The classic 1960 musical Camelot will be produced for the 4th time in Kalamazoo Civic Theatre history starting Sep 19 and running for two weekends. The centennial revival is directed by Anthony Hamilton, with Marie Kerstetter as music director. Kerstetter, who has music-directed all four of the Civic's productions of the show, says, "I love this show, I love the music, I love the story." In his Civic debut, Brandt Trotter will star as Lancelot. All three join Cara Lieurance for a preview of the show.
Hamilton says the show "is going to be magical" and hopes it will "bring back memories of... glory days at the Civic." The production features a live orchestra, which music director Marie Kerstetter says has a rare, conversational quality. "The brass will speak, the woodwinds will answer," she explains.
The cast includes Brandt Trotter in his Civic debut as Lancelot. Reflecting on his audition experience, Trotter says it was "a really, really fulfilling experience." He notes that despite being new to the theater, he was met with a "warm environment" and felt supported by the other auditioning actors. His character Lancelot is described as a complex figure who, despite believing himself to be "incredibly clean with virtue to spare," finds himself unexpectedly tempted by love.
Camelot opens on Friday, September 19th and runs for two weeks. Individual tickets are on sale now at the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre website.
This article was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
