Ridgeville's "Camelot" Murky but Fun

Since I was in elementary school, my parents made a concerted effort to expose me to the performing arts. I can recall growing up to the sounds of Broadway musicals on the record player, from Man of LaMancha and The Music Man to The Fantasticks and Camelot.

The latter being one of my all-time favorites, I was excited to see that it was being performed in North Ridgeville, by the Olde Towne Hall Theatre.

For those of you not familiar with this classic, Camelot retells in Lerner and Lowe's musical fashion the story of King Arthur, and is based on T.H. White's retelling of The Once and Future King. Rather than focusing on Camelot itself, however, the musical centers on the love triangle between King Arthur, his beloved Guenevere, and the knight Lancelot.

The first thing that struck me about this particular production was the sparse set, and the age of the ensemble (most apparently late teens) during one of the opening scenes. That, however, was seemingly offset by Guenevere (Jodi Bloser), with a moving rendition of "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood" shortly after the questionable ensemble's debut. Having seen Bloser in Dangerous Obsession earlier this year at Westlake's Clague Playhouse, I was uncertain about her in this role, yet she duly impressed me both with her voice and her apparent virginal innocence.

As the story unfolds, King Arthur (Jonathan McCleery) marries his lady Guenevere, and the honorable knight Lancelot (Mark McCarthy) - who is seemingly invincible - joins the court at Camelot, only to spring into a love affair which eventually leads to the downfall of the "perfect" kingdom. Arthur is made to choose between his own laws - which must be obeyed - and his role as husband. Most of you know the ill-fated finale.

Despite a weak orchestra and a very mixed pot of talent in the ensemble cast, Camelot was still a moderately enjoyable evening. While McCleery as Arthur left me cold overall, the relationship and strong performances of McCarthy (his first major role in a musical) and Bloser seemed to carry the show, with lots of fun and clever antics thrown in by the off-the-wall King Pellinore (John Stuehr).

Director Allen M. White does an interesting and admirable job trying to bring a show as large as Camelot to such a small stage. The set - although minimal - was workable, although I think a touch more detail (or simply visible leaves on the plain green tree) would have improved it drastically. His choice to focus on Lancelot as a paragon of virtue rather than a musclebound hero was an interesting touch. A little work on the king himself and the ensemble, however, would have made for a much better production.

Quick Synopsis - You'll still prefer the broadway soundtrack, but for a small venue, the characters of Lancelot, Guenevere and Pellinore make this show worth the price of admission. A brave effort by a small theatre to bring a large-scale production to life.

"Camelot" runs through this weekend at North Ridgeville's Olde Towne Hall Theatre. You can make reservations by calling their box office at (440) 327-2909.