As a large-scale musical, Lerner and Loewe’s “Camelot” can get lost in the pomp and pageantry of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Though an instant hit when it opened on Broadway in 1960, the production was heavy with dialogue and ran for more than four hours.
In fact, the show is a simple love story between King Arthur and Lady Guenevere that becomes a love triangle when Sir Lancelot arrives on the scene. Fortunately, the original cast included Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet, three powerful performers who kept the focus on the music.
When an opera company tackles a Broadway musical, the emphasis needs to stay on the music as well, says Greg Ganakas, stage director of Virginia Opera’s production of “Camelot” opening this weekend. His solution was to weed out some of the dialogue and place the orchestra onstage as part of the production. The unusual setting features the orchestra divided into two sections by ramps that allow the singers to make their entrances and interact with the conductor and the players.
“I once did ‘Camelot’ in the round, so I took my lead off of that,” says Ganakas. “This play needs to feel intimate and truthful, and this kind of performance art is such an interesting way to tell a story. The music has to be top-drawer, so I put the orchestra onstage and made them a presence.”
Before they collaborated on “Camelot,” Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe had already found success on Broadway with “Brigadoon” and “My Fair Lady.” Their score for “Camelot,” which Ganakas calls “gorgeous and so fresh…it’s one of their best,” sparkles with familiar tunes. In addition to the title song, there’s “What Do the Simple Folk Do?” “The Lusty Month of May,” “If Ever I Would Leave You” and several others.
Working alongside Ganakas is music director Adam Turner, who also serves as Virginia Opera’s resident conductor and chorus master. The two men first worked together on Virginia Opera’s production of “Porgy & Bess” several years ago and will be teaming up again for the company’s production of “Carousel” in the spring.
“It’s such a lush score, super romantic and melodic,” says Turner. “And (composer) Loewe has such a knack for embracing the atmosphere of every scene.
“The style of the musical is rooted in operetta, and it was written for operatic voices,” Turner adds. “It needs real voices, and our cast has voices that are big.”
Peter Kendall Clark in the role of King Arthur worked with Turner in a similar production at Ash Lawn Opera near Charlottesville. His Off-Broadway work includes roles in “The Most Happy Fella” and “The Medium.”
Marissa McGowan as Lady Guenevere originated the role of Stella Purdy in the new Broadway-bound musical, “The Nutty Professor,” directed by Jerry Lewis. She’s worked on Broadway in the revival of “A Little Night Music” with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury, “Bonnie and Clyde,” and “Les Misérables,” where she performed both the roles of Eponine and Cosette.
Completing the romantic trio is Eugene Brancoveanu as Lancelot. His credits include “La Boheme” with the Livermore Valley Opera and in the title role of the Shostakovich opera, “Orango,” with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Turner oversees a 32-member orchestra and an 18-member chorus.
This production of “Camelot” was originally conceived by Lyric Opera Virginia, but the company ran into financial difficulties and couldn’t raise enough money to mount it. Virgnia Opera stepped in and agreed to stage the show as part of its regular season.
Want to go?
What: “Camelot,” presented by Virginia Opera
Performances: 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 13, Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, 201 Market St., Virginia Beach; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, Ferguson Center for the Arts, Christopher Newport University, Newport News.
Tickets: $35-$100 available by calling 888-OPERAVA or online at http://www.vaopera.org.
© David Nicholson, 2013