May 17, 2024

by Kristen Nevarez Schweizer

“The musical could have been called King Arthur because he is complete and complex. Everyone else is part of his story. From generation to generation, he remains a beloved character,” said Jeffrey B. Moss, director of North Coast Repertory Theatre’s Camelot, which runs June 1– 23, 2024.

Camelot from Lerner & Lowe, based on the 1940 “The Once and Future King” novel collection by T.H. White (which is based on the 1485 Middle English work Le Morte d’Arhur), musically recounts the ancient legend of King Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, Merlin, and the knights of the round table.

The classic production (with new orchestrations by Steve Orich) is in good hands; director Moss has staged more than 35 national and international musical tours of popular and classic shows from Legally Blonde to Man of La Mancha and developed critically acclaimed new musicals, including Bock and Harnick’s Rothschild & Son which ran in New York and London. His diverse resume showcases his encyclopedic knowledge of musical theater, easily quoting Hamilton and shows from the Golden Age of musical theater.

“We call it the Golden Age because gold is forever. We didn’t know we were in it when we were in it. We only knew the shows were good,” Moss said, in part to describe why he—and audiences—continue to return to Camelot. “When Camelot came out [in 1960], so many compared King Arthur to [former United States president John F.] Kennedy, a man who emerges in a dark, lawless world and finds a way of making it better but ultimately is a leader of unfulfilled promise. This character has to choose between his own needs and the needs of the society he has created. And he has to ask: is anyone above the law? It’s the same songs and the same story, yet it speaks to a new generation because the questions remain worth asking.”

Camelot is in the zeitgeist again, partly thanks to the 2023 re-written (by Aaron Sorkin) version, which closed early on Broadway. North Coast Rep instead stays true to the humor, sex appeal, and magic of the original script and offers its fresh spin with a small, talented cast and adapting the staging for North Coast Rep’s intimate space.

“Being so close [to the audience] means subtly matters. Every [audience] seat feels like you’re leaning into something and discovering something just for yourself. Everyone is a voyeur at North Coast Rep and this is perfect for the secrets uncovered in Camelot. Those who have seen it before will still be surprised by the same story.” 

Camelot is Moss’s fourth show with North Coast Rep. Audiences can look forward to previews beginning May 29 and opening night on June 1, 2024. 

North Coast Repertory Theatre
Camelot
Book & Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
New Orchestrations by Steve Orich
Directed by Jeffrey B. Moss
May 29-June 30, 2025 
Post-Show director and cast talkback: June 7. Ticket costs start at $54, more information is found at www.northcoastrep.org.

North Coast Rep
987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive
Solana Beach, CA 92075

Previews start May 29, 2024
Opens: June 1, 2024
Closes: July 7, 2024
Wed., Thurs., Sun. @ 7pm, Fri. & Sat @ 8pm; Sat & Sun @ 2pm
Added matinee performances at 2pm on Friday, May 31 and Wednesday, June 19.

Previews                                        $54.00
Week Nights                              $67.00
Sat. Nights & Matinees              $79.00
Sunday Nights                           $65.00