Show guide
Camelot
Camelot dramatizes the rise and fall of King Arthur's court, tracing his idealistic vision of justice through the love triangle with Guenevere and Lancelot that ultimately destroys it.
- Broadway premiere
- 1960
- Music by
- Frederick Loewe
- Genre
- Golden Age
- Setting
- Timeless
Camelot: quick answers
What is Camelot about?
- Camelot follows King Arthur as he founds the Round Table on the idea that might should serve right, and as his marriage to Guenevere and his friendship with the knight Lancelot collapse into a love triangle that brings his kingdom down.
When did Camelot open on Broadway?
- Camelot opened on Broadway on December 3, 1960, at the Majestic Theatre, starring Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, and Robert Goulet, and ran for 873 performances until January 5, 1963. A 2023 Broadway revival at the Vivian Beaumont Theater used a new book by Aaron Sorkin.
Is Camelot a Golden Age musical?
- Yes. Camelot opened in December 1960, in the later years of Broadway's Golden Age, as Lerner and Loewe's eagerly awaited follow-up to My Fair Lady. It is a romantic book musical with an original score, adapted from T. H. White's The Once and Future King.
Where and when is Camelot set?
- Camelot is set in a legendary medieval England at King Arthur's court, a mythic time rather than a historical date.
Has Camelot played in London's West End?
- Camelot opened in London at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in August 1964, with Laurence Harvey as Arthur, and ran for 518 performances. Richard Harris, the Arthur of the 1967 film, later played the role in a 1982 West End revival at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.
Is there a Camelot movie?
- Joshua Logan directed the 1967 film with Richard Harris as Arthur, Vanessa Redgrave as Guenevere, Franco Nero as Lancelot, and David Hemmings as Mordred. It won three Academy Awards, including one for its score.
The story of Camelot
Camelot follows King Arthur from his nervous first meeting with his arranged bride Guenevere through the founding of the Round Table, an institution built on Arthur's radical idea that might should serve right rather than rule it. That idealism is tested when the French knight Lancelot du Lac arrives at court and falls into a mutual, guilt ridden love with Guenevere.
Arthur's illegitimate son Mordred eventually arrives to exploit the affair and unravel everything his father built, while the wizard Merlyn, who tutored young Arthur, looms over the story as a reminder of what Arthur once believed was possible. The musical is based on T.H. White's novel The Once and Future King and treats the collapse of Camelot as a tragedy of good intentions undone by human weakness.
The music and the makers
Camelot reunited the songwriting team of Alan Jay Lerner, who wrote the book and lyrics, and Frederick Loewe, who composed the music, following their success with My Fair Lady. The score mixes sweeping romantic ballads with wistful, conversational songs that carry the story's growing sense of loss.
Signature numbers include the stirring title song Camelot, the yearning If Ever I Would Leave You, and the bittersweet finale, which finds Arthur passing his ideals on to a young boy even as his kingdom crumbles. That blend of grand romance and creeping melancholy gives Camelot a more bittersweet tone than the team's earlier hit.
Camelot on Broadway
Camelot opened on Broadway on December 3, 1960, at the Majestic Theatre, starring Richard Burton as Arthur, Julie Andrews as Guenevere, and Robert Goulet as Lancelot, and ran for 873 performances. Burton won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance.
The production became closely tied to the Kennedy administration after Jacqueline Kennedy invoked the show in a 1963 interview, giving rise to the enduring nickname of Camelot for that era of American politics. The show has been revived several times, including a major 2023 Lincoln Center Theater production with a book revised by Aaron Sorkin, and remains a defining title of the golden age of Broadway musicals.
Camelot: frequently asked questions
When did Camelot open on Broadway?
Camelot opened on Broadway on December 3, 1960, at the Majestic Theatre.
Who composed Camelot?
Frederick Loewe composed the music, with Alan Jay Lerner writing the book and lyrics.
What is Camelot about?
It follows King Arthur's founding of the Round Table and the love triangle with Guenevere and Lancelot that helps bring about its downfall.
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