Broadway – Inspired by the Legend

by | May 28, 2014 | Editorial

We all have negative bias to some degree. We tend to notice and focus on what's wrong in our day, our lives, our country, more than on what's right. The experts tell us this has a biological, evolutionary basis.

May 29th is the birthday of T.H. White, author of The Once and Future King, a four-volume work about King Arthur and The Round Table. I have always been intrigued by the Arthurian legends and one of my favorite Broadway musicals is Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot, based on the T.H. White book.
The brilliant lyrics of Alan Jay Lerner and the soaring pageantry of Frederick Loewe’s music transport me back to that magical time. I can listen to Julie Andrews sing “The Simple Joys of Maidenhood,” and Richard Burton sing, “I Wonder What The King Is Doing Tonight” all day long. And the wistful, enchanting title song is among my Broadway favorites.
Also enchanting is Alan Jay Lerner’s own account of the making of Camelot. In his delightful 1978 memoir, The Street Where I Live, he writes about how his production manager came into his office with a review of a new book, The Once and Future King. “Lerner,” he said, “here’s your next show.”
Alan Jay Lerner read T.H. White’s book and one of the greatest Broadway musicals of all time, Camelot, was born.

May 29th is the birthday of T.H. White, author of The Once and Future King, a four-volume work about King Arthur and The Round Table. I have always been intrigued by the Arthurian legends and one of my favorite Broadway musicals is Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot, based on the T.H. White book.
The brilliant lyrics of Alan Jay Lerner and the soaring pageantry of Frederick Loewe’s music transport me back to that magical time. I can listen to Julie Andrews sing “The Simple Joys of Maidenhood,” and Richard Burton sing, “I Wonder What The King Is Doing Tonight” all day long. And the wistful, enchanting title song is among my Broadway favorites.
Also enchanting is Alan Jay Lerner’s own account of the making of Camelot. In his delightful 1978 memoir, The Street Where I Live, he writes about how his production manager came into his office with a review of a new book, The Once and Future King. “Lerner,” he said, “here’s your next show.”
Alan Jay Lerner read T.H. White’s book and one of the greatest Broadway musicals of all time, Camelot, was born.