Another review of Camelot!

[discofunction.livejournal.com]

This one talks about RSL a bit more! Yay!
http://www.newhavenreview.com/blog/index.php/2016/10/a-fleeting-wisp-of-glory

Start with Robert Sean Leonard as Arthur. Some notable actors have assayed this role—Richard Burton, Richard Harris among them—so we can assume it has some attraction. Here, it’s easy to see why. Leonard shows us that acting can be, first and foremost, the task of finding a voice for a character. His rolls and dips, riding a tone that feels grand and humble at the same time. It’s a marvel. He portrays Arthur as affable and kind, a bit absent-minded like a retiring elder statesman, and cautious like a man of war unable to fathom what it’s like to win a queen—“I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight.” But Leonard’s boyish good looks, into his late 40s, make him an excellent choice for the role, and he handles “How to Handle a Woman” with requisite tenderness.

Arthur’s rapport with his Guenevere, Britney Coleman, seems one of mutual admiration, and his championing of the headstrong Lancelot (Stephen Mark Lukas), even after he has reasons to suspect the pair’s fidelity to him, adds a chastened air to Arthur that Leonard wears well. It’s an affecting grasp of a character who comes to us now as an even more legendary ideal in a time when pure and selfless leaders seem fewer than ever. Leonard’s rendering of the title song feels almost off-the-cuff, finding inspiration as he warms to the theme.

Comments

[snugs45.livejournal.com]

Great review. Here's another. Not as detailed but interesting.

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/page/regional/ct/ct430.html

[discofunction.livejournal.com]

Oooh another! Thanks xxx

[yarroway.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting this awesome review. :)

[discofunction.livejournal.com]

No problem!

[srsly-yes.livejournal.com]

Lovely and thoughtful review. The best Arthurs weren't chosen for their singing ability but for their acting; to convey the ideas at the play's core. On a more fangirlish note, delighted the critic liked RSL's renditions of "Camelot" and "How to Handle a Woman." They were my favorites too.

[snugs45.livejournal.com]

The best Arthurs weren't chosen for their singing ability but for their acting; to convey the ideas at the play's core.
Agree with you. I seem to be finding all the reviews that refer to his singing but it's not deliberate on my part. He fits the role of Arthur exactly as I would imagine.

[srsly-yes.livejournal.com]

I suppose it's inevitable that his singing will come up. I just wonder if many of the reviewers are young and perhaps unfamiliar with Burton and Harris' performances. Although, Burton is on YouTube and simply magnificent. I was fortunate to have caught his King Arthur when he toured back in the early 80s. He was magnetic on stage.

OTOH, I adore Britney Coleman's voice. Wish we could hear more. I'm also curious about Stephen Mark Lukas.

[discofunction.livejournal.com]

The best Arthurs weren't chosen for their singing ability but for their acting; to convey the ideas at the play's core.

Yes!

Great review!

[chanteyman.livejournal.com]

A great review of this play and of Robert Sean Leonard's performance as King Arthur. I wish I could see it. Thank you for sharing.

RE: Great review!

[discofunction.livejournal.com]

No problem! I wish I could see it too!

[sassyjumper.livejournal.com]

What a lovely review! "Boyish good looks" -- He's never going to escape that descriptor.

[discofunction.livejournal.com]

Yep 'Boyish good looks' seems to still be the go to description for RSL!
Personally, I think he has moved onto manly, rugged, good looks!

(Although... I think I even described him as having 'pretty boy bone structure' in a Kenneth O'Dwyer fanfic once... but I did counter it by saying it had been weathered by age and experience or something like that!)

[vanishing-time.livejournal.com]

Actually he DOES look really young in the few scenes when he's shown dancing... I was quite surprised to see his cheekbones so pronounced again. I hope he's not losing any more weight! :O

[cuddyclothes.livejournal.com]

Hi - I'll be posting later today about having seen Camelot with flywoman last Sunday. He was excellent. Much better than Richard Harris, IMO. Many subsidiary characters and subplots have been dropped from the original, which was all to the good. And (not) sorry to say, he has boyish good looks, but he looks WAY hotter with age!!