On the surface, Aaron Sorkin’s passion for writing about American politics, law, and media might not make him an obvious candidate to reimagine the book of a classic American musical based on an English legend. But as he discussed with Lincoln Center Theater's dramaturg Jenna Clark Embrey, the emotional and ideological questions at the center of CAMELOT have nothing to do with magic. Instead, the show explores the dilemma of an idealistic leader whose values are challenged by the messy, moral ambiguities of real life.

 

For fans of Lerner and Loewe’s original, and of THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING, the series of fantasy novels by T. H. White on which the musical is based, the most striking change to the story will be the absence of magic. Arthur is not transformed into animals by Merlyn; Morgan is not a fairy-tale witch; there is no ‘invisible wall’ trapping the King. Says director Bartlett Sher: “[Sorkin] likes the political idea that maybe Arthur pulled the sword out of the stone but, as Guenevere reminds him, ten thousand people loosened it before him. [This] is a very big, democratic idea, as opposed to a magical one, and that’s central to his point of view.”

 

“If magic is involved, I feel like the stakes aren’t as high” says Sorkin, ”I knew that one of the things that I wanted to do was tell the story without any supernatural elements… I thought it might be interesting to see how this story lands if it feels real, if it feels like it’s taking place in the world that we’re living in. Because, as sad as the end of the story may be, it is also meant to be inspirational. Look what humans are capable of if we reach high.”