Goodspeed executive director Michael P. Price's new production is directed by Rob Ruggiero (Goodspeed's 1776, Big River and the regional hit Ella).
The 1960 musical about King Arthur, romance, chivalry and the birth of democracy features music by Frederick Loewe and book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. The show is based on T.H. White's "The Once and Future King."
Opening is Aug. 5. Ralph Perkins, director of dance for the theatre division of The Hartt School at the University of Hartford and artistic director and co-founder of The New Works Project in Nevada, choreographs the revival.
The famous Camelot score — imbedded in a show that is known as a flawed but flavorful piece of writing — includes "If Ever I Would Leave You," "What Do the Simple Folk Do?," "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood," the title song and more. A national tour with book revisions by Lerner's son circulated in recent years. Some revisions are expected to be employed in the Goodspeed production.
* Dean will make his Goodspeed Musicals debut as Arthur; he just finished playing El Gallo in the Off-Broadway production of The Fantasticks. His recent Broadway credits include Company, Spamalot, and the 2002 revival of Man of La Mancha. Davie (Guenevere) appeared in Broadway's Curtains and Grey Gardens. De Toledo, a native of Paris with Franco-Spanish origins, is an actor and singer who has appeared in operas, musicals, concerts, films and on TV.
The Goodspeed Camelot cast also features Herman Petras as Merlyn, Broadway veteran Ronn Carroll as Pellinore, Adam Shonkwiler as Mordred, Charles Everett Crocco as Tom of Warwick, plus Brandon Andrus, Michael Deleget, Matt Faucher, Steve French, Andrew Hubacher, Marissa McGowan as Lady Anne, Rachel Alexa Norman, Rebecca Pitcher as Nimue, Rachel Rincione, Allan Snyder, Matthew C. Thompson and Mollie Vogt-Welch. The swings will be Shawn Pennington, Amanda Salvatore and Ben Swimmer.
The creative team includes scenic designer Michael Schweikardt, costume designer Alejo Vietti, lighting designer John Lasiter, music director Michael O'Flaherty and assistant music director F. Wade Russo.
The original 1960 production of Camelot, directed by Moss Hart, ran on Broadway for 873 performances, winning four Tony Awards and spawning several revivals, foreign productions and a 1967 film version. The original cast featured Richard Burton (Arthur), Julie Andrews (Guenevere) and Robert Goulet (Lancelot). President John F. Kennedy had special affection for the show's title song, and his tenure in the White House is often referred to as "Camelot" in the popular press.
Goodspeed Opera House is located at 6 Main Street in East Haddam, CT. For tickets and more information, call (860) 873-8668) or visit goodspeed.org.
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Dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theatre, Goodspeed Musicals produces three musicals each season at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT, and additional productions at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, CT, which was opened in 1984 for the development of new musicals. It is the only regional theatre to receive two Tony Awards for outstanding achievement.
