Mercury’s ‘Camelot’ offers too few brief shining moments Bob Abelman Cleveland Jewish News, The News Herald, The Morning Journal Member, International Association of Theatre Critics Sometimes classic musicals come across as museum pieces. It’s as if the designation “classic” automatically places these works behind purple ropes so they are off-limits to creative interpretation. Only reverence can be rendered and fresh formaldehyde administered when productions of these musicals – reproductions, really – are dusted off and put on public display. “Camelot” is one of those musicals. Based on the King Arthur legend as interpreted in T.H. White’s novel “The Once and Future King,” the show revolves around the love triangle between King Arthur, Guenevere and Sir Lancelot and their enlightened vision of a world where “violence is not strength and compassion is not weakness.” The 1960 Broadway musical featured theater royalty in the leading roles, including Richard Burton as Arthur, Julie Andrews as Guenevere, and Robert Goulet as Lancelot. The story is beautifully conveyed through Alan Jay Learner’s magnificent lyrics and Frederick Loewe’s memorable music. These two were also considered musical theater royalty, having just come off of the remarkable success of “My Fair Lady” – another classic that demands due diligence when given a modern-day staging. In addition to its lineage, the aversion to altering “Camelot” is tied to its linkage to the Kennedy administration, which took place shortly after the show’s opening. The administration’s ideals, youthful leadership and tragic ending are forever associated with the final words in the show’s final song: “Don’t let it be forgot/that once there was a spot/for one brief shining moment/that was known as Camelot.” Mess with the musical and, according to traditionalists, you mess with the nation’s collective and highly romanticized memories. And yet Mercury Theatre Company Director/Choreographer Pierre-Jacques Brault and Music Director Eddie Carney dared to do so. Their current production is a labor of love that respects the original work but hopes that a dramatic simplification in its staging will strip away the thick and cloudy veneer that has built up over generations of veneration. For the rest of this review, go to www.clevelandjewishnews.com/columnists/