Clara Althaus (center) and Cast Photo by Joyce Morrell

Some of the best minutes of the Coastal Rep production occur in the opening sequences as we first meet both the young king Arthur and his bride-to-be Guenevere. As he sings the comically pleasing opener, "I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight," Scott Johnston's Arthur exudes in mannerisms and vocals a boyish, whimsical spirit as he anticipates meeting a politically negotiated bride yet to be seen. As he retreats up a nearby tree to spy on the arriving princess, he hears her grousing about becoming Queen, preferring to live a more ordinary life.

From her first few notes as she sings "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood," Clara Althaus establishes herself as the main reason to grab a ticket for this particular Camelot. With a lyrically gorgeous voice that floats delightfully and carefree through the song, her Guenevere also adds just enough vibrato to underline certain words to provide insights into her character and emotions. Time and again as the musical proceeds, Clara Althaus draws both sighs and applause from the audience as her lilting notes so full of clarity and purity make numbers like "Before I Gaze at You Again" and "I Loved You Once in Silence" the true highlights of the production. Further, Althaus rises to the top of this cast in terms of the authenticity and naturalness of her acting, making transparent shifts in her maturity, love attentions, and internal conflicts of where to place her devotions.

That progression of character development is lacking in Scott Johnston's Arthur. His Arthur never appears to age or mature beyond his youthful nature, and his vocals remain much like we heard them in the opening song. He is pleasant enough as the too-idealistic, somewhat naive king, but his presence in an important song like "How to Handle a Woman" lacks the naturalness and confidence of a man in love.

The third slot of the musical's love triangle, that of the arriving French knight, Lancelot, is filled by Andre Guardado who brings pleasing enough presence and vocals but not those that command the attention the part deserves. There is not much variance in the expressions of this knight who enters with an ego greatly inflated and who grows to love both Arthur and Guenevere, but in very different ways and for very different, desired outcomes. His introductory "C'est Moi" in which he declares himself "the godliest man I know" falls a bit flat in terms of its potential effect, largely because this Lancelot is too subdued in its delivery.

A couple of minor characters do leave more memorable impressions. An aging, much disheveled King Pellinore who has been wandering the countryside for years "chasing the beast" arrives unexpectedly at Arthur's court and never leaves, much to our enjoyment. Eric Mellum (also playing Merlin) is awarded many of Lerner's best comic lines–"When I sink my teeth into something, I sometimes leave them there"–and his Pelli delivers them with twinkle, devilishness and spunk.

Arthur's illegitimate son Mordred arrives with the purpose of destroying his father and taking over the kingdom. Jackson Velez sizzles with Mordred's evil intentions, lounging on the king's throne while sounding forth "The Seven Deadly Virtues" with appropriately biting vocals. Mordred is joined by his usually invisible Aunt Morgan Le Fey (a deliciously despicable Katherine Nails) as they devise a trap for Arthur while singing with mean muster an amusing "The Persuasion."

Besides the issues of slow pacing within and between scenes, the ensemble and choreographic aspects of this production too often are passably enjoyable but not memorable. Part of the issue is the accompanying and underlying score as delivered by a recording that never fills the auditorium with a sound anywhere near natural. From two corner speakers in the front, the recorded music sounds too far away and too much like what it is, a recording.

But, fortunately, in the end, there is the memory of Guenevere that makes the time spent revisiting this beloved tale of Camelot at Coastal Repertory Company worthwhile.

Camelot runs through March 30, 2025, at Coastal Repertory Theatre, 1167 Main Street, Half Moon Bay CA. For tickets and information, please visit www.coastalrep.com.