The once and future king and queen reign supreme in Manchester Little Theatre’s "Camelot"

MANCHESTER - One thing that is consistently admirable about community theater is the spirit of community and teamwork, and the Little Theatre of Manchester’s production of "Camelot" is no exception.

This classic Tony Award-winning musical is set in medieval England, and is based on the King Arthur and the chivalrous Knights of the Round Table legend.

In this musical choreographer Todd C. Santa Maria also plays the wicked Mordred, illegitimate son of King Arthur, while the magician Merlin is played by set designer Fred T. Blish, and all the cast members pitch in to help with scene changes - even King Arthur, played by Mike Zizka, carries his own bench to and from the stage.
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them," as Shakespeare says in "Twelfth Night."

King Arthur hits all three categories, being born to greatness, but not knowing it, has it thrust upon him when he pulls the sword, Excalibur, from the stone, and eventually, reluctantly accepts and embraces his fate as the once and future king of legend.

The play begins when a youthful King Arthur, played by the awesome Mike Zizka, meets his betrothed queen, Guenevere, well played by Alysa Auriemma.
Auriemma has lots of spunk and plenty of flirty sass to spare, along with a lovely singing voice, which ranges from sweet to powerful.

Zizka is fantastic as Arthur. He believably inhabits the part’s transitions, from reluctant ruler, to smitten lover, to compassionate and heartbroken man.

Also terrific and amusing is Art Bradbury as the ditzy and loyal King Pellinore.

Bradbury’s Pellinore has some amusing lines such as: "Sometimes when I get my teeth into something, I have to leave them there." Bradbury infused his part with energy and life, as did the previously mentioned Blish as the all too little seen Merlin.

Santa Maria’s Mordred is marvelously over-the-top evil, although his "dagger as nail file" business is a bit over-used. He is the perfect foil as the "medieval delinquent" to Arthur’s fledgling attempts at civilizing a barbaric world.

Arthur wryly observes to Mordred: "The saying, ‘blood is thicker than water was invented by undeserving relatives.'"


While he has a good singing voice, unfortunately Jonathan Escobar’s Lancelot du Lac leaves a lot to be desired. He is the only character who does not speak with an accent, the others all English - his would have been French - but that isn’t the main problem.

It’s tough to play someone who considers himself to be perfect, as Lancelot does, but simply being uptight doesn’t cut it.

The overflowing passion, commitment, and self-denial needed to strive for perfection, along with the naïvely arrogant self-confidence to think he is perfect, is missing, and instead a stiff and wooden rigidity unsatisfactorily fills the void.
Its difficult to imagine what Guenevere sees in him, as the part demands, but Auriemma does the heavy lifting here and rises to the occasion.

The scenes change from forest, to castle, to forest, and field, and director Michael J. Forgetta wisely chooses to have the set be suggestive rather than elaborately realistic - instead investing their budget into a myriad of period costumes by David Addis. Notable are Morgan Le Fey and her courtesans who were dressed in earthy, wood-nymph garb, as well as the king and queen’s many glittering raiments.

As sweet and cute as the middle school children in the play were, why did Forgetta choose them to play predominant ensemble parts meant for adults? It is disconcerting and distracting, and makes the production at times feel like a school play rather than the semi-professional musicals that the Little Theatre of Manchester consistently produces.

The musical direction by the capable Paul Coffill was great, but a little loud when the actors were singing quieter ballads. The gorgeous, romantic Lerner and Loewe songs, such as "If Ever I Would Leave You," "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood," "What Do the Simple Folk Do?," and the inspiring signature song "Camelot," are all beautiful and uplifting.

Although there are some imperfections in "Camelot," in the end the King and Queen, Zizka and Auriemma, carry the day.

CAMELOT

2 1/2 Stars
Location: Cheney Hall, 177 Hartford Road, Manchester
Production: Books and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. Music by Frederick Loewe. Directed by Michael J. Forgetta. Musical direction by Paul Coffill. Choreographer Todd Santa Maria. Stage Manager Marguerite Kelly. Set designed by Fred T. Blish. Lighting design by Jared R. Towler. Sound design by Advanced Lighting and Sound. Costumes by David Addis.
Running time: 3 hours, with one intermission
Show Times: Thursday, Nov. 6, and Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Sundays at 2 p.m., and through Nov. 16.
Tickets: $21 - $28. Call the box office at 647-9824, or visit their Web site at www.cheneyhall.org.

ACTOR...CHARACTER
Mike Zizka ... Arthur
Alysa Auriemma ... Guenevere
Jonathan Escobar ... Lancelot du Lac
Art Bradbury ... King Pellinore
Todd C. Santa Maria ... Mordred
Marge Kelly ... Morgan Le Fey
Fred T. Blish ... Merlin
Doug Stoyer ... Sir Dinidan, Courtesan of Morgan Le Fey, Ensemble
Scott Ironfield ... Sir Lionel, Squire Dap, Guilliam, Rogue Knight
Diane Lareau AmEnde ... Lady Sybil, Herald, Ensemble
Ann Azevedo ... Lady Anne, Courtesan of Morgan Le Fey, Ensemble
Andreanna Buccheri ... Page, Courtesan of Morgan Le Fey, Ensemble
Charles Burns ... Clarius, Bliant, Rogue Knight, Ensemble
Donato DiGenova ... Sagramore, Colgrevance, Courtesan of Morgan Le Fey, Rogue Knight, Ensemble
Jason Fazzino ... Horrid the Dog, Court Jester, Tom of Warwick
Yvonne Jacques ... Lady Clothilde, Ensemble
Patri-Ann Morgan ... Page, Courtesan of Morgan Le Fey, Ensemble
Joan Notghi ... Lady Jane, Courtesan of Morgan Le Fey, Ensemble
Cassie Wood ... Nimue, Courtesan of Morgan Le Fey, Ensemble