New Camelot musical revival set for Broadway with Aaron Sorkin adapting book

Lincoln Center Theater in New York has announced dates for a Broadway revival of Lerner and Loewe's Camelot, which will begin preview at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on 3 November ahead of an official opening night on 8 December.

Based on T H White's The Once and Future King, Camelot tells the story of King Arthur's court through classic songs by lyricist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe like "If Ever I Would Leave You," "What Do the Simple Folk Do?," and the title song "Camelot." Originally produced on Broadway in 1960, and starring Richard Burton and Julie Andrews, the show has become associated with the Kennedy White House.

The production will be helmed by Bartlett Sher, reuniting with playwright Aaron Sorkin, (To Kill a Mockingbird), who is writing an updated book based on Lerner's original. The pair are about to open Mockingbird in the West End, with a press night this week.

A press release for the production describes Camelot as "a story about the quest for democracy, striving for justice, and the tragic struggle between passion and aspiration, between lovers and kingdoms."

Sher has become the go-to director for lavish revivals of golden age Broadway musicals: he has previously directed productions of South Pacific in New York, as well as the hit The King and I (which ran at The London Palladium in 2018), and My Fair Lady, which will run at the London Coliseum this summer with a cast including Amara Okereke and Harry Hadden-Paton.

Camelot was last revived on Broadway in 1993 with Robert Goulet moving into the role of King Arthur (he originated the part of Lancelot in 1960). It was seen in concert at the Palladium in February.

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