Lerner and Loewe’s majestic Camelot brings the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table to life with an extraordinary score and a story that poignantly dramatizes the human conflict at the heart of this classic tale. Based on T.H. White’s novel, The Once and Future King, Camelot tells the story of Arthur, a young squire who becomes King after extracting the sword Excalibur from its legendary rock. Camelot opens in the midst of the battle that destroyed King Arthur’s kingdom, and goes back to tell the story of how the battle came to be. The musical follows Arthur from a young, ambitious, idealistic King who dreams of creating a just society to the despairing king bearing witness to his dream’s demise. Arthur’s dream is inspired by his vivacious Queen Guenevere. Together, they create a kingdom where might works at the service of right and the King serves at a round table with no head — a symbol of collaboration and unity. But just as this utopian vision starts to become reality, everything begins to unravel. When Guenevere falls in love with Arthur’s most celebrated, beloved, and loyal knight, Lancelot, they begin a romance as doomed as it is passionate. Their troubles are compounded when Arthur’s illegitimate son, Mordred, arrives on the scene. In a world of human realities, can Camelot achieve the utopia of which Arthur dreams?
Camelot guide sections
