Dream Casting: Camelot

The love Barack Obama has shown for Hamilton over the last year (well, since Lin-Manuel Miranda debuted his concept at the White House in 2009) reminds us of another presidential love affair with a Broadway musical. Famously, John F. Kennedy adored Camelot, and, thanks to comments from his widow after his death, the association between JFK and the Lerner and Loewe musical gave rise to the Camelot mystique of the Kennedy administration: like Camelot, the Kennedy White House was reputed to be a “fleeting wisp of glory” that lasted for “one brief, shining moment.”

But Camelot is an iconic show in its own right. An adaptation of T.H. White’s acclaimed take on the Arthurian legends (The Once and Future King), the musical centers on a love triangle between the good-hearted King Arthur, his bride Guenevere, and his best knight Lancelot. Written by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe— the same musical team who created My Fair Lady— Camelot features some of the most beautiful music ever written for the American stage. Its legendary Broadway premiere in 1960 featured a powerhouse cast of stage and screen elite, including Richard Burton as Arthur, Julie Andrews as Guenevere, Robert Goulet as Lancelot, and Roddy McDowall as Mordred, Arthur’s scheming, illegitimate son.

So iconic was the 1960 Broadway production that it has perhaps set an impossibly high bar for future Camelot productions. Though the 1967 Hollywood adaptation featured celebrated stage actors Richard Harris (a young Dumbledore, y’all!), Vanessa Redgrave, and Franco Nero, they weren’t enough to spare the production from sharp critiques. (One good thing to come from the film: Redgrave and Nero began a love affair that has lasted on and off for decades.) Broadway revivals in 1980, 1981, and 1993 didn’t fare well, either, and we haven’t seen a revival in this century.

In other words, a revival of this wondrous show is long overdue. Bonus: there are plenty of Broadway stars who would be perfect for a Camelot revival. Hey, producers: give us a revival starring these talents soon, please!

Arthur – Brian d’Arcy James

Brian d’Arcy in Something Rotten!

A problem with many Camelot productions is that Arthur is typically cast as old. (This is partly because producers mounted revivals with stars from the original Broadway production and film in the 1980s and 1990s, when these actors were much older than they had been in the 1960s.) But, Arthur actually has a boyishness about him– he’s someone who is terrified at the idea of marriage. Brian d’Arcy James could bring together the youthfulness and maturity within Arthur. He would be a perfectly intelligent, charming, and earnest Arthur, and that gorgeous voice of his would give new life to classics like “I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight” and “How to Handle a Woman.” Moreover, he’s proven that he isn’t just a singer, but an excellent actor, as well. His diverse resume includes comedic roles (Shrek in Shrek and Nick Bottom in the hysterical Something Rotten!) and dramatic roles (Dan Goodman in Next to Normal and Banquo in Macbeth). He also has prestige covered: he had a major role in the Oscar-winning film Spotlight. It would be exciting to see how Brian d’Arcy James would bring Arthur to life. One thing’s certain: he’s more than capable of balancing the comedy and tragedy at the heart of Camelot.

Guenevere – Laura Osnes

Laura Osnes with Santino Fontana in Cinderella.

We’d love to see Broadway’s favorite princess graduate to queen. She’s already played a Julie Andrews role once before (for her Tony-nominated performance in Cinderella). Though Osnes is known for being sweet-tempered with a crystalline voice, she can do a whole lot more than that, and it’s a disservice to her talent to box her in– just look at her Tony-nominated bad-girl turn in Bonnie and Clyde. Osnes’s acting chops are legit, something that has been obvious in her breathtaking rendition of “Barbara Song” in the edgy Threepenny Opera and the emotional honesty that defined her performance as Julie Jordan in last year’s gorgeous and lush Carousel. Guenevere is an intelligent and willful young woman wrestling with high-minded romantic ideals, ideals that lead her to commit adultery with her husband’s most devoted knight. In other words, this is a meaty role in which Osnes would shine.

Lancelot – Steven Pasquale

Steven Pasquale with Kelli O’Hara in The Bridges of Madison County.

Here’s the thing: Lancelot needs to be sexy. Like, really, really sexy. That alone would be enough to cast Steven Pasquale, Broadway’s certified sex god. But wait, there’s more! Pasquale is a stage force to be reckoned with. He’s already demonstrated that he can show passion, dramatic gravitas, and even comedic timing in his varied performances in The Bridges of Madison County (I dare you to listen to “It All Fades Away” without bawling), Carousel at Chicago’s Lyric Opera (his “Soliloquy” is the stuff of legends), and the hilarious The Robber Bridegroom. (For a delightful Pasquale deep cut, check out his “The Streets of Dublin” from A Man of No Importance. Swoon.) But Pasquale shines most astonishingly when he can be explosive and hit pedal to the medal in songs, and we’d pay top dollar to hear/watch him sing Lancelot’s signature song “If Ever I Would Leave You“– we’d wager it’d be a theater experience we wouldn’t soon forget. Since Osnes and Pasquale starred together as Julie and Billy in the terrific Carousel at Chicago’s Lyric Opera last spring, we know that the two have crazy good chemistry together. Pasquale’s sexy rock-pop-folk-country voice would also give Lancelot a contemporary sound while still having the stage cred to pull off a classic role.

Mordred – Bryce Pinkham

Bryce Pinkham as Monty Navarro in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.

I can’t think of a better Mordred than Bryce Pinkham. As in many Arthurian legends, Mordred is Arthur’s illegitimate son whom Arthur fathered when he was still a very young man. When Mordred shows up to Camelot, he wants nothing more than to bring down his father’s kingdom and take the crown for himself. Why? Because he’s a dick. Here’s the thing: in the original Broadway production, Roddy McDowall originated the role of Mordred, and he was merely three– count them, three— years younger than co-star Richard Burton, who was supposed to be his father. So the modest age difference between Brian d’Arcy James and Bryce Pinkham is less of a problem than it might first appear. Bryce Pinkham’s bad-guy potential was laid down as his role of the murdering, charming Monty Navarro in 2013’s darkly funny A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. His recent appearance in the New York City Center’s Encores! production of 1776 emphasized the fact that Pinkham can do dark very, very well– his delivery of “Cool, Cool, Considerate Men” was a highlight. Pinkham would absolutely slay Mordred’s “The Seven Deadly Virtues.” The only downside? Mordred doesn’t have more songs to make use of Pinkham’s excellent voice.

Dear Broadway gods, please make this revival happen!

Photo Credits from top to bottom: Friedman-Abeles, New York; Joan Marcus; Carol Rosegg; Joan Marcus; and Joan Marcus