2004 Po'okela Awards
Nominees:
John Parkinson
Rick Jackson
Bryan Bender
Eden-Lee Murray
Directed by
EDEN-LEE MURRAY
Musical Direction by
DAREN KIMURA
Choreographed by
DEANNA LUSTER
Set Design by
TOM GIZA
Costume Design by
KATHY KOHL
Lighting Design by
JOHN PARKINSON
CAST: (in order of appearance)
Arthur - BRYAN BENDER
Sir Dinadan - TOM HOLOWACH
Sir Lionel - SCOTT WALLACE
Sir Sagramore - JULIUS DAE-SUNG AHN
Merlyn - DAVID C. FARMER
Guenevere - TINA SHELTON
Nimue - GEORGIA BOYD
Two Pages - NIKKI & DYLAN YAMAMOTO
Lancelot - MATTHEW PENNAZ
Squire Dap - F. L. CABACUNGAN
King Pellinore - JOHN HUNT
Horrid - CANDIE JELLINEK
Clarius - RICHARD VALASEK
Lady Sybil - KAREN VALASEK
Colgrevance - SHELDON GOMABON
Bliant - NATE HAYASHI
Guilliam - MARVIN MIYOSHI
Castor - BRAD MEZURASHI
Lady Anne - TRACY YAMAMOTO
Mordred - DION DONAHUE
Morgan LeFey - KAREN VALASEK
Tom of Warwick - DUNCAN DALZELL
Lady Catherine - BARBARA KANESHIRO
Lords and Ladies of Camelot - JEREMY HALL, NATE HAYASHI,
ANDREA LOPES, SUSAN KOONTZ, JAKARA MATO,
JULIUS MINA, KIM TAKINAMI, DANIELLE YAMAMOTO
Monday, May 17, 2004
Army Theatre provides
a gallant ‘Camelot’
By John Berger
"Camelot" is one of those grand old Broadway musicals that warms the heart and tugs at the tear ducts even though the plot and character relationships don't stand up to close examination.
Lerner and Loewe's retelling of the ancient tale of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot has been a hit since it opened on Broadway in 1960, and Army Community Theatre's current revival is a success in almost all areas.
Bryan Bender does his best work yet as King Arthur. Tina Shelton brings a clear voice and engaging style to her portrayal of the fatally flawed Guinevere and Matthew Pennaz pulls off the demanding task of making Sir Lancelot equally believable as a conceited prig and a star-crossed lover.
Add commanding performances by John Hunt (King Pellinore) and Dion Donahue (Mordred) in key secondary roles, excellent coordination between musical director Darren Kimura and sound designer Rick Jackson, and some of the most effective lighting and stage effects seen to date at Richardson Theater, and ACT's "Camelot" is impressive.
Lerner, who wrote the show's "book" and memorable lyrics, created a complex protagonist in Arthur, an idealist and dreamer suffering from naiveté and lack of self-confidence.
Guinevere became his queen in an arranged marriage and is dangerously irresponsible. She takes an instant dislike to Lancelot and deliberately taunts three of Arthur's top knights into challenging the young Frenchman in combat. One dies as a result.
Lancelot has spent his life seeking perfection through physical and spiritual purity. He is so pure that his prayers bring the dead knight back to life, but his willpower crumbles and his honor ebbs when he falls in love with Guinevere.
Arthur creates a new order in England based on the just and noble use of power, and the ideal that the law shall be applied impartially to king and commoner alike. He thus forces himself to be "civilized" and ignore the affair between his wife and his best friend. Arthur's commitment also allows his illegitimate son Mordred free reign at court, even though this also threatens to undermine his authority and "civilized" society.
Bender makes a great protagonist, whether playing Arthur as an awkward suitor trying to convince a divine woman to reconsider her dislike of his kingdom ("Camelot"), a loving husband pondering male/female mysteries ("How to Handle A Woman"), or a bitter monarch struggling to control his rage and preserve the system of "might for right" he has created.
Pennaz makes a dramatic entrance singing "C'est Moi," capturing each comic nuance in Lancelot's self-congratulatory list of accomplishments, while his boat "sails" slowly across the stage. He is equally convincing in his big romantic number, "If Ever I Would Leave You."
Donahue personifies gleeful evil in his zesty portrayal of Mordred. "The Seven Deadly Virtues" and "Fie on Goodness" are fine showcase numbers, and he enlivens other scenes as well. Hunt ably suggests through his posture and delivery Pellinore's growing strength as Arthur loses control of Camelot.
It's asking a lot of anyone to sympathize with Guinevere, but Shelton, the designated star of ACT's production, makes the most out of what the script gives her to work with.
"The Simple Joys of Maidenhood" establishes her vocal qualifications; her duets with Bender are fun and dramatically satisfying, and she sings "I Loved You Once is Silence" with an appropriate blend of poignancy and regret.
Julius Dae-Sung Ahn (Sir Sagramore) stands out as the singing narrator of the climactic scene in which Arthur must choose between betraying his heart, his kingdom or the new laws of the Round Table.
David C. Farmer seems to be having a ball playing weary old Merlin for laughs. Georgia Boyd sings beautifully as the bewitching Nimue, Karen Valasek (Morgan Le Fey) balances shrewd malice and light comedy as a sorceress who agrees to bewitch Arthur in exchange for chocolate, and F.L. Cabacungan adds subtle but positive embellishments to the character of Lancelot's squire.
"Camelot" is a long play, but director Eden-Lee Murray ensures that little running time is wasted and that none of the scenes drag. "Camelot" ends with most of its conflicts unresolved and with no clearly defined message or moral, but fans of the Broadway hit will find ACT's revival worth the price of admission.
Saturday, May 15, 2004
STAGE REVIEW
Monday, May 17, 2004
Army Theatre provides
a gallant ‘Camelot’
By John Berger"Camelot" is one of those grand old Broadway musicals that warms the heart and tugs at the tear ducts even though the plot and character relationships don't stand up to close examination.
Lerner and Loewe's retelling of the ancient tale of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot has been a hit since it opened on Broadway in 1960, and Army Community Theatre's current revival is a success in almost all areas.
Bryan Bender does his best work yet as King Arthur. Tina Shelton brings a clear voice and engaging style to her portrayal of the fatally flawed Guinevere and Matthew Pennaz pulls off the demanding task of making Sir Lancelot equally believable as a conceited prig and a star-crossed lover.
Add commanding performances by John Hunt (King Pellinore) and Dion Donahue (Mordred) in key secondary roles, excellent coordination between musical director Darren Kimura and sound designer Rick Jackson, and some of the most effective lighting and stage effects seen to date at Richardson Theater, and ACT's "Camelot" is impressive.
Lerner, who wrote the show's "book" and memorable lyrics, created a complex protagonist in Arthur, an idealist and dreamer suffering from naiveté and lack of self-confidence.
Guinevere became his queen in an arranged marriage and is dangerously irresponsible. She takes an instant dislike to Lancelot and deliberately taunts three of Arthur's top knights into challenging the young Frenchman in combat. One dies as a result.
Lancelot has spent his life seeking perfection through physical and spiritual purity. He is so pure that his prayers bring the dead knight back to life, but his willpower crumbles and his honor ebbs when he falls in love with Guinevere.
Arthur creates a new order in England based on the just and noble use of power, and the ideal that the law shall be applied impartially to king and commoner alike. He thus forces himself to be "civilized" and ignore the affair between his wife and his best friend. Arthur's commitment also allows his illegitimate son Mordred free reign at court, even though this also threatens to undermine his authority and "civilized" society.
Bender makes a great protagonist, whether playing Arthur as an awkward suitor trying to convince a divine woman to reconsider her dislike of his kingdom ("Camelot"), a loving husband pondering male/female mysteries ("How to Handle A Woman"), or a bitter monarch struggling to control his rage and preserve the system of "might for right" he has created.
Pennaz makes a dramatic entrance singing "C'est Moi," capturing each comic nuance in Lancelot's self-congratulatory list of accomplishments, while his boat "sails" slowly across the stage. He is equally convincing in his big romantic number, "If Ever I Would Leave You."
Donahue personifies gleeful evil in his zesty portrayal of Mordred. "The Seven Deadly Virtues" and "Fie on Goodness" are fine showcase numbers, and he enlivens other scenes as well. Hunt ably suggests through his posture and delivery Pellinore's growing strength as Arthur loses control of Camelot.
It's asking a lot of anyone to sympathize with Guinevere, but Shelton, the designated star of ACT's production, makes the most out of what the script gives her to work with.
"The Simple Joys of Maidenhood" establishes her vocal qualifications; her duets with Bender are fun and dramatically satisfying, and she sings "I Loved You Once is Silence" with an appropriate blend of poignancy and regret.
Julius Dae-Sung Ahn (Sir Sagramore) stands out as the singing narrator of the climactic scene in which Arthur must choose between betraying his heart, his kingdom or the new laws of the Round Table.
David C. Farmer seems to be having a ball playing weary old Merlin for laughs. Georgia Boyd sings beautifully as the bewitching Nimue, Karen Valasek (Morgan Le Fey) balances shrewd malice and light comedy as a sorceress who agrees to bewitch Arthur in exchange for chocolate, and F.L. Cabacungan adds subtle but positive embellishments to the character of Lancelot's squire.
"Camelot" is a long play, but director Eden-Lee Murray ensures that little running time is wasted and that none of the scenes drag. "Camelot" ends with most of its conflicts unresolved and with no clearly defined message or moral, but fans of the Broadway hit will find ACT's revival worth the price of admission.
Majestic 'Camelot' worth experiencing
By Joseph T. Rozmiarek
Advertiser Drama Critic
Army Community Theatre closes out a remarkably strong season this month with a production
of "Camelot" that is well cast, musically strong, and visually attractive.
And, although the show runs a full three hours, director Eden-Lee Murray assures that it
moves well and that the underlying dramatic action is not lost.
Still fresh after a sound performance as Cervantes in ACT's "Man of La Mancha" earlier this
season, Bryan Bender is a convincing Arthur, singing well and communicating the ethical dilemma that tortures
the king who sees his queen falling in love with his best friend.
That central character element is beautifully captured at the end of Act One, when Arthur is
left alone in the castle's great hall. Surrounded by burning candles and spotlighted on the regal throne, he
pledges to remain civilized against whatever path the royal triangle may take. It's a stunning moment in
which character, music and stage effects come together perfectly.
Tina Shelton is a lovely Guenevere, grasping the role early and developing it with careful
control throughout the evening. Although we might wish for other choices in costuming and makeup to
underscore the character's youthful immaturity in her early scenes, Shelton's lovely voice and character
shading makes Guenevere stand out in full relief in Act Two. We get the clear understanding that her better
sense is losing out to an emotional force she can't fully control.
Matthew Pennaz is excellent as Lancelot. He's got the French accent and the character's
self-righteousness down pat, delivers the romantic ballads, and is convincing as a reluctant
love-interest.
Minor roles also are neatly executed. David Farmer is the distracted magician, Merlyn.
John Hunt is wonderfully warm and appealing as crusty old King Pellinore. And Dion Donahue drips with
delightful malevolence as Arthur's illegitimate son, Mordred.
Musical director Daren Kimura gets good volume and pleasant support from the large stage
orchestra and singing chorus and does full justice to the Lerner and Loewe favorites, "C'est Moi,"
"If Ever I Would Leave You" and the inspiring "Camelot" title song.
Stage designer Tom Giza has a field day with imposing set elements that magically appear
ahead of their musical bridges. In a display of rare confidence, Lancelot travels to Camelot on a wooden ship,
while the distant castle moves across the rear of the set.
Lighting design by John Parkinson locks in the magic with invisible castles, a burning at the
stake, and shadowy castle rooms that really look like they're being lit with candles and fireplaces. It's a
dreamy, Technicolor lighting plot that draws attention to itself but at the same time feels exactly right for
each scene.
"Camelot" offers much to see and hear, and is tightly focused on the right story elements.
See it if you can.