Camelot at HCTO

The first theatrical performance I remember seeing is the musical Camelot.  I remember everything about it very vividly because it was the last day of school so spirits were already running high.  I got all dressed up and went with a youth group to see the show at Promised Valley Playhouse and I found it to be an incredibly thrilling experience.  It is not performed very often any more but it will always be a sentimental favorite!  I was very excited to see HCTO's version last night and it was no less thrilling than when I saw it as a 13 year old girl!   This production is a stripped down and simplified telling of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table featuring Rex Kocherhans as Arthur, Kat Hawley Cook as Guenevere, and Scott Hendrickson as Lancelot with a small ensemble (Jordan Briggs, Jake Slater, Wade Flanagan, Caleb Collier, Braedon Reynolds, and Daniel Bradley) performing all of the other roles.  The set and props are very minimal and several scenes are described by narrators rather than explicitly portrayed.  However, all of the well-known songs are included such as "Camelot," "The Lusty Month of May," "How to Handle a Woman," "If Ever I Would Leave You," "Fie on Goodness," "What Do the Simple Folk Do?," and "Guenevere."  Despite the simplicity of the storytelling, I really loved the staging of all of the numbers, particularly "The Lusty Month of May" during which colored ribbons drop from the ceiling with choreography that mimics the dancing of the maypole, "The Joust" during which members of the ensemble create the sounds of the galloping horses and the crashing armor with household objects, and "Guenevere" during which the death of the knights in battle is portrayed with red scarves surrounding them as they fall.  This adaptation really focuses on the love triangle between Arthur, Guenevere, and Lancelot and the three lead actors give wonderful performances filled with pathos.  I was especially impressed with Kocherhans in the scene where Arthur discovers that Lancelot and Guenevere love each other because the conflict he feels is palpable.  Even though the sets and props are scaled down, the costumes are not because they are gorgeous!  I couldn't pick a favorite among Guenevere's gowns because they are all incredibly elaborate and beautifully embellished!  There's simply not a more congenial spot than HCTO for their production of Camelot!  I highly recommend that you get a ticket (go here) before the lusty month of May is over!