Search - M.S. Berry, Frederick Lowe, Alan Jay Lerner :: Camelot (1960 Original Broadway Cast)

One of Broadway's all-time greats

Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 03/03/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"CAMELOT, the ravishing musical re-telling of the King Arthur legend by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, has never sounded better than in the original 1960 Broadway cast album, now happily reissued on the Columbia Broadway Masterworks label (this is the exact same disc as the previous 1999 Broadway Masterworks pressing but in a new cardboard "eco-pack" sleeve). Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet lead the cast as the troubled love-triangle of King Arthur, Queen Guenevere and Sir Lancelot.



Julie Andrews, fresh from the London production of MY FAIR LADY, is in glorious voice and sings some of the score's best numbers like "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood", "The Lusty Month of May", "Then You May Take Me to the Fair" and the achingly-poignant "I Loved You Once in Silence". Richard Burton has an attractive singing voice (remember, he was a Welshman!), and has a ball with numbers like "I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight?" and the Title Song. Robert Goulet delivers the definitive "If Ever I Would Leave You".



CAMELOT enjoyed a modest run of 873 performances (modest in that the composers had hoped to outdo their MY FAIR LADY success, and MFL ended up clocking in over 2,000 performances on Broadway alone). Out of the myriad of CAMELOT cast albums available, this is still the best of the bunch. Sadly, unlike most of the titles from the Broadway Masterworks range, there are no bonus or alternate tracks."

Essential for any Broadway musical collection

Mark Andrew Lawrence | Toronto | 07/05/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a re-release in the Masterworks Broadway eco-sleeve format (a cardboard cd holder with a booklet tucked inside) and is not a remaster or upgrade. That said the excellent remastering from 1998 sounds just fine.



The listing says this is a CD-R manufactured on demand. No, this title is a regular pressed and packaged CD. CAMELOT has always been one of the top-selling original cast recordings, and each year as hundreds of new productions are staged it continues to sell well.





In reviewing the previous release I wrote:

CAMELOT was a problematic show and despite many revisions for revivals over the years, it has never really worked on stage or screen.



But it DOES work as a recording. Richard Burton and Robert Goulet are perfectly cast and handle their musical numbers well. Julie Andrews provides the spark and sparkle that elevate this show. Guenevere is her richest part: She goes from an immature girl ("Simple Joys of Maidenhood"); to a petty young queen ("Then You May Take Me to the Fair"); through awakening emotions ("Before I Gaze at You Again"); unhappiness ("What DO the Simple Folk Do") and finally heartbroken resignation ("I Loved You Once in Silence.") Julie manages to display this huge range of emotions on the record using just her voice. Today we can only listen and imagine what a wonderful stage performance she gave.



CAMELOT was not well received by the critics. It was ignored by the 1961 Tony awards (BYE BYE BIRDIE won that year.) This original cast recording was so well produced that it, along with several scenes showcased on the ED SULLIVAN HOUR helped turn the show into a box office hit.



Columbia's deluxe Lp is reproduced here with outstanding sound and generous notes. (The many colour pictures that decorated the Lp cover are reproduced here in black & white!) The note reveal some interesting trvia: the voice of Nimue on this recording is actually the understudy as the actress who created the role on stage was too ill to make the recording.



For years rumours persisted that "The Jousts" and "The Persuasion" had been recorded because the original Lp cover listed the songs. This proved to be false, and all the recorded numbers were used on the finished Lp. The CD has no bonus tracks but does correct the track order to follow the order the songs are heard in the show."