Originally published on JewishBoston.com.

King Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin and Guenevere have taken the stage at Providence’s Trinity Repertory Company, but don’t look for castles, armor, or lances. In Curt Columbus’s production, Camelot has been reset in a tube station during the Blitz, when British civilians sought safety underground as German bombs pelleted the city. I applaud Columbus’s wililngness to treat a classic musical with the same respect and spirit of experimentation he would treat a Shakespearean play. And it’s not a terrible idea for a framing device, both because during the Blitz British theater companies did, in fact, perform in the tube to help keep spirits up, and because Camelot’s source, The Once and Future King, originated in the World War II era. But it’s not a burst of genius that will shed new light on this classic story for you, either.  Continue reading →