Camelot Reviews

Karen Crawford from Avon m, new york

CAMELOT

I loved the show. i planned a NYC TRIP to see play preview opening night while some people didn’t like the staging i going it interesting it was wonderful hearing the music and phillips Soo was fantastic. agree that lead for Arthur could have been stronger been stronger He just seemed so young and Lancelot seemed much older This is the first time I’ve been to Lincoln Center for a show and it was wonderful. i don’t think that there is a bad seat in the house

Kaongs from New York, New York

AN UPDATED CAMELOT

This production is terrific, but not without some room for improvement. Aaron Sorkin modernized the dialog - it’s snappy, funny at times and definitely “updated”. The score is sumptuous and the orchestra is just a treat. Andrew Burnap’s Arthur is interesting - it’s a very nuanced performance that’s funny, insightful, passionate, idealistic, sincere and raw all rolled together. I would not be surprised to see a Tony nomination coming his way. Phillipa Soo is a delight and her performance is memorable as is every song she sings. Yes, she is snarky at times, but clearly she was told to act that way. That approach is a bit off, in my opinion. Jordan Donica as Lancelot has just an amazing voice and he sings the stuffing out of his songs, but I feel he’s horribly miscast. I just didn’t see any chemistry between him and Phillipa and - spoiler - when they hook up during the show, it was a “wait, what?” moment for us. We just didn’t get that relationship at all. The thought she hated Lancelot? Sorry to say that and this is by no means meant to take away from Jordan’s performance and singing voice, but the lack of chemistry is quite problematic here. BUT. tonight (04.05.23), we saw the show again and the Lancelot understudy, Mathias, played the role and it’s like a whole different show. Really. Mathias and Phillipa definitely have a connection - much more so than Phillipa and Jordan - and the story was just more believable, IMHO. Maybe even a bit steamier? And Mathias' Lancelot was less angry than Jordan’s. At times, I was little scared of Jordan. Sorry! Jordan's song, C'est Moi, is meant to be a bit cheeky, but he delivers it quite seriously, which simply escapes me. Some lines in the song should be delivered in a self-deprecating or humorous manner, but Jordan's was quite forceful and, at times, frightening. Mathias' performance of the song was much lighter and enjoyable. More fun. I would go and see Mathias again in a minute. Other times during the show, it seems like some of the knights are playing their roles angrily. Why is that? Part of me was thinking that they all need to relax a bit. Smile a little. Laugh a little. Have more fun here. Stop scaring people! The knights were almost TOO angry that Guenevere's carriage stopped at the bottom of the hill instead of the top. My hearing is fine and that means the sound was off, at times, during the show. Some lines were delivered so quickly that they were missed. Yikes. And finally, the orchestra was a treat. How awesome to hear the score delivered by one of the largest orchestras currently on Broadway. In closing, I don't think this show is the train wreck that others are describing. But, I would (1) immediately recast Lancelot - like right away - maybe even postpone opening night, (2) lighten up Guenevere's character (does she like anyone?) and (3) fix the sound system.

Neil G. from Philadelphia, PA

A THOUGHTFUL RENDITION, BEAUTIFULLY SUNG

The updates to the libretto and absence of magic did what Sorkin intended -- strengthening the relevance to modern times. The magic wasn't missed, but the second act still drags in relation to the first. The three leads all did a great job, both with singing the lovely score, and fully-realized characterization. The only drawback was that when Guenevere says she always loved Arthur it comes out of left field -- not sure if that's a problem with the direction, interpretation by the cast, or the libretto. But, overall, a very stirring, thoughtful rendition of a classic.

Paul G. from New York, New York

GOOD, SHOULD BE GREAT

The original Camelot was a masterpiece. This was a shadow of what it once was. King Arthur did not come across as kingly at all. His voice was adequate. It was not impressive and the acoustics were totally off in the entire theater. I could hear multiple people complain they could not ascertain the language. It's almost as if they forgot this is Broadway and people expect better. The actors who played Lancelot and Guinevere were amazing and redeemed the show entirely. The ending was enormously anti climactic and missing key parts that the original accomplished so much better. My wife and I agreed, this was a major disappointment (as excited as we were it is back, we are unsure of how long it is going to last without some changes).

Sara Smith from New York, New York

PHILLIPA SOO SHINES, THE REST OF THE SHOW IS AWFUL

Whoever thought Aaron Sorkin would be able to revise the messy original book was sadly mistaken. The show is worth seeing for Phillipa Soo’s outstanding performance. The rest of it is slow, dull and filled with flat characters. The show is at least 30 minutes too long and has no sense of historical context or the characters’ identities.

Emily from New York, New York

CAMELOT

I saw Camelot years ago with Robert Goulet as Lancelot. I didn't expect anyone to compare to him in singing "If ever I should leave you" I listened to Jordan Donica sing the song before I attended the play. I thought that he did a great job.However, when I attended the play on April 8, at least 4 of the actors were not in their original roles. Jordan Donica was not there. The understudy did a poor job singing. I had so looked forward to seeing this. It was a major disappointment. Phillipa Soo did a wonderful job, and has the voice of an angel.

Chris Woods from New York, New York

CAMELOT

The singing was first rate. The acting was very disappointing. The lines had been learned - which is good for a play in its early days - but they were delivered in just that way. Learned lines. And the lines that were supposed to be funny - and they really could have been funny delivered skillfully - simply died and fell away. Three hours is a long time to sit in a theater, but not if you are fully entertained. This version of Camelot could be entertaining - but a lot of effort is going to have to go into its delivery (especially on a very sparse set) if those three hours are going to pass engagingly. At present it feels like three hours of a slightly bored dress rehearsal. On the plus side, despite the theater being full, it was easy to get a drink before and during the interval. And not being in the heart of Times Square its easy to get to and from in a taxi or Uber.

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