“One Brief Shining Moment:” A Study of the Genesis and Development of Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot (1960)

Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s Broadway musical Camelot (1960) has an enduring cultural significance, yet it remains largely overlooked by musical theatre scholars and subsequent revivals are often met with a luke-warm response. By presenting a critical edition, alongside a thesis that documents the creation and genesis of Camelot, this project accounts for the musical’s precarious position within the Broadway canon, whilst providing new knowledge to the field and new apparatus with which to approach contemporary productions. The critical edition presents Camelot as it was when it achieved ‘hit’ status, an editorial decision supported by the thesis's exploration of the musical’s development, which aims to demystify Camelot’s complex performance history. An in-depth examination of materials preserved in the edition then demonstrates how during its try-out period Camelot was streamlined to centre King Arthur and his idealism to the detriment of Guenevere’s character development. Whereas previous scholarship has tended to focus on the musical’s political associations, I argue that by approaching its development through a feminist lens we discover that earlier versions of the musical represented a more progressive and liberal approach to Guenevere and the famous love affair than that which is usually staged today. Drawing on historical and reception studies, alongside critical analysis, the critical edition and accompanying thesis advocate for a new approach to Camelot, illuminating its potential to be re-imagined for a modern-day audience.