Reviewed by ShoreWhisperer
Song Time: 49 Minutes and 35 Seconds
Song Time: 49 Minutes and 35 Seconds
This is a classic in any book of broadway shows. The show was produced by Frederick Lowe and Alan Jay Lerner. It follows the famous story of King Arthur and his infamous round table. It also highlights their quest for equality and the perfect society while dealing with Guenevere and Lancelot’s scandalous romance.
Overture-8/10- This is a very typical overture. I have heard very many overtures and the really good ones are amazing but this one is just kind of boring. They play three songs throughout the whole thing. An overture is a mixture of all the songs usually and that isn’t what this is. Although, what I do like about it is that it shows the three sides of the story, the romance, the proper side of the court in search of the perfect society, and Arthur who is just everywhere throughout the play. So it does a good job summing up the whole show in a three-minute and sixteen second song.
March(parade)-2/10- This song is just instrumental music from the pit orchestra of the show and it is not something that I would want to listen to. I understand that this is an old musical and will admit that the percussion part is pretty awesome in this song but if I was sitting through a show and this is the first song of the show I would be asleep in two seconds and they would not have my attention at all for the rest of the show.
I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight?-2/10- I don’t like he starts out talking, it’s boring, and the song lyrics are silly and really quite dull. I don’t care what the king is doing and they make me laugh because lyrics are just so stupid. The song is really short and I feel that they could have made this talking. If the actor is good enough he should be able to get his feelings across the same way and in this case it would have been more entertaining that way.
The Simple Joys of maidenhood 5/10- The beginning of the song is a little strange and it is usually cut if you are singing it as a solo for anything but the show. This song genuinely makes me laugh because the lyrics are meant to be funny and they are actually funny. Guenevere is just so juvenile its funny. There is one problem though, the song goes nowhere. There is one dynamic level the whole time and that gets boring. It’s one level the whole time and so you stop listening to the singing and concentrate on the lyrics. If the lyrics weren’t so funny then the song would be a total bore.
Camelot- 5/10- Beware!!! This song gets stuck in your head constantly. It is a very catchy tune and thank god that the title song of the show is actually decent because that is always very important. But like all the previous songs there is no dynamic changes and the part of the song that is actually pretty good (the orchestra) is tuned out and again you listen to just the lyrics that are pretty good.
Follow Me- 1/10- This is the most boring song in the entire show. Like the rest of the songs it goes nowhere and this time the lyrics are not there to save the day. The song is boring and the orchestration isn’t even that good there is no exciting parts to it so it just puts you to sleep. Though the melody of the song is pretty the singer sings it very well.
C’est Moi- 6/10- This song is actually funny and I can actually say that I can like this song at points. The music is very repetitive at points and that gets boring as always but the lyrics are hysterical. This is the perfect way to introduce Lancelot. He is so arrogant and just way to good at the same time. You have to listen to the lyrics to appreciate this song. Otherwise it is not funny, the whole song is ironic if you know the rest of the show, which most people do. This is just a filler song though, a plot mover so it isn’t an important featured song.
The Lusty Month of May- 7/10- This is the first song we hear the ensemble and it’s a perfect song for that. This is quite a strange song. I have never heard anyone be so happy about being intimate with people. It’s really they are too happy, and the lyrics are just really creepy, I mean who sings about that stuff? Well that’s my rant for the day… I guess the song is ok. The chorus part is really fun and it’s like I can picture them picking flowers and wrapping a maypole. The tra-la-la’s are cute and makes the song a little a bit better.
Then You May Take Me To Fair-2 /10- This song is another stupid song, I don’t understand what the point of the song is. The lyrics are funny and are quite witty if you put it in the context of Guenevere’s first song. This song is even stranger when you know that she has a husband that she is in love with. She is using to get back at her husband but the song is boring and repetitive like the rest of the songs and so it puts you to sleep again. There is no change in the song and it sometimes left out in performances of the show. So this is another pointless song.
How To Handle A Woman- 5/10- This song is getting a fairly higher score than it deserves because the lyrics are actually really nice and I think every man in this world needs to listen to this song! Anyways, the rest of the song is nice it’s not spectacular and I would most likely change it if it played on my MP3 player. I do like the orchestration but then as always its the same tune over and over. I think that the person who wrote this show sometimes got too tired with this show and only gave it half his effort because there is no change in the music ever it’s always the same. Songs need to change to grasp a persons interest and these songs do not do that.
Before I Gaze at You Again- 3/10- This song is about Lancelot and how she has to be faithful to her husband so she cannot love Lancelot. She has to be able to look at him without showing any signs of their love. This song is a bore. I will not lie, I do like listening to this song. This show is three hours long. I have seen it and the dialogue is not that interesting so this song would most likely put me to asleep in the theater. That’s because, for one, I have been sitting in a dark theater for an hour and a half and there has been no intermission yet and two, the song is super slow and super boring. I don’t know about you but that is the recipe for a good nap. It’s just like every other song it doesn’t go anywhere and it’s quiet and demure. On its own though the song is decent and it’s pretty but it doesn’t fit well with the show because of the type of song it is.
If I Would Ever Leave You- 11/10- This is my favorite song in the whole show. There is a reason this is the only recognizable song except for Camelot that people know from this show. Why is this song so good compared to other songs? Well, my complaints about the other songs are fixed in this song. There are changes in the melody, it doesn’t repeat over and over again. Yes, it does repeat but the singer has …wait for it… a DYNAMIC CHANGE! It’s like a foreign concept in this show and this is the one time you hear it. Whenever I hear this song I get chills because the actor who plays Lancelot has to have this great dramatic crescendo and it makes me want to cry if they do it correctly. Then there are the lyrics. These lyrics are really interesting because there are a lot of verses and they all change, so you are always listening to the lyrics. This song is a classic and it deserves that title. You should listen to at least this one song if none of the others.
The Seven Deadly Virtues-8/10- This song is decent and I actually like it. I think it is hilarious, there isn’t much actual singing in it but if it is articulated and emoted right it’s actually pretty good. Of course there is no dynamics and it’s pretty repetitive but the orchestration is amazing in this song. I really love listening to it. The xylophone part is pretty amazing and the rest of it just make the song so that’s why this song gets a good rating. This song is not pretty either it’s an upbeat fun song that I would want to listen to especially because we are in the last tedious hour an a half part of the show.
What Do the Simple Folk Do? – 4/10- This song is really long. It’s the longest song in the entire cd at five minutes and four seconds. Not only is this song long it is excruciatingly repetitive. It’s not a really exciting or fast song either. In its defense, it can be funny if it is acted out right. Personally the four times they try to make each other happy is not really that funny they just end up looking really stupid. That’s probably the point of the song and it’s just wasted on me I guess because I’m thinking more about how Guenevere can be so two-faced. She is in love with Lancelot, and yet she still loves Arthur so why in the world is she with Lancelot. That’s my train of thought during this scene so the song is a little time filler for me to gain my thoughts.
Fie On Goodness- 8/10- This song is the strangest song I have ever heard, it’s stranger than the Lusty Month of May. They talk about so many things that I couldn’t keep track which is ok and for those who are wondering the word “fie” means an annoyance of some kind. So since the lyrics are quite repetitive and I listened to what they were saying and then tuned it out because it was all about women. The song is not actually that bad. There are dynamic changes which made me happy and then there were really cool sound effects like the vocal bagpipes which were awesome. Yeah, this song made me happy, but it is not my favorite by a long shot.
I Loved You Once in Silence- 6/10- This song is extremely depressing, in my opinion. I like this song and would listen to it but not in the context of the show because the show is almost over at this point and it’s another slow song. I don’t want to listen to another slow song. I just would want it to end so I can go the bathroom, personally. Besides, there is NO DYNAMIC CHANGE. I want to go to these actors and yell at them because there are no dynamics. Now I know that I am only a teenager but this ticks me off. I even know how to make a dynamic change, it’s not that hard and these people are a thousand times better than me. If the song had a dynamic changes then it would maybe be as good as If Ever I would Leave You.
Guenevere- 4/10- This song is decent. I would not listen to it on a regular basis but I could see why someone would. The beginning is a little frightening and I find the lyrics upsetting and boring. Then what really gets me is that there is this big ending that would be amazing even with a little crescendo and there is none. The top sopranos stay the same level through the whole song. If they had done that, just that, I would give it a ten just because the way the song is written would highlight that instead of the boring story like lyrics. So, this song makes me angry but if you like this song, I could see how that is possible. This song is just not my favorite.
Finale Ultimo (Camelot Reprise)- 10/10- Just so everyone is clear, I did not give this song a ten rating because it is the last song of the show. This song makes me cry. I know that is really cheesy but it does. The lyrics are really nice and it gives me shivers. I don’t know how the beginning is considered a song rather than lines with background music but it doesn’t matter because it all leads up to the last ensemble parts and I get shivers. Sir Tom has been knighted and then goes to save the legend of Camelot and Arthur steps into battle for his dying kingdom, it’s a really touching scene but the best is the end. It’s the cherry on top for the whole show because they have this amazing crescendo and that’s when the tears come. I think that they were saving all their energy for this one crescendo because it is amazing. It gives the show a little more credit than it would have without this song. This is the real show-stopper and it makes for a really good ending.
Real Teen Rating~ D : Listen to this only if forced to do so…
Overture-8/10- This is a very typical overture. I have heard very many overtures and the really good ones are amazing but this one is just kind of boring. They play three songs throughout the whole thing. An overture is a mixture of all the songs usually and that isn’t what this is. Although, what I do like about it is that it shows the three sides of the story, the romance, the proper side of the court in search of the perfect society, and Arthur who is just everywhere throughout the play. So it does a good job summing up the whole show in a three-minute and sixteen second song.
March(parade)-2/10- This song is just instrumental music from the pit orchestra of the show and it is not something that I would want to listen to. I understand that this is an old musical and will admit that the percussion part is pretty awesome in this song but if I was sitting through a show and this is the first song of the show I would be asleep in two seconds and they would not have my attention at all for the rest of the show.
I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight?-2/10- I don’t like he starts out talking, it’s boring, and the song lyrics are silly and really quite dull. I don’t care what the king is doing and they make me laugh because lyrics are just so stupid. The song is really short and I feel that they could have made this talking. If the actor is good enough he should be able to get his feelings across the same way and in this case it would have been more entertaining that way.
The Simple Joys of maidenhood 5/10- The beginning of the song is a little strange and it is usually cut if you are singing it as a solo for anything but the show. This song genuinely makes me laugh because the lyrics are meant to be funny and they are actually funny. Guenevere is just so juvenile its funny. There is one problem though, the song goes nowhere. There is one dynamic level the whole time and that gets boring. It’s one level the whole time and so you stop listening to the singing and concentrate on the lyrics. If the lyrics weren’t so funny then the song would be a total bore.
Camelot- 5/10- Beware!!! This song gets stuck in your head constantly. It is a very catchy tune and thank god that the title song of the show is actually decent because that is always very important. But like all the previous songs there is no dynamic changes and the part of the song that is actually pretty good (the orchestra) is tuned out and again you listen to just the lyrics that are pretty good.
Follow Me- 1/10- This is the most boring song in the entire show. Like the rest of the songs it goes nowhere and this time the lyrics are not there to save the day. The song is boring and the orchestration isn’t even that good there is no exciting parts to it so it just puts you to sleep. Though the melody of the song is pretty the singer sings it very well.
C’est Moi- 6/10- This song is actually funny and I can actually say that I can like this song at points. The music is very repetitive at points and that gets boring as always but the lyrics are hysterical. This is the perfect way to introduce Lancelot. He is so arrogant and just way to good at the same time. You have to listen to the lyrics to appreciate this song. Otherwise it is not funny, the whole song is ironic if you know the rest of the show, which most people do. This is just a filler song though, a plot mover so it isn’t an important featured song.
The Lusty Month of May- 7/10- This is the first song we hear the ensemble and it’s a perfect song for that. This is quite a strange song. I have never heard anyone be so happy about being intimate with people. It’s really they are too happy, and the lyrics are just really creepy, I mean who sings about that stuff? Well that’s my rant for the day… I guess the song is ok. The chorus part is really fun and it’s like I can picture them picking flowers and wrapping a maypole. The tra-la-la’s are cute and makes the song a little a bit better.
Then You May Take Me To Fair-2 /10- This song is another stupid song, I don’t understand what the point of the song is. The lyrics are funny and are quite witty if you put it in the context of Guenevere’s first song. This song is even stranger when you know that she has a husband that she is in love with. She is using to get back at her husband but the song is boring and repetitive like the rest of the songs and so it puts you to sleep again. There is no change in the song and it sometimes left out in performances of the show. So this is another pointless song.
How To Handle A Woman- 5/10- This song is getting a fairly higher score than it deserves because the lyrics are actually really nice and I think every man in this world needs to listen to this song! Anyways, the rest of the song is nice it’s not spectacular and I would most likely change it if it played on my MP3 player. I do like the orchestration but then as always its the same tune over and over. I think that the person who wrote this show sometimes got too tired with this show and only gave it half his effort because there is no change in the music ever it’s always the same. Songs need to change to grasp a persons interest and these songs do not do that.
Before I Gaze at You Again- 3/10- This song is about Lancelot and how she has to be faithful to her husband so she cannot love Lancelot. She has to be able to look at him without showing any signs of their love. This song is a bore. I will not lie, I do like listening to this song. This show is three hours long. I have seen it and the dialogue is not that interesting so this song would most likely put me to asleep in the theater. That’s because, for one, I have been sitting in a dark theater for an hour and a half and there has been no intermission yet and two, the song is super slow and super boring. I don’t know about you but that is the recipe for a good nap. It’s just like every other song it doesn’t go anywhere and it’s quiet and demure. On its own though the song is decent and it’s pretty but it doesn’t fit well with the show because of the type of song it is.
If I Would Ever Leave You- 11/10- This is my favorite song in the whole show. There is a reason this is the only recognizable song except for Camelot that people know from this show. Why is this song so good compared to other songs? Well, my complaints about the other songs are fixed in this song. There are changes in the melody, it doesn’t repeat over and over again. Yes, it does repeat but the singer has …wait for it… a DYNAMIC CHANGE! It’s like a foreign concept in this show and this is the one time you hear it. Whenever I hear this song I get chills because the actor who plays Lancelot has to have this great dramatic crescendo and it makes me want to cry if they do it correctly. Then there are the lyrics. These lyrics are really interesting because there are a lot of verses and they all change, so you are always listening to the lyrics. This song is a classic and it deserves that title. You should listen to at least this one song if none of the others.
The Seven Deadly Virtues-8/10- This song is decent and I actually like it. I think it is hilarious, there isn’t much actual singing in it but if it is articulated and emoted right it’s actually pretty good. Of course there is no dynamics and it’s pretty repetitive but the orchestration is amazing in this song. I really love listening to it. The xylophone part is pretty amazing and the rest of it just make the song so that’s why this song gets a good rating. This song is not pretty either it’s an upbeat fun song that I would want to listen to especially because we are in the last tedious hour an a half part of the show.
What Do the Simple Folk Do? – 4/10- This song is really long. It’s the longest song in the entire cd at five minutes and four seconds. Not only is this song long it is excruciatingly repetitive. It’s not a really exciting or fast song either. In its defense, it can be funny if it is acted out right. Personally the four times they try to make each other happy is not really that funny they just end up looking really stupid. That’s probably the point of the song and it’s just wasted on me I guess because I’m thinking more about how Guenevere can be so two-faced. She is in love with Lancelot, and yet she still loves Arthur so why in the world is she with Lancelot. That’s my train of thought during this scene so the song is a little time filler for me to gain my thoughts.
Fie On Goodness- 8/10- This song is the strangest song I have ever heard, it’s stranger than the Lusty Month of May. They talk about so many things that I couldn’t keep track which is ok and for those who are wondering the word “fie” means an annoyance of some kind. So since the lyrics are quite repetitive and I listened to what they were saying and then tuned it out because it was all about women. The song is not actually that bad. There are dynamic changes which made me happy and then there were really cool sound effects like the vocal bagpipes which were awesome. Yeah, this song made me happy, but it is not my favorite by a long shot.
I Loved You Once in Silence- 6/10- This song is extremely depressing, in my opinion. I like this song and would listen to it but not in the context of the show because the show is almost over at this point and it’s another slow song. I don’t want to listen to another slow song. I just would want it to end so I can go the bathroom, personally. Besides, there is NO DYNAMIC CHANGE. I want to go to these actors and yell at them because there are no dynamics. Now I know that I am only a teenager but this ticks me off. I even know how to make a dynamic change, it’s not that hard and these people are a thousand times better than me. If the song had a dynamic changes then it would maybe be as good as If Ever I would Leave You.
Guenevere- 4/10- This song is decent. I would not listen to it on a regular basis but I could see why someone would. The beginning is a little frightening and I find the lyrics upsetting and boring. Then what really gets me is that there is this big ending that would be amazing even with a little crescendo and there is none. The top sopranos stay the same level through the whole song. If they had done that, just that, I would give it a ten just because the way the song is written would highlight that instead of the boring story like lyrics. So, this song makes me angry but if you like this song, I could see how that is possible. This song is just not my favorite.
Finale Ultimo (Camelot Reprise)- 10/10- Just so everyone is clear, I did not give this song a ten rating because it is the last song of the show. This song makes me cry. I know that is really cheesy but it does. The lyrics are really nice and it gives me shivers. I don’t know how the beginning is considered a song rather than lines with background music but it doesn’t matter because it all leads up to the last ensemble parts and I get shivers. Sir Tom has been knighted and then goes to save the legend of Camelot and Arthur steps into battle for his dying kingdom, it’s a really touching scene but the best is the end. It’s the cherry on top for the whole show because they have this amazing crescendo and that’s when the tears come. I think that they were saving all their energy for this one crescendo because it is amazing. It gives the show a little more credit than it would have without this song. This is the real show-stopper and it makes for a really good ending.
Real Teen Rating~ D : Listen to this only if forced to do so…
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