By SHARON EBERSON
“There’ll be great presidents again … but there’ll never be another Camelot.” — Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, relating the JFK presidency to the musical Camelot.
Pittsburgh CLO is bringing the Lerner & Loewe musical Camelot back for the seventh time, to lead off its 79th summer season, and the legend of King Arthur and the Round Table couldn’t come at a better time.
The casting brings Broadway to Pittsburgh, through stars Adam Kantor as Arthur (The Band’s Visit, Fiddler on the Roof, RENT), Ben Jacoby as Lancelot (Beautiful, The Carole King Musical) and Kyla Stone as Guenevere (Harmony; and Into the Woods with PCLO), directed by Pittsburgh CLO executive producer Mark Fleischer.
The tale and music are timeless and so expansive, it begot Monty Python’s and the Holy Grail, which spawned Spamalot.
The legend of King Arthur – his wizard/mentor Merlin, his idealistic ambitions for the Knights of the Round Table, his ill-fated love, the treachery that was his doom, the spirit of hope in its final moments – has captivated generations since Sir Thomas Malory’s 15th-century saga was an early version of a viral sensation.
Countless interpretations followed, including the T.H. White book, The Once and Future King, which inspired both Disney’s The Sword and the Stone (Arthur, the early years) and the musical, Camelot, that earned four Tony Awards but somehow was not among the three nominees for Best Musical in 1961.
That injustice would not stop the unstoppable – the movie version would go on to win an Academy Award for Best Score – and revivals galore.
Perhaps best known among Camelot’s songs, via lyricist/librettist Alan Jay Lerner (a Harvard classmate of JFK) and composer Frederick Loewe, is If Ever I Would Leave You, which helped launch the career of Robert Goulet, as Lancelot, alongside original stars Richard Burton and Juliet Andrews.
A new version, with a book by Aaron Sorkin, had a short-lived run at Lincoln Center. Pittsburgh CLO is charting its own course with the classic, led by Fleischer, music director Robert Neumeyer and choreographer Mara Newbery Greer, and a cast from near and far.
While busy with PCLO’s grueling rehearsal schedule, Kantor, Stone and Jacoby took time out to answer questions via email for onStage Pittsburgh.
AROUND THE TABLE WITH ‘CAMELOT’ STARS
QUESTION: Do you have previous experience with, or memories of, the music from or a stage version of Camelot? Has it been influential in your careers in any way?
KYLA STONE: Oh gosh, where to start? Camelot was one of my favorite musicals growing up. We had a VHS recording of the 1982 revival, and I used to watch it on repeat. I’m talkin’ wrapping a blanket around my shoulders as a cape and using this pink Barbie tent that I had to act out “Guinevere” at the age of 5-6. I was absolutely enamored with Meg Bussert as Guinevere (and also her gorgeous costumes) and with what Richard Harris did with the role of King Arthur. I was fortunate enough to see both the Hollywood Bowl concert version in 2005 as well as the tour in 2014 … Needless to say, I was, and very much am, a lover of Camelot. It is one of those shows that really fostered my love for musical theater and the ability our art form has to tell such magnificent stories in a really poignant way.
BEN JACOBY: This is my first Camelot, though the 1960 cast album was among the many we had in the house growing up. I feel like I’ve known the music forever. Maybe even more influential to me, though – as a child at least – was the Disney movie, The Sword in the Stone.
ADAM KANTOR: I am completely new to Camelot. I had never seen any live production or filmed version. All I knew was Robert Goulet’s recording of “If Ever I Would Leave You.” When I was offered the role of King Arthur, I was surprised to find out (when reading the script for the first time) that Lancelot sings it! I’ve always been deeply interested in discovering the show, since it was a favorite of my grandfather. He was a real theater buff, and adored this show. Now, having been in rehearsal for it, I understand why. It’s a magical and moving piece of theater. And it’s especially relevant now.
QUESTION: These are iconic parts in literary history, in musical theater history. What is your approach? For instance, do you stay away from previous interpretations, or embrace them, and then make the parts your own?
KYLA STONE: I definitely have Bussert’s version of Jenny burned into my subconscious from watching it so many times!! But I’ve also wanted to play this role for so long that it’s been a real treat to finally dive into finding the truth of her story in myself. When I accepted the role, I immediately read the sections of The Once and Future King that prominently feature Gwen and re-watched some of the BBC Merlin series, which is the only telling of the Arthurian legend that has a Black Guinevere.
BEN JACOBY: I think for me it’s kind of a combination of both. Expose yourself to as much information as you can leading up to the rehearsal process and then, once in rehearsal, do your best to let it all go, and tell the story with script and actors you now have in front of you.
ADAM KANTOR: I made the conscious decision (since I had never seen any version of Camelot) to keep a “clean slate” in my approach, and really discover it as my own. Mark Fleischer has been wonderful at guiding me towards a King Arthur that feels real and authentic to me. I fully trust him to get me there – and all of us there – in a very short time! I still have never actually seen the show. In fact, given the speed at which we rehearse at PCLO, sometimes I experience a song for the first time once it’s already been fully staged (in a separate room) and I get plugged into it, as it’s happening all around me at full execution. (Which is kind of thrilling, actually). It can be difficult to stay in character when I’m completely in awe of the material and the talent of this cast making magic around me.
JENNY, LANCE & ARTHUR ON PITTSBURGH CLO
QUESTION: Kyla, you are the only one with previous PCLO experience – what was it like working here on Into the Woods?
KYLA STONE: It was a whirlwind! To put up a major ensemble piece that also happens to be written by Stephen Sondheim with a week of rehearsal was like something out of a musical theater hypothetical. This is my third production like this, the other being Legally Blonde at The Muny, and there’s something really magical that happens in the pressure cooker of a process like this one. I think the short rehearsal process really builds your bond as a company and also relies heavily on your ability to believe in yourself and the work you put into it. I also just really love the adrenaline rush of a good challenge :)
QUESTION: Ben, did your father, Mark Jacoby – most recently A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical on Broadway; and six shows with PCLO, starting in 1983, including Scrooge in 2019’s A Musical Christmas Carol – have tales of Pittsburgh from working with PCLO? Were you ever here with him?
BEN JACOBY: Oh sure, Dad’s got tons of stories. I think I saw him do the Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance here when I was VERY young … More recently though, I’ve been regaled with stories of Christmas Carol … and the rigors of 3-show-days here at CLO!
QUESTION: Adam, what had you heard about Pittsburgh CLO? Did you meet PCLO folks through your work with the Jimmy Awards (and are you headed there after this)?
ADAM KANTOR: I had heard of PCLO ever since I began my career on Broadway in 2008 with RENT. This place is so iconic in the landscape of top-notch theaters around the United States, and it has so many alumni who have been colleagues and/or idols of mine over the years. And, of course, having been a coach for the finalists of The Jimmy Awards for over a decade now, I’ve met and collaborated with even more PCLO luminaries, like my friend Van Kaplan. It’s a real honor to finally be here.
QUESTION: Camelot was revived recently in New York with a new approach, but I take it this is a more traditional vision. What are the themes that resonate with you, and how do you think they resonate with today’s audiences? For example: The ideal of the Round Table as might for right, vs. might is right.
KYLA STONE: I have enjoyed that in our version, Adam and I have created a true team in Jenny and Arthur. They build the idea of the Round Table together, and are each other’s confidants. I think Lerner and Loewe wrote so brilliantly about the building of democracy through the creation of the round table and how there can actually be many different opinions and points of view. I’m also partial to the true unbridled romance in this show, and the luscious songs that go along with it.
BEN JACOBY: Arthur’s merciful nature and persistent selflessness stand out to me – controversial qualities in a leader of that time, but ones that should be commonplace today. When faced with a political and moral dilemma, he simply asks himself, “Could it possibly be civilized to love myself above all?” I love that.
ADAM KANTOR: What moves me about Camelot – and our production – is its yearning for compassionate, just, and humane leadership. My favorite line of King Arthur is at the end of Act 1, when he is pressed with a real moral dilemma, he comes to the realization that: “Violence is not strength, and compassion is not weakness.” I think there’s a lot of weight around the word “King” today, and its connotations. Arthur is a king who believes in leading with a sense of morality. As ancient as this tale is, and as classic as this musical is, it’s oddly refreshing to experience today.
QUESTION: What would you like audiences to know about this production, and what it means to you?
KYLA STONE: I hope audiences come prepared to get whisked away to another time and place that is filled with a lot of heart. We have some really great laughs, a truly magnificent company, and some unreal swordsmanship as a special bonus in act II. This is a childhood dream come true for me, so I’m very honored to get the opportunity to be in one of the most glorious musicals ever written.
BEN JACOBY: I’m not sure how aware audiences are of the brief rehearsal time we get here at PCLO, but I’m truly astounded by the preparation of everyone in the room – our director, Mark Fleischer, and of course, all the actors on stage. The work is grounded and honest, and therefore incredibly moving. I hope audiences can really appreciate how hard that is to achieve, and how masterfully it’s being done by my colleagues.
ADAM KANTOR: For me, this show and our production is an affirmation that when you gather the best of the best – at a Round Table or in a theater – miracles can truly happen.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Pittsburgh CLO’s production of Camelot is at the Benedum Center, Downtown, June 17 – 22, 2025. https://www.pittsburghclo.org/shows/camelot
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