‘Camelot’ holds court on INB stage

Whether King Arthur actually existed is a question debated by modern-day historians. What isn’t debatable is the impact this supposed fifth century British ruler has made on popular culture.

There are cartoons, comic books, novels, histories, documentaries and operas that tell of the Arthurian legend. Movies serious (“Excalibur”), romantic (“Sword of Lancelot”) and profoundly silly (“Monty Python and the Holy Grail”) have all told stories of King Arthur, his queen, Guenevere, the brave Sir Lancelot and the other Knights of the Round Table. And there’s the Broadway musical.

“Camelot,” written by Alan Lerner and Frederick Loewe, debuted on Broadway in 1960, featuring a to-die-for cast of Richard Burton as Arthur, Julie Andrews as Guenevere, Robert Goulet as Lancelot and Roddy McDowall as Mordred. It won four Tony Awards, and its original cast album spent six weeks atop the Billboard album chart (and was on the chart for more than year).

Now, a spiffed-up version of this venerable production is touring the country, landing at the INB on Thursday as part of the Best of Broadway series.

Mary McNulty, who plays Guenevere, is not a stranger to “Camelot.” She was Lady Anne a couple of years ago at Chicago Light Opera Works.

“It’s kind of fun to move from handmaiden to queen,” she said in a recent phone interview.

The musical is based on the book “The Once and Future King.” In this re-envisioned production, the artistic staff went back and looked at the book and the original Lerner and Loewe foundation with “fresh eyes,” she said.

So what’s different from earlier versions? The aesthetic is the first thing people will notice, she said. The look is more “Game of Thrones” – but without all the bloodshed.

“It’s a little bit darker, more grand, more epic, more gritty than your run of the mill ‘Camelot,’ ” she said. “This is going to be a much more focused look at the love triangle between Arthur, Guenevere and Lancelot, and bringing these three people to life in a human way.”

They go, she said, for a more authentic look. “The costumes are all extremely medieval,” McNulty said. “The armor is real, swords are real, the shields are real. My gowns are all hand-sewn pieces of art.”

The music, of course, is the same. “The Lusty Month of May,” “The Simple Joys of Maidenhood,” “What Do the Simple Folk Do” – all there. Just don’t ask McNulty to pick a favorite.

She loves getting to hang out with the ensemble for “May” – “We all get to be a little wild in the number” – and “Simple Folk,” her duet with Arthur, is a “fascinating number.”

“The tune is so simple, but the meaning of the song – Arthur and Guenevere are trying to repair their relationship, trying to comfort each other,” she said.

She’s been on the road with “Camelot” for more than 100 shows, and she relishes getting to dive into her character.

“Guenevere is really one of legend’s most famous women, and in ‘Camelot,’ the musical version, she’s kind of the only female representation, and that’s kind of daunting in and of itself,” McNulty said. “Guenevere is this strong, smart, empowered woman who knows what she wants in a time when it wasn’t necessarily OK for a noblewoman to say, ‘This is what I want.’ … She demands respect.”