Camelot in Concert@ CVLT 5/14/10
A three way collaboration between Opera Per Tutti, Chagrin Falls Studio Orchestra and Chagrin Valley Little Theatre resulted in theatrical magic last weekend in Chagrin Falls. Opera Per Tutti provided the singers, the Studio Orchestra accompanied them splendidly, and the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre was a marvelous host for a rarely-heard version of Camelot in Concert, the splendid Broadway musical of the early 60s by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe.This slightly condensed version featured James Love as Arthur, Andrea Anelli as Guenevere and Scott Skiba as Lancelot. There was some dialogue, little by way of set or staging and nothing particular for costuming, but a musical requires excellent voices, and that was delivered, big-time! The orchestra blew me away. I’d never heard this particular orchestra before, and I was truly impressed by the quality of the music produced.
Stephen A. Eva is musical director of the orchestra, and his sister Priscilla Eva (a very busy free-lance violinist around the area) is concertmaster. The other 33 musicians are mostly volunteer (usually translated as amateur) but that’s a misnomer in this case. Mr. Eva was faithful to the intent and original rhythms of the score, and everyone kept up with him, and played in tune! I thought the horn section was especially good, with all the horn calls required for a medieval-era setting.
Speaking of, photos of large period tapestries were projected on the back wall of the stage, providing a scenic background to the music. They were very effective. All the major songs were included, (but not of course, the huge production numbers). Mr. Skiba nearly stole the show with his two big songs: C’est Moi and If Ever I Would Leave You. This latter, sung to Guenevere, as he prepares to leave her behind was an emotional powerhouse. He has a large voice with a very pleasing quality to it, and combined with his superior acting skills, the performance drew tears from a goodly number of audience members, including some of the gentlemen present. (It was a full house on Friday.)
Ms. Anelli’s lustrous soprano and considerable acting talent did full justice to the big songs of Guenevere which ranged from the emotional I Loved You Once in Silence (sung to Lancelot) to the more comedic (with Arthur) What Do Simple Folks Do. Mr. Love played Arthur as a somewhat simple or hesitant but sincere monarch, who has family problems attacking him on all sides. He was charming in Camelot and wistful in the more comedic How To Handle a Woman.
In the end, of course, Arthur loses both his throne and his woman. But then, Lancelot fares no better, and neither does Guenevere in this bittersweet tale of a world well lost for love.
All three organizations have busy schedules ahead. For information about Opera Per Tutti, go to: http://www.operapertutti.org; Chagrin Falls Studio Orchestra may be found at: http://www.chagrinfallsstudioorchestra.org, and Chagrin Valley Little Theatre at: http://www.cvlt.org.
Disclaimer: This reviewer has, on occasion, but not recently, done free-lance consulting work for Opera Per Tutti.
Photo by Jeff Schulz.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz, who writes: My most recently published book is Ardenwycke Unveiled (e-book and trade paper). Cerridwen has another contemporary romance from me, But Not For Love, currently available only as an e-book, but perhaps will be in print later this year. I hope to soon get around to completing some of the 30+ incomplete books in my computer!By the way, Cerridwen has also accepted two of my short stories for their Scintillating Samples (complimentary reads) area: Song of the Swan and Unexpected Comfort. I love photography as well, as you can see here. Occasionally I teach writing workshops and sometimes do editing or ghostwriting on a free-lance basis. But over and above everything else, there’s always been the writing. I can’t imagine my life without it.
And now, after more than a few requests, I’ve started a blog about writing. You can find it here.