River City Community Players "Camelot" review by lala4908

A familiar classic splendidly re-told

Rating: 5

Camelot 

River City Community Players

First I would like to talk about the set. From the moment I entered the theater, I was completely taken with an ENORMOUS tree occupying the entire downstage right area of the stage. Beautifully decorated, it was obvious the designer/crew were not merely trying give you an impressive set piece, but give you the feeling you were walking into a fairy tale world! Very well done and well used, as the tree was literally the launching pad for Arthur in the first act. But enough about the tree. The revolving castle made the small stage seem so much larger and gave the world of Camelot an added dimension you don't often see on many sets.

The costumes were period appropriate and beautiful! I was especially taken with Guenevere. She was so beautiful. I loved seeing characters dressed in actual armor in many of the scenes. What a nice touch. The fight scenes done in shadow were very cool.

Though the music was a bit shaky at times and I felt there might have been a sound issue or two, overall I was pleased and enjoyed the quality and the variety of voices. There are some very talented singers in this musical.

Arthur - was very good, very believable. He had such a powerful voice and you could see great emotion in his face. He played the role with all the strength and passion it deserves.

Guenevere - amazing voice! She seemed perfect for the role and had such a sweet, innocent - almost angelic - quality.

Lancelot - he was so handsome! His French accent was actually very good and he used the stage well. He really did a great job of transitioning in his character from incredibly arrogant to someone you really came to love.
Pellinore - he was awesome. What a character actor this man is. He was so funny, believable, and he seemed very comfortable in that role. I just loved him.

Mordred - you really believed he was evil and you wanted to hate him. A GREAT performance. You could see in his face in every scene he was so comfortable in his role.

I thought scenes were well choreographed, especially the Morgan Le Fey scene and the fight scenes. There was so much action and movement throughout the show - never a dull moment.

This was a very long show, but I actually wanted to see more. I thought the end seemed a bit rushed, but I was eager to see more of what happened to Lancelot and Guenevere. I guess I just got so caught up in the story, I didn't want it to end!