Camelot
Sometimes earnestness gets you nowhere. Camelot, now playing at Pumphouse Theatre is a perfect example of why. Despite very best attempts by Front Row Productions, the sheer lack of talent, budget and execution make this musical simply not worth seeing. Of course there were warning signs:
a) the audience is almost entirely made up of friends and family
b) the actors are primarily high school students
c) the actors who were not high school students were friends of the director
None of these things usually translate into a good production – and Camelot certainly isn’t a good production. That’s not to say that the actors didn’t try hard – they did. But, the lack of experience and talent was evident not only in the stilted dialogue and off-timed jokes, but in the weak singing, except for the female lead.
Now, perhaps this isn’t my cup of tea. There were lots of people enjoying the show – and maybe because we only get one full Broadway-type production rolling through cowtown every year, Front Row Productions constitutes some kind of stop-gap.
Still, as much as I feel like I’m kicking a sick puppy, I can’t justify paying for something terrible, even when the person delivering it has a big smile on their face. If you want bad theatre by enthusiastic people – Camelot is your ticket. If you want good theatre probably done by emotionless professionals, then I’d say hold on to your money and wait for the real thing.
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