“Last Queen of Camelot” reviewed by Julia W. Rath

[rating=4]“The Last Queen of Camelot” is a new adaptation of the Arthurian legend, written and directed by Evan Jackson. Using shades of Middle English and a largely Shakespearean dialect, this play is based on the familiar story of Camelot—but with a twist having to do with female empowerment, largely in the characters of Queen Guinevere (Caty Gordon) and Morgan le Fay (Elizabeth McDougald). In this version of the tale, the women are strong individuals: full human beings with their own needs, wants, desires, and dreams. They maneuver for power and do not play second fiddle to the Knights of the Round Table.

True to the well-known narrative, King Arthur (Joel Thompson) does two major things to bring peace to his realm. First, he marries his wife Guinevere to forge a strategic alliance, and second, he perpetuates the Knights of the Round Table: those lieges who have pledged their lives and their sacred honor not just to the king and queen personally but to their unified nation. At the same time, Morgan (who is hinted at as being King Arthur’s sister) seeks the power of the throne for her own son Sir Mordred (Xavier Lagunas) and is more than willing to sacrifice the almost utopian kingdom in order for him to claim rulership. What eventually threatens the alliance among the knights are rumors that begin to circulate after Queen Guinevere has an affair with Sir Lancelot (Jack Sharkey).

In the first act and in some spots throughout, there are moments when some historical background (or knowledge of literature) would have been helpful in advance of the show in order to understand the various characters and their motivations for action. For example, at the very beginning, we don’t understand why the various knights are fighting with each other or why King Arthur has made it his mission to end all war. We never fully understand the significance of the sword Excalibur except by implication. We can only guess at the bargain struck between Guinevere’s father King Leodegrance and King Arthur regarding the arranged marriage. However, once the main characters are more fully developed by the end of the first act, it is then that the audience can examine the finer points of the story. We get to see more personal interaction between the various Knights of the Round Table: for instance, Sir Dagonet (Brendan Hutt), Sir Kay (Troy Schaeflein), Sir Gawaine (Ross Compton), and Sir Percival (Jamie Redwood)—who happens to be a female knight. Merlin the magician (Laura Jones Macknin) is also female in this version of the tale. We are also introduced to the fate of Lady Elaine (Jennifer Mohr), Lancelot’s previous love interest. Sparked by the conflict between good and evil and the desire to have and to hold power, the play pits culture-bound expectations for behavior against the more universal adage of “Live and let live” in combination with the forces of cunning and deception.

The show features great stage directing, with all the characters constantly in motion. Highest praise must go to violence designer Libby Beyreis and to intimacy designer Jen Mickelson for the fine realism in the various fight scenes and other sequences where there is close contact among the actors. This is what makes the production! Stina Taylor’s relatively barren stage becomes the backdrop for action that takes place indoors and outdoors, and in all manner of wartime and peacetime settings, plus the temper of each scene is perfectly augmented by Laura Wiley’s lighting design. Music direction by Kati Lechner, in combination with music and sound designer L.J. Luthringer, creates the most ideal ambiance. I was especially pleased with the musical number that leads off the second act. It enhances the plot by showing contentment while demonstrating the cultural underpinnings of a quixotic bygone romantic era—in sharp contrast to the deception and manipulation among Morgan and Mordred lying just beneath the surface. Costume designer Amanda Freja Johanson has fitted the actors with an array of authentic garments from the Middle Ages; while Tristan Brandon, as props designer, has brought together all sorts of authentic weapons of war from that era. If there is any downside to the production, it is the overuse of mist. Does it really have to be hanging in the air from the moment the audience enters the theatre until the very end of the show? I can see its possible use in spots for effect to amplify the plot, but it is absolutely unnecessary throughout the entire performance. Plus there can be health issues among those who are particularly sensitive to breathing in so much water vapor.*

While the first act is very good, the second act is great. What I liked best about this show is that it can be considered the newest installment in the evolution of the Camelot story. Today’s narrative is reminiscent of playing a good game of chess: where the queen is the most powerful piece and the king is largely confined by the actions of his adherents. Although the King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table rule the land, it is the underlying battle between each of the queens for supremacy that threatens the peace. When the two most powerful women in Camelot (in the personages of Guinevere and Morgan) find their own voices, define their own destinies, and draw their own swords when necessary, it is the chessboard knights who follow—to the destruction of the realm.

Idle Muse Theatre Company’s production of “The Last Queen of Camelot” is playing through April 23, 2023 at The Edge Off-Broadway Theater, 1133 W Catalpa Avenue, in Edgewater.

General admission tickets – $20
Students and Seniors -$15
Industry tickets (Thursday nights only) -$10
Group pricing available upon request.

Performance Schedule thru 4/23:

Thursdays   8 p.m.

Fridays,       8 p.m.

Saturdays   8:00 p.m.
Sundays      3:00 p.m.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.IdleMuse.org or call the Idle Muse Theatre Company box office at 773-340-9438.

For more information about The Edge Off-Broadway Theater, including the most recent COVID-19 advice, go to: https://www.edgetheater.com/.

Note that at the present moment, all patrons must wear a mask for the foreseeable future. Please check Idle Muse’s website for any changes to their COVID policy.

*Using so much mist in such a confined space was causing me to have breathing problems, and I was not the only one to mention this to the director. He told me that they are using a brand new invention, a sugar-water mister, purchased specifically to create theatrical fog for this production. The mist being created is not supposed to cause any harm to the actors and is considered generally safe to be around. Nevertheless, I am one of those people who is very sensitive to theatrical fog. I don’t want to cough during the performance—especially in a small theatre where it’s virtually impossible to leave the room without interfering with the show. It also affects me afterwards.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “The Last Queen of Camelot”.