Right, honor and justice: These words represented the theme of the Broadway show “Camelot,” which performed on Feb. 28 at the Rabobank Theater and Convention Center.
“Camelot” is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner (book and lyrics) and Frederic Loewe (music). It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T.H. White novel “The Once and Future King,” according to the event’s flier.
Attendees of the show, like Susan Larson, 65, felt excited at the beginning of the show and pleased at the end of the show. “It’s a fun musical and the costumes are great. Plus, it’s a Broadway show that came to Bakersfield, and I didn’t have to drive down to L.A. to see something like this, it was here in town,” said Atkinson.
The musical was divided into two acts and the first act introduced the story line of the musical. King Arthur is nervous about his upcoming arranged marriage and is hiding in a tree while Merlyn the Magician, his wise tutor, calls him down from the tree and tells him he has to learn to think for himself as well as make decisions for himself. King Arthur’s goal is to unite the armored knights and not have war but have unity, thus proclaiming a round table for knights to talk about their problems.
Guenevere is introduced in act one as well and is the queen consort of King Arthur. Toward the end of act one, the audience sees that there is a love affair occurring between the queen and Lancelot, who is considered to be one of the greatest and most trusted of King Arthur’s knights. Arthur does not know about this love affair but presumes it and expresses his feelings in the song, “How to handle a woman.”
Mordred is the traitor and villain in the musical, and it is he who plans a plot to let all of Camelot see the treason Guenevere and Lancelot have committed. At the execution of Guenevere, King Arthur is caught between two separate beliefs: his new unity, no war belief and his duty as king. At the last moment, Lancelot rescues her and they flee to France. King Arthur wages war against Lancelot in his castle, but before fighting his final battle, he forgives Guenevere and Lancelot for betraying him.
Dennis Atkinson, 59, enjoyed the musical and said, “it’s a great exposure of arts, and it’s enjoyable to see musicals like these. I recommend people to come and see these musicals, because not only are they entertaining, but they are also affordable.”