Presents
Lerner and Loewe’s
CAMELOT
Synopsis
The play opens in the legendary and fabled
kingdom of Camelot. It is ruled by King Arthur, a
ruler of humble beginnings and possessor of
Excalibur. We meet Arthur as he is greeting his
bride Guinevere in the woods for the first time (“I
wonder what the king is doing tonight,” “The
simple joys of maidenhood”). Though they are
both nervous about their marriage, they quickly fall
in love and begin their rule over Camelot (“Follow
Me”).
It is a very prosperous time for Camelot; and
Arthur forms a new order of chivalry in which
knights are sworn to protect the weak, and perform
great acts of valor, justice, and courage. Though the Knights of the Round Table are
all equal, when the strong and handsome Lancelot Du Lac arrives, he quickly
becomes Arthurs most trusted advisor and confidant, despite a strong dislike of him
among the knights.
Two years pass and Lancelot and Lady Guinevere realize they love each other (“if
Ever I would Leave You”), and fail to adequately hide their emotions towards each
from King Arthur. To further complicate matters King Arthur’s illegitimate son
Mordred arrives in Camelot with the desire to overthrown King Arthur and assume
power (“The Seven Deadly Virtues”).
After finding King Arthur Hunting in the forest, he convinces his father to stay in the
forest one night to prove his trust for Guinevere and Lancelot. When Mordred
returns to the castle, he discovers Lancelot in Guinevere’s bedroom and charges
them both with treason against the king. Guinevere is arrested and sentenced to burn
at the stake, while Lancelot escapes (“Loved you once in Silence”).
On the day of Guinevere’s execution King Arthur is unable to give the call to light
the flames and Guinevere is rescued by Lancelot and taken to France.
The Characters
King Arthur–Ruler of Camelot. He served as a simple squire until
he managed to pull King Pendragon’s sword out of the stone and
became King. He desires to rule fairly and create a land where
justice and honor are held in high esteem.
Queen Guinevere–Queen of Camelot. At first she did not want to
marry Arthur, but when she met him and saw the beauty of
Camelot, she fell in love. She is devoted to Arthur and supports
his causes.
Lancelot Du Lac –A knight of France and a skilled warrior,
Lancelot comes to be a Knight of the Round Table. He is
extremely pious and not particularly well liked by anyone except
Arthur.
Mordred–Arthur’s illegitimate son. His mother is Queen Morgause, who bewitched
Arthur when he was younger.
He has come to the Round Table to stir up trouble.
Merlyn–A wizard type character. Arthur’s teacher. He wants Arthur to be ambitious
and pursue the dream of a chivalrous kingdom.
Sir Pellinore – One of Arthur’s closest friends. He stumbled upon Camelot one day
while in search of a dragon and decided to stay in Arthur’s court and join the
Knights of the Round Table.
Tom –A young boy who wants to join King Arthur’s army.
Sir Dinadan–A Knight of the Round Table.
Sir Sagramore-A Knight of the Round Table.
Sir Lionel-A Knight of the Round Table
Nimue –A nymph intent on bewitching Merlyn.
Biographies
ALAN JAY LERNER (Book and Lyrics) was
born in New York in 1918. In 1942 Lerner
wrote his first musical with Frederick
Loewe called Life of the Party; in 1943,
they wrote their first Broadway musical,
What’s Up? The team went on to write
The Day Before Spring in 1945, followed
by their first hit, Brigadoon, in 1947.
Lerner wrote the libretto for An American
in Paris, the first musical film to win an
Oscar. Lerner and Loewe teamed up again
in the 1950s to write Paint Your Wagon,
the mega-hit My Fair Lady, the film Gigi
(winner of nine Oscars, including Best Picture), and Camelot in 1960. After the retirement of Frederick
Loewe, Lerner went on to write On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and Carmelina with Burton Lane,
Coco with Andre Previn, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with Leonard Bernstein, and Dance a Little Closer
with Charles Strouse. Lerner and Loewe reunited in 1973 to provide Broadway with a stage version of
Gigi. Alan Jay Lerner died in 1986 at the age of 67.
FREDERICK LOEWE (Music) was born in Vienna in 1901. A child piano prodigy at age 4, he made his
concert debut with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra at age 13. Coming to America in 1930, Loewe
wandered about in such odd jobs as branding cows in Montana, gold prospecting in Colorado and saloon
hall piano playing everywhere. In 1942, on the brink of establishing himself as a composer of popular
songs, Loewe approached Alan Jay Lerner at a club in New York and said he would like to collaborate
with him on a musical show. The two went on to enjoy a notable partnership that lasted 18 years,
resulting in the musicals Brigadoon, Paint Your Wagon, My Fair Lady, and Camelot. In 1961 Loewe
retired to the French Riviera until 10 years later, when Lerner persuaded him to write the score for a
musical film based on The Little Prince, followed by creating new music for Lerner’s expanded book and
lyrics for the 1973 Broadway version of Gigi. Frederick Loewe died in 1988 at the age of 88.
Source: http://www.arenastage.org/shows-tickets/sub-text/2012-13-season/my-fair-lady/duo.shtml
DUO: THE MUSICAL EVOLUTION OF LERNER AND LOEWE
By Ken Savage
Alan Jay Lerner was an American lyricist and librettist born
to an affluent Jewish family in New York City. Frederick
“Fritz” Loewe was an Austrian pianist and composer from
Germany who had yet to reach success in music. The
unlikely duo met in 1942 at the New York Lambs Club,
where Loewe piqued Lerner’s interest in working together.
Loewe was already commissioned to rewrite the
show Patricia, the pair’s first project and a primal microsuccess. Following the first show of their partnership,
Lerner and Loewe experienced continued mediocre
success with their next three musicals: Life of the
Party (1942), What’s Up? (1943), and The Day Before
Spring (1945). Their collaborative work style was evident
right off the bat as the duo preferred to write and compose
together rather than having one write the music or lyrics
first.
Brigadoon was their first major Broadway hit. Lerner and
Loewe incorporated traditional Scottish folk music and
dance into the musical about two tourists who discover the
village of Brigadoon, which magically appears in the Scottish Highlands once every one hundred
years.Brigadoon premiered in New Haven and Boston where it was ill-received by critics but popular to
audiences. It played in Philadelphia to rave reviews then opened on Broadway in 1947 where it won the
New York Drama Critics Circle award for most outstanding musical. In 1951, following the success of
Brigadoon, Lerner and Loewe were inspired by the other great American-themed musicals
likeOklahoma! and Annie Get Your Gun to write a musical about a mining town in California during the
Gold Rush era: Paint Your Wagon.
In 1952 film producer Gabriel Pascal obtained the musical rights to
George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and approached Lerner with the
proposition of turning it into a musical, convincing him to do it by saying
no other artist was capable of such a feat. Ironically, in an encounter
with Oscar Hammerstein II, Lerner discovered that Pascal had also
approached Rodgers and Hammerstein with the same project using the
same buttery words. However, Rodgers and
Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, and a list of
other composers had given up on the musical
endeavor. However, in 1953 Lerner and
Loewe’s interest in transforming Pygmalion
was reignited. They immediately sought Rex Harrison and even before having
contracted him, Lerner and Loewe began writing the songs for the non-singing
actor. From their non-singing muse, Lerner and Loewe developed a series of
talk-singing pieces for the character of Henry Higgins. They discovered Julie
Andrews in 1954 when she made her American debut in The Boy Friend and
secured the British actress to play their Eliza Doolittle. Soon after, they recruited
movie actor Stanley Holloway to play Alfred Doolittle, Eliza’s father. The duo underwent a huge ordeal in
order to confirm Rex Harrison’s casting, but once he was secured, Lerner and Loewe spent hours
constantly writing to finish their musical. The musical development of My Fair Ladywas very much based
around the voices and talents of their selected actors. At the start of rehearsals, the book and score were
nowhere near complete. In fact, they stumbled upon the title “My Fair Lady” during second week of
rehearsals.
My Fair Lady received stellar reviews in New Haven, Philadelphia, and New
York. In fact, at the time it was crowned the best Broadway musical ever
written. It was the longest running musical of the time, playing for six and a
half years with 2,717 performances on Broadway and 2,281 performances on
the West End in London. My Fair Lady won six Tony Awards including Best
Musical and Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.
ThoughOklahoma! was America’s frontier musical, My Fair Lady was
Broadway’s first major blockbuster hit.
courtesan-in-training.
collaborated on music
Awards. Its
only moderate success,
Lerner and Loewe’s success continued to
skyrocket. Immediately following the triumph of My
Fair Lady, the team was commissioned to write
the movie Gigi, which was based on the French
novella by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette about a rich
Parisian playboy and his relationship with a
Lerner wrote the screenplay and together they
and lyrics. Gigi won nine Oscars at the Academy
transformation into a musical fell short and had
but it still earned Lerner and Loewe a Tony Award
for best score.
Their last major Broadway hit was Camelot (1960),
based on the legend of King Arthur. It was
originally directed by Moss Hart, who also directed My Fair Lady, and starred
Richard Burton and Julie Andrews. Camelot won four Tony Awards, toured
London and the world, and was adapted for the screen in 1967.
Lerner and Loewe’s musical journey kicked off with a series of musical flops
and underwhelming musicals but eventually gained momentum, producing
multiple major hits for the stage and screen. Their music lives on in their
popular songs– “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “Almost Like Being in Love,”
“They Call the Wind Maria,” “If Ever I Would Leave You”– their iconic actors,
and in the audiences who have fallen in love with their work.
Knights of the Middle Ages
Source: Helen Cothran, ed., The
1100s: Headlines in History,(New
York: Cengage Gale, 2001).
The mysterious knight gently
removed the long strands of hair that
were entwined in the comb. He
nearly fainted and fell off his horse as
he caressed the strands. He “began to
adore the hair, touching it a hundred
thousand times to his eye, his mouth,
his forehead and his cheeks.”
Finally, the knight “placed the hair on
his breast near his heart” and
continued on his way. Cothran, The
1100s: Headlines in History.
The knight who lovingly placed the
strands of his beloved’s hair next to
his heart is Sir Lancelot and his
beloved is Queen Guinevere, the wife
of King Arthur. This depiction of the
chivalrous knight is found in Chrétien
de Troyes’ tale, “The Knight of the
Cart.” Chrétien was the inventor of
Arthurian romance as we know it,
and he did much to shape
contemporary conceptions of
romantic love. Lancelot undertakes a
quest to win the queen’s adoration,
and for her he suffers humiliation,
physical hardship, and exhaustion. He endures many trials during his adventures, but his loyalty to
his beloved remains unshaken.
This passage about the mysterious knight depicts the romantic side of knighthood that is probably
familiar to most modern readers. Modern readers would also be familiar to portrayals of knights as
fierce warriors engaged in bloody battles. Knights are depicted as courageous and athletic, willing
to enter dangerous territories and battles with other knights in service of their lords. In fact, real
knights were more practical than romantic. They did perform brave feats out of loyalty to their
lords during the 1100s, but they were obligated to do so.
Under feudalism, lords granted knights land in exchange for their service during wars.
Knights had to be loyal or they would break the feudal contact with their lords and lose their land.
Because inheritance customs at that time dictated that only the eldest born son would inherit his
father’s property, all other sons were effectively disenfranchised. For most young men, becoming a
knight was the only option open to them unless they wanted to enter into service of the church.
Their relationships with others were not governed by any laws, and knights were often ruthless.
Kings in the early part of the twelfth century were not yet powerful enough to enforce laws against
knightly transgressions, and knights’ misbehavior continued unchecked. Gradually, however, a
political and cultural backlash formed to oppose knightly anarchy. As kings began to enjoy more
power and influence as a result of booming economic expansion, they were able to afford their
own armies, and did not have to rely on knights to protect their territories. Knights, in
consequence, became increasingly unnecessary, and their prestige declined.
As a result of their declining reputation, knights found that people whom they used to treat with
abandon were less tolerant of their behavior and now had the kings’ laws to protect them. Affluent
people of the court also began to expect a higher code of knightly behavior, and began to
commission works of literature that depicted knights as thoughtful, generous, and above all,
chivalrous toward women. Influential women like Eleanor of Aquitaine—who was the duchess of
Normandy and then the queen of England—patronized the arts and encouraged writers to pen
romantic stories of knights and other young men in love.
The troubadours—or traveling storytellers—helped to popularize courtly love. Other writers, like
Chrétien de Troyes, popularized the notions of chivalry.These depictions in stories and songs
helped set a standard for behavior that real knights were encouraged to live up to.
The Legend of King Arthur
Sources: Paper Mill Playhouse
Guide for their production of Camelot Geva Theatre Center Study Guide for their 2004
production of Camelot
Whether Arthur, Guinevere or his knights of the round table were real people or fictional
characters is unknown. There are some historical texts that suggest that Arthur was indeed a real
king; Nennius, a Welsh historian studying and writing somewhere around 800 A.D., mentions a
young leader named Arthur. However, Gildus, another historian who would have been a
contemporary of King Arthur, never wrote about such a leader. A widely accepted view is that
Arthur was a from a tribe in Wales known as the Celts, and he served as a chieftain or general in
the fifth or sixth century A.D. in a time known as the Dark Ages.
Britain was a part of the Roman Empire until the Saxons invaded the island. It is believed that
Arthur rallied the different tribes in Britain together to fight off the invaders, but they were not
glorious knights described in the legends. They were most likely warriors who were most familiar
with Roman customs and were perhaps a little barbaric; rather than wearing armor and using
swords, the warriors probably fought with spears and axes and wore thick leather to protect
themselves.
Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad, and the other Knights of the Round Table are mostly likely fictitious
characters that were used in stories to represent the ideals of chivalry. People in the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries were fascinated by romantic stories of knights and their adventures, and most
likely troubadours, or traveling storytellers, roamed villages telling anyone that would listen the
stories of knights and their adventures in places such as Camelot, which started the myth of King
Arthur and his glorious knights.
These legends have influenced many aspects of modern society including manners and proper
behavior, rules of sports and organized games, romantic love, styles of architecture, and judicial
law. The popular stories that are still told today are thought to be part history and part folk tale.
Where is Camelot?
Many historians have made attempts to locate or theorize locations of King Arthur’s Camelot.
Celtic Wales was thought to be a probable site, along with Winchester, an early capital of England,
and South Cadbury Castle. However, there is little historical or archaeological justification for these
suggestions. The kingdom of “Camelot”first appeared in the manuscript of Chrétien de Troyes,
which suggests that the location was invented around the end of the twelfth century. Many
mentions of Camelot were in French medieval poems, which also leads many historians to believe
That Camelot is a creation of someone’s imagination.
Changes Through the Years: Arthurian Timeline
There have been countless renditions of the legend of King Arthur. Here are some of the most
influential:
Seventh century Earliest legends of Arthur are transmitted orally in Breton and Celtic stories.
Twelfth century Under the patronage of Countess Marie de Champagne (1145-1198)
Chrétien de Troyes writes his five Arthurian romances, including the first reference to the Holy
Grail and the idea that the love between Lancelot and Queen Guenevere was the downfall of
Camelot.
Thirteenth century Wolfram von Eschenbach, a German knight and poet, writes his tale Perzival
that further develops the story of the Holy Grail.
Fourteenth century The Vulgate Cycle, otherwise known as Prose Lancelot is written by French
poets, telling of Lancelot’s calling by the Lady of the Lake, his quest for the Holy Grail, and
Arthur’s death.
1485 Le Morte D’Arthuris published by Sir Thomas Malory, solidifying stories such as the sword
in the stone, the quest for the Holy Grail, and Lancelot and Guinevere’s love and puts all the tales
together in novel-form.
1691 Poet John Dryden and composer Henry Purcell compose the semi-opera King Arthur, which
tells the story of King Arthur’s epic battles.
1833 Alfred Lord Tennyson publishes The Lady of Shalott, which along with his earlier poems Sir
Lancelot and Queen Guinevere and Galahad, tells the tale of Arthur’s Camelot
Pre-Show Questions
1) Lerner and Loewe were collaborators on numerous projects. They wrote many great
musicals together, but it was said that this collaboration put a stress on their friendship.
What do you think would be the benefits and also the challenges of writing a script,
music, and lyrics with someone else?
2) In the opening of the musical, King Arthur is hiding from his bride-to-be. How is this
different from the way we imagine the story of King Arthur and Camelot?
3) Describe and analyze the role of Merlyn. How does Merlyn’s presence help or cause
trouble for King Arthur?
4) CAMELOT takes place over an extended period of time. Imagine you are an actor
playing either the role of Arthur, Guinevere or Lancelot. What would you do to portray
growth and development in your character? How would you portray the process of
aging?
5) Who is Pellinore and what is his significance in CAMELOT? Would the story be any
different if Pellinore were not present?
Post Show Questions
Music can provide an emotional connection between a character and the audience. Think
about a song or character from CAMELOT that you connected with. Describe your own
characteristics and discuss how they relate to the song or character.
How did Guinevere and Lancelot’s relationship go against the values of the Knights of the
Round Table?
There are a lot of mystical characters in CAMELOT, such as Merlyn, Morgan le Fey, and
Nimue. What are some ways in theatre to show the audience that these characters are different
from everyone else? Think about the lighting,
costumes, and music that is used for those characters.
CAMELOT ends at a camp just before the final battle of King Arthur’s war. What kind of
impact did this have on you as an audience member? How did this affect the overall message
of CAMELOT?
The story of King Arthur and CAMELOT is known on a global level and there have been
many different portrayals of it. Collect images of King Arthur and describe how the artist
interprets him. What is the tone of these images? How do they connect to the musical?
Write a Review!
The RiverCenter Night School program is about the full theatrical experience. If you students
so choose, part of that experience can be voicing their opinion about the show or any of the
restaurant’s in Columbus. Review writing is meant to be non-threating for reluctant writers do
to its abbreviated length and casual/conversational style.
Have the students read the following review:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/disneys-aladdin-theater-review-690038
(any review maybe used)
Disney's latest animated movie musical to get a
Broadway makeover is the 1992 fairy tale set in a
fictional Middle Eastern kingdom, featuring songs by
Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.
NEW YORK -- Its exotic Middle Eastern setting and multiethnic cast aside, Aladdin offers less "A
Whole New World" -- to quote its signature song -- than a traditional Disney fairy-tale realm; it's
perhaps the most old-school of the company's screen-to-stage adaptations since Beauty and the
Beast. But that shouldn't deter audiences from making this splashy Arabian Nights wish-fulfillment
fantasy into a family-friendly hit. Directed and choreographed by musical comedy specialist Casey
Nicholaw with loads of retro showmanship, an unapologetic embrace of casbah kitsch and a heavy
accent on shtick, this is sweet, silly fun. It's not the most sophisticated entertainment, but the target
demographic won't mind at all.
The 1992 release followed The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast in Disney's renaissance of
the animated feature musical, heralding the valiant final resurgence of hand-drawn toon artistry
before computer animation took hold. The film was notable for its shift beyond the princess focus to
a more boy-centric story, and for being among the first cases of major celebrity voice casting
becoming central to the production's marketing, via Robin Williams' role as the motormouth
Genie.
It was also the final collaboration between composer Alan Menken and lyricist Howard
Ashman before the latter's death due to AIDS complications in 1991. The team completed eleven
songs for Aladdin, only a handful of which made it into the movie; several of the others have found
an afterlife here. Tim Ricestepped in to complete work on the film's score with Menken, whileChad
Beguelin (The Wedding Singer, Elf), the book writer on this stage adaptation, contributes
additional lyrics. Irrespective of who wrote what, the songs are tuneful, if not quite top-drawer.
Nicholaw won a 2011 Tony Award as co-director with Trey Parker of The Book of Mormon. But the
most indicative precursor of his work here was his staging of "Show Off," the hilariously insincere
disavowal of a Broadway star's natural spotlight-seeking tendencies, performed with brio by Sutton
Foster in The Drowsy Chaperone. That same more-is-more, irrepressibly over-the-top
shamelessness defines the twin showstoppers that bookend intermission in Aladdin.
The first is "Friend Like Me," in which the Genie (James Monroe Iglehart), freshly uncorked
from his lamp, previews the infinite gifts available to his astonished new master, Aladdin (Adam
Jacobs). Starting with Iglehart doing a Cab Calloway-esque scat, Nicholaw builds the song into a
mammoth production number, with a chorus of whirling valets and showgirls, a "Dancing with the
Scimitars" ballroom break, a step or two of hoedown, a game-show interlude, a mini-medley of
Disney tunes from other musicals, an exuberant tap routine and a finale with canes and a kickline.
While Williams' vocal performance in the movie was quite large, Iglehart's high-energy turn is
perhaps even larger, whether he's dropping in winking pop-cultural anachronisms (he quotes Sweet
Brown at one point) or firing off hoary one-liners like a Catskills comic. He's a delight.
The follow-up song, again led by the indefatigable Iglehart, is "Prince Ali," a royal procession that
makesElizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra entrance look like a casual stroll. Replete with Vegas-style fan
dancers, peacocks and the now-regulation streamer explosion, this takes place after the Genie has
transformed Aladdin from street scruff into a regal suitor worthy of Princess Jasmine (Courtney
Reed), the feisty Sultan's daughter feeling cramped inside the palace walls.
Beguelin's book is larded with gags but sticks more or less to the movie. The main addition is a trio of
vaudevillian comic sidekicks for Aladdin, (Brandon O'Neill, Jonathan Schwartz and Brian
Gonzalez), replacing his kleptomaniac monkey onscreen. (Jasmine's tiger has also been nixed.)
These guys were part of Ashman's concept for the film, and their jaunty songs are enjoyable,
particularly "High Adventure," even if they sometimes outstay their welcome.
The opening number, "Arabian Nights," is a busy riot of marketplace scene-setting and souk-chic
fashion, in which the Genie reminds us that, "Even our poor people look faaabulous!" That goes
double for buff Aladdin, in his artfully patched Hammer-time pants. Beaming like a toothpaste
commercial model, Jacobs packs plenty of charm into the role, and is an ideal incarnation of the
handsome Disney cartoon hero -- now with lifelike nipples and body hair! He also brings tenderness
to his warm rendition of "Proud of Your Boy," in which the orphaned urchin dreams of becoming
more than a street thief.
But the romantic pulse of Aladdin is a
little faint. Jasmine is a less
captivating version of Belle and Ariel
before her, spouting generic femaleempowerment refrains but never
acquiring much dimension as a
character. Her magic carpet flight with
Aladdin during "A Whole New World"
is a technological marvel (no visible
trace of cables or lift mechanisms), set against the star-strewn velvet of lighting designerNatasha
Katz's night sky. But the scene lacks enchantment because the chemistry between Aladdin and
Jasmine isn't quite there. While Reed sings sweetly, she's more like a curvy Kardashian than a Disney
princess, and her trio of fly-girl attendants could sub for Destiny's Child. (I swear, I kept listening for
the opening guitar lick from "Bootylicious," waiting for someone to ask, "Kelly, can you handle
this?")
Beguelin looks for the true heart of the musical in the intertwined quests of Aladdin to be an
honorable man and the Genie to be a free one. But while both actors are winning presences, their
storylines bump along with the jokey buddy dynamic of a Bob Hope-Bing Crosby movie
(think Road to Morocco), limiting the emotional pull.
In leaning so heavily on the campy humor (yes, there are "Walk Like an Egyptian" dance moves
aplenty) the creative team has slightly shortchanged the show on earnest sentimentality, which for
better or worse is an essential Disney ingredient. That makes Aladdin's appeal somewhat juvenile,
though plenty of adults with a taste for broad comedy will eagerly get on board. The cartoonish
aspect is enhanced by the mugging villains: Jafar (Jonathan Freeman, reprising the vizier role he
voiced in the film), and his diminutive henchman, Iago, no longer a parrot but a sneering human
sycophant who, in Don Darryl Rivera's amusing performance, seems spliced from the DNA
of Danny DeVito and Matt Lucas.
Bob Crowley's pretty sets appear lifted from storybook illustrations and classic animation
backgrounds, but the most lavish design element by far is Gregg Barnes' endless parade of
costumes. Their rich textures and vibrant colors are frequently embellished with beads, brocades,
tassels and trinkets, accessories that are available in more modest versions at the lobby merchandise
stand. Ka-ching!
Venue: New Amsterdam Theatre, New York (runs indefinitely)
Cast: Adam Jacobs, James Monroe Iglehart, Courtney Reed, Jonathan Freeman, Brian Gonzales,
Brandon O’Neill, Jonathan Schwartz, Clifton Davis, Don Darryl Rivera, Tia Altinay, Andrew Cao,
Joshua Dela Cruz, Yurel Echezarreta, Daisy Hobbs, Donald Jones Jr., Adam Kaokept, Nikki Long,
Stanley Martin, Brandt Martinez, Rhea Patterson, Bobby Pestka, Khori Michelle Petinaud, Ariel
Reid, Trent Saunders, Jaz Sealey, Dennis Stowe, Marisha Wallace, Bud Weber
Director-choreographer: Casey Nicholaw
Book & additional lyrics: Chad Beguelin, based on the Disney film written by Ron Clements, John
Musker, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, directed and produced by Musker and Clements
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Howard Ashman, Tim Rice
Set designer: Bob Crowley
Lighting designer: Natasha Katz
Costume designer: Gregg Barnes
Sound designer: Ken Travis
Illusion designer: Jim Steinmeyer
Orchestrations: Danny Troob
Music supervisor, incidental music & vocal arrangements: Michael Kosarin
Presented by Disney Theatrical Productions
Step 2: Analyze the writing style, and compare it with the elements of a good theatrical review
below.
Elements of good theatrical review:
The Production (Paragraph 1)
Name of show, playwright (and composer if warranted), date and time, location, name
of characters and actors, the name of the producing agency, and the names of any of
the production crew that you would like to mention later in the review.
The Plot (Paragraph 2)
Give a BREIF outline of the plot.
Evaluate how they told the story: was there a cathartic moment? Did it bore you to
tears? Why or why not. Remember. “This play is horrible” is not a good review you
must be able to tell the reader why.
The Technical Stuff (Paragraph 3)
Discuss how the lights, sets and costumes worked in the overall telling of the story you
observed?
Acting of the Performers (Paragraph 4)
Did you believe them? Did the actors allow you to “suspend disbelief?” Did the actors
have “chemistry” on stage? Give examples.
Conclusion (Paragraph 5)
What was the overall feel for the show? How was your experience with live theatre?
Would you recommend this show?
Step 3: Evaluate a show!!!
Step 4: Publication: If you receive a review you may send it to teacherlounge@rivercenter.org
the best reviews maybe published on or website or in our board newsletter!!!!
CAN’T SEE THE SHOW?
You can watch the show here:
Act I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGG0Z_JX_zk
Act II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8YYqD_u7G4
Grading Rubric:
Standards and other teaching aids
Grade 8 CCGPS
Reading Literary (RL)
ELACC8RL2:
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the
text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary
of the text.
Grade 8 CCGPS
Reading Literary (RL)
ELACC8RL3:
Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action,
reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
ELACC11-12SL2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and
media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve
problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies
among the data.
Grade 11-12 CCGPS Speaking and Listening (SL)ELACC11-12SL1: Initiate and participate
effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with
diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing
their own clearly and persuasively
http://www.arthuriana.org/teaching/highschool.html
Works Cited
Camelot Study guide . (2013, November 25). Retrieved July 9, 2014, from
http://www.newrep.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/1314_StudyGuide_Camelot_Draft1.pdf