BWW Reviews: TUTS' CAMELOT is Mesmerizingly Regal

Charles Krohn's Merlyn is delightfully eccentric and mysterious. His performance was probably my second favorite of the evening. He also has a dexterous sense for timing and comedy, which brings buoyant and ingenious life to the amicable character.

Patricia Noonan's Nimue is haunting and vivaciously sinister. She dazzles in her rendition of "Follow Me," making the audience clamor for more scenes with Nimue.

Cole Ryden's portrayal of Squire Dap is beguiling and he is unflinchingly loyal to Lancelot. Despite his minimal time on stage, he makes his character both believable and memorable.

David Grant's Sir Sagramore, Leisa Mather's Lady Anne, Michael Andrako's Sir Dinadan, Alexander Levin's Sir Lionel, Scott Foneska's Tom of Warwick, and the remainder of the ensemble do excellent jobs bringing the show to lustrous life.

Fight Choreography by Jeff Wisnoski is thrilling and electrifying. The cast performs and executes each clash of sword, stick, shield, and body with practiced meticulousness, ensuring that each fight looks realistic and not staged.

John Iachovelli's Scenic Design with pieces on loan from Utah Festival Opera Company is astoundingly beautiful. Using majestic and lavish flies, he expertly captures that old-time Broadway feel and the regal elements of the show.

Marcy Froelich's Costume Design featuring costumes originally designed and built for McCoy Rigby and pieces designed and built by Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre utilizes a lot of material that has the stately shine associated with velvet and velour. Each piece looks nice in presentation, perfectly representing what our imagination expects of fashions from the Middle Ages. The only down side is that the knees on King Arthur's costumes already show signs of wear on opening night.

Richard Winkler's Lighting Design magnificently blends color washes, gobos representing tree branches, and projections of clouds to masterfully illustrate ambience and showcase mood and tone. The lighting effects are immaculately designed for the production and look splendid in action.

Christopher "Kit" Bond's Sound Design balances everything perfectly. It has been a while since I saw a show at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts and heard such a precise and perfected blend of dialogue, vocal, and orchestral music. Nothing is misheard or unheard. Every sound, no matter the point of origin, is perfectly leveled and blended, keeping the volume comfortably where it should be.

Theatre Under the Stars' production of Lerner & Loewe's CAMELOT is mesmerizingly regal and presents the material with sincerity and pizzazz. Some of Alan Jay Lerner's book scenes and Frederick Loewe's musical numbers seem a bit long and sometimes repetitive, but the cast and crew perform so magnificently that the audience enjoys the performance from beginning to end.

CAMELOT runs on the Sarofim stage at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts through February 3. 2013. For more information and tickets, please visit http://www.tuts.com or call (713) 558 - 8887.

All photos by Bruce Bennett. Courtesy of Theatre Under the Stars.

Charles Krohn as Merlyn.

Sean MacLaughlin as Lancelot.

Margaret Robinson as Guenevere and Ian Parmenter perform "The Lusty Month of May."

Margaret Robinson as Guenevere, while Maying, meets Tony Sheldon as Pellinore.

Alexander Levin as Sir Lionel battles Sean MacLaughlin as Lancelot during the tournament.

Tony Sheldon as Pellinore, Robert Petkoff as King Arthur, and Margaret Robinson as Guenevere watch as Sean MacLaughlin as Lancelot prays for a miracle over Alexander Levin as Sir Lionel's body.

Margaret Robinson as Guenevere and Tony Sheldon as Pellinore help Robert Petkoff as King Arthur prepare to knight Lancelot.

Robert Petkoff as King Arthur prepares to knight Lacelot.

Sean MacLaughlin as Lancelot sings "If Ever I Would Leave You" to Margaret Robinson as Guenevere.

Adam Shonkwiler as Mordred sings "The Seven Deadly Virtues."

Margaret Robinson as Guenevere and Robert Petkoff as King Arthur sing "What Do the Simple Folk Do?"

Scott Fonseka as Tom of Warwick listens to Robert Petkoff as King Arthur.