Five years ago if you had asked me to direct Camelot I'd have said 'absolutely not'! 'It's too long', I'd have told you, 'And too expensive!’ Then I discovered the small cast version.
The small cast version of Camelot was developed at the Two River Theater in Red Bank in 2014. There’s something so thrilling to know that this version of Camelot was born right here in our own backyard! Camelot had a long journey to the Two River Theater that includes several major productions on Broadway and in London, and an infamously overstuffed film adaptation. Camelot had very big shoes to fill when it first opened in the early 1960s, being Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Lowe’s follow up to their musical My Fair Lady, the original Broadway blockbuster. The original Broadway production had a hard time finding its footing when it first opened, despite the presence of Julie Andrews as Guenevere, but Ed Sullivan took a shine to it and brought it into living rooms across America. Camelot certainly had its moment, especially when it became a favorite of John F. Kennedy and his family, but gained a reputation as a bit of a chestnut as the years went by. Then Two River Theater gave it a second chance.
It turns out that Camelot is about second chances. No spoilers, you’ll just have to trust me.
I will tell you this: I love musical theatre more than almost anything and I believe that all great musicals have two things in common: they all include a wedding, even if it’s just a passing reference, and all great musicals are about hope. Camelot, you’ll find, is about hope in an incredibly profound way. Camelot is about finding hope when all seems lost and finding it in the most unlikely of places.
I hope you enjoy our little show. The journey here was incredibly difficult and I must most sincerely thank every single member of this company for making it with me. I consider myself unbelievably lucky to have this cast and production team helping me tell this story, there is not one of them I could have lived without.
“Some of the drops do sparkle! RUN BOY!”
Love Always,
Kevin T. McGee
