Studio Tenn, the Franklin-based professional regional theatre company, has announced a special guest director and the full cast for its upcoming production of Lerner & Loewe’s CAMELOT. Performances will run May 5-15 in Jamison Theater in The Factory at Franklin, and tickets are available on the Studio Tenn website.
Philip Wm. McKinley will direct the famed stage and silver screen classic, bringing a wealth of experience and professional acclaim to lead Studio Tenn’s nine-person cast. In McKinley’s decorated career, he has directed record-breaking productions from Broadway to Salzburg to Tokyo. His production of SPIDERMAN: TURN OFF THE DARK, with music by Bono and The Edge, is one of the top-20 box-office grossing shows in Broadway history.
“Directing CAMELOT for Studio Tenn has given me the wonderful opportunity to return to the theater after two years of Covid exile,” said McKinley. “This reimagined and reinvented production will give audiences the opportunity to rediscover this classic musical from the golden age of Broadway, rarely produced by contemporary theater companies.”
McKinley also directed the five-time, Tony-nominated Broadway musical THE BOY FROM OZ starring Hugh Jackman, the revival of THE MOST HAPPY FELLA starring Paul Sorvino at the New York City Opera, the Drama Desk-nominated hip comedy THWAK, and the cult Off-Broadway musical ZOMBIE PROM. He has written, directed, choreographed and produced myriad productions both domestically and internationally.
“These are the opportunities we dream about, bringing Broadway directors such as Phil McKinley to Middle Tennessee to lead an incredibly talented cast and crew,” said Patrick Cassidy, Studio Tenn’s artistic director. “His interest in Studio Tenn demonstrates just how fortunate we are to have arts of this quality in our community.
“Lerner & Loewe’s mesmerizing score is a big part of our show. But in David Lee’s new adaptation, he focuses on the heartbreaking love triangle between Arthur, Guenevere and Lancelot like never before, as well as the Round Table and the real beginnings of democracy.. It will truly be something the audience hasn’t seen before.”
The cast for CAMELOT brings a range of talent and experience to the Jamison Theater stage. Steffanie Leigh, who played the title character in the Broadway production MARY POPPINS, as well as Liane d’Exelmans in GIGI (and has numerous other prominent stage and television credits), will play Guenevere. Brian Gligor will play Arthur after a long list of international, regional, film and television performances, including Mark in RENT. The full cast:
Steffanie Leigh: Rev 7/Guenevere
Brian Gligor: Rev 6/Arthur
Bryce Dunn: Rev 8/Lancelot
Annie Huckaba: Reveler 1/Dap
Easton J. Curtis: Rev 2/Dinadan
Darian Goulding: Rev 3/Sagramore
Curtis Reed: Rev 4/Lionel
Abram Guice: Rev 5/Mordred
Alan Harrisohn Foeder: Tom
Dustin Davis: Swing
Borrowing from the Arthurian legends, Lerner and Loewe’s CAMELOT triumphed on Broadway in a legendary original production that led to a film version, as well as numerous revivals in New York, London, and across the globe. The album from the production topped the charts for 60 weeks, with a rich score boasting such gems as “If Ever I Would Leave You,” “I Loved You Once in Silence,” “The Lusty Month of May” and “Camelot.”
The CAMELOT story follows an idealistic, young King Arthur as he hopes to create a kingdom built on honor and dignity, embodied by his Knights of The Round Table. His Ideals are tested when his lovely queen, Guenevere, falls in love with the young knight, Lancelot, and the fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance.
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