelan for his portrayal of Sir Lionel and to an excellent performance from Time Winters for his dual roles of Merlyn and Pellinore.

Besides the performance, the stage was beautifully decorated, and the costumes were well designed, especially the white ceremonial outfits worn by Arthur and Guenevere.

Musical performances were unfortunately way too loud. They continuously drowned out what little voice Phillips had and during “If Ever I Would Leave You”, overplayed the vocals of Matt Bogart. Throughout the performance, the music was the only thing that was heard in every song since the vocals were very difficult.

Camelot will be playing from April 15^th to the 20^th at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. For more information, please visit www.kravis.org or www.broadwayacrossamerica.com. For information on future shows please visit www.5minstocurtain.com