Arthur - Excalibur
| Musical dates | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Arthur - Excalibur |
| Original title: | Arthur |
| Original language: | English |
| Music: | Frank Wildhorn |
| Book: | Ivan Menchell |
| Lyrics: | Robin Lerner |
| Literary source: | Arthurian legend |
| Premiere: | March 15, 2014 |
| Place of premiere: | Theater St. Gallen , St. Gallen , Switzerland |
| Playing time: | approx. 2.5 hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Britain , 5/6. century |
| Roles / people | |
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Artus - Excalibur is a musical by the American composer Frank Wildhorn . It is based on the legend about the mythological figure King Arthur , his sword Excalibur , his rule over Camelot and the legendary knights of the round table .
history
The original English-language book was written by Ivan Menchell, while the original lyrics were written by Robin Lerner. Nina Schneider was responsible for the German translation . The musical had its world premiere on March 15, 2014 in the St. Gallen Theater . The German premiere took place on June 18, 2016 as part of the Tecklenburg open-air theater , the Austrian premiere on July 22, 2016 on the Staatz rock stage .
action
The plot of the musical differs greatly in some aspects from the traditional versions of the saga.
prehistory
Britain is in the 5th / 6th Century a country that is deeply divided after the departure of the Romans and is in chaos due to the warfare of rival rulers. During this time, King Uther Pendragon met the beautiful Igraine, although he and his own wife already had a daughter named Morgana. Since Igraine is married, Uther only manages to get into her room with the help of the magician Merlin. Merlin's act is to make Uther look like Igraines' husband. In this form Uther outwits Igraine one night, the object of his desire. The two father a child. This child asks Merlin in return for his sorcery and baptizes him in the name of Arthur. Igraine dies giving birth to Arthur. Merlin lets Ector raise the child, but Arthur never reveals his true origin. Uther, on the other hand, very soon regrets his decision: not only his inheritance, but also the object of his desire have been snatched from him. When his wife finally dies too, Uther becomes cold and bitter. He casts his daughter Morgana away and banishes her to a nunnery.
Arthur is already an adult when a bloody war takes place between the kings Uther Pendragon and Loth of Orkney. Uther is killed, Loth emerges victorious and declares himself ruler of this area. The action begins after this devastating battle. ( Derived from the official St. Gallen program booklet )
first act
After the battle, the survivors gather and mourn the fallen ( The Field of Honor ). When the survivors leave, the magician Merlin appears and explains that the country needs a worthy king to unite it and heal its wounds. To find out who should be the real King of England, he gets the Excalibur sword and rams it into a large rock with the prophecy that only the real King can pull the sword out of the stone ( The Healer ).
Some time later, countless people gather around the rock and try to pull Excalibur out of the stone to fulfill the prophecy ( Excalibur ). Among them are Arthur, his father Ector and his friend Lancelot. While Arthur is convinced the sword is just a hoax, Lancelot and Ector firmly believe in the prophecy. Sir Gareth, the son of the tyrannical ruler Loth of Orkney, also tries to pull the sword out of the stone. When he does not succeed, he scolds the prophecy as a fraud in the church and tries to attack the priest, which breaks out in a skirmish between Loth's men, Gareth and Lancelot. Arthur wants to stand by his friend, so he climbs onto the rock and, to everyone's surprise, pulls Excalibur out of the stone. With that he drives Loth's men away, wounds Gareth and calm returns. When Arthur realizes, however, that he has pulled the legendary sword out of the stone and that the people fall on their knees in front of him and praises him as a true king, he shrinks back from responsibility in horror and asserts that he is not a king because he is not yet once descended from the noble family. Suddenly Merlin appears and explains to Arthur that he is not Ector's biological son, but was assigned to him as an infant a long time ago. When Ector confirms this, Arthur is shocked and takes refuge in the nearby woods.
In the woods Arthur meets Merlin again, who enlightens him about his true origin by letting him take a look into the past and thus showing him that his fate was predetermined ( Far from this world ). Arthur, however, is convinced that Merlin wants to use him for his own purposes and feels used and betrayed. He throws Excalibur away and refuses to accept his fate as king ( sword and stone ).
At the same time, Morgana, now also an adult, has a vision of Arthur. Now she understands why her father rejected her all that time and banished her to the monastery. She sees Arthur as the real reason for all her injustice suffered and seeks revenge. During a chastisement by the Mother Superior, she finally allies herself with the forces of darkness and swears vengeance ( sins of the fathers ).
The next morning Arthur wakes up in the woods and finds Excalibur close to him again. Merlin had slipped it back to him in his sleep. When Arthur throws the sword away from him again, he suddenly hears a voice. He follows this and sees a young woman saying a prayer for her deceased father. She recognizes Arthur immediately because she was there when he pulled Excalibur out of the stone. When Arthur blindly denies being the rightful king, the woman encourages him and explains the real meaning of heroism ( a true hero ). Artus feels drawn to the young woman and is a little more responsive. He is slowly accepting his fate. The woman introduces herself to him as Guinevere and leaves the clearing.
Arthur begins for the first time to consider what makes a true king and differentiates him from all others ( What makes a king ). But suddenly he is ambushed by a now disfigured Sir Gareth and his men. Lancelot joins them just in time and together the friends drive Gareth and his men away for the second time, whereby Arthur again refrains from killing him. Now Arthur has decided to become the new king, to challenge Loth and to heal the land. Suddenly Merlin appears and tells them that their destination is the legendary Camelot Castle. The magician shows them the way and after several days they reach their destination. However, Camelot is now only a ruin. When Arthur feels discouraged again, Merlin explains to him that Excalibur was also forged to create unity between people. Several people appear, among them Ector, and agree to support Arthur in the fight against tyranny. Together they rebuild Camelot and found the Knights of the Round Table. Lancelot becomes Arthur's first knight ( The Glorious Battle ).
After a short time the first complaints by the people reached Camelot. But before Arthur and his knights can take care of the needs, Morgana appears in the castle. Merlin realizes that she too has magical powers and that she is a serious threat. But when Arthur learns that Morgana is his half-sister, he is happy and welcomes her. But Morgana is now so eaten by vindictiveness that she rejects his offer and reclaims her rightful throne, which she had been denied for so long. She accuses Arthur of being the reason for her suffering ( What do I want here ). When Arthur does not respond to her demands, she disappears furiously.
Arthur realizes that he has fallen in love with Guinevere and decides to write her a letter asking her to follow him to Camelot. He assigns the delivery of the message to his youngest knight, Lucan. He reached Guinevere's residence without any further problems and was initially mistaken for an enemy because of his weapons. But when Lucan presented her letter to Arthur, she dropped all doubts. She, too, has meanwhile fallen in love with him and sees in him a light of hope for the country ( a new day ). She then decides to travel to Camelot immediately. Lucan escorts them.
Meanwhile Morgana reaches Loth's castle and offers him an alliance to overthrow Arthur. However, the tyrannical king is suspicious and threatens Morgana with death. However, when she uses her magic powers to present his soldiers with a suitable location for an ambush on Guinevere, Loth is convinced of the alliance. Eventually the two marry and thus unite the Pendragon family with that of Orkney. Loth not only has a larger army than Arthur, but also Morgana's dark forces on his side.
Loth sends several men to the place marked by Morgana and actually manages to surprise Guinevere and Lucan. However, you can hold back the soldiers until Lancelot appears and drives them away. However, Lucan dies in this attack. Lancelot sees Guinevere and falls in love with her at first sight. It is only when Arthur and the rest of the entourage arrive to take them to Camelot and bury Lucan that Lancelot realizes that Guinevere is his best friend's lover.
Some time later, Merlin visits Morgana in Loth's castle. This accuses him of being the trigger for the whole chaos, since he had taken Arthur as a child. Yet she also firmly believes that by joining Loth, people would follow her out of sheer fear. Merlin, however, shows her a vision of how Arthur is praised by the people and crowned king. Then he announces to Morgana that it was never her destiny to demand the right to rule ( far from this world recapitulation ). Morgana promises him that this is not the end, whereupon Merlin returns to Camelot.
A few days later, Arthur, together with the people, his knights, Guinevere and Merlin, is crowned the rightful King of Camelot. He vows to defend his kingdom from any threat and to fight tyranny in England. Everyone involved celebrates this night as a new beginning ( it starts tonight ).
Second act
Some time after the coronation, the wedding between Arthur and Guinevere takes place on Camelot, which is celebrated by the entire people ( wedding vows ). At the celebration, Lancelot retreats more and more into the background. He can barely hold back his lovesickness and knows that he can never have Guinevere ( even the rain is silent tonight ). As the party intensifies, Merlin suddenly senses danger. And indeed: Some of Loth's men attempt a murder on Arthur, which is just prevented. Arthur lets the men go on Merlin's advice, since a good king always shows mercy before death if it can be avoided. But then they realize that Loth's men had mortally wounded Ector. When Arthur desperately wants to help his stepfather, he dies in his arms ( father and son ).
After this incident, Arthur is only obsessed with the desire to take revenge on Loth. For him the decision is made: he will wage war. Guinevere wants to stand by him reassuringly, but Arthur abruptly rejects her. Merlin tries to convince Arthur that Excalibur was not forged for a campaign of revenge, but the young king does not listen to him. But Loth is also preparing for an impending war full of blood thirst, while Morgana in the background is completely convinced of her victory. The two armed forces equip their armies for war ( tomorrow you will meet death ).
When Loth and Morgana get into an argument because of a disagreement, he promises to behead them at the end of the war, as he will no longer need them. Thereupon he locks her in her room. For a brief moment, Morgana becomes aware of the complete misery and loneliness of her existence, as she lost all happiness and love in her childhood because of her father and Arthur's birth ( The Rose ). But a short time later she is released by Loth.
While preparing for war, both Lancelot and Guinevere try to reassure Arthur, but each time he rejects their advice. He is blind with anger and just looking for revenge. Guinevere then proclaims that the war is truly unjust if it claims her love as the first sacrifice ( Where did the love go ). Lancelot speaks well to her and the two get a little closer.
Meanwhile, Morgana sneaks into Merlin's room. When she is finally caught by him, she offers him a deal: She makes sure that Loth withdraws his troops if Merlin teaches her the complete knowledge of magic. When Merlin refuses, Morgana begins to seduce him slowly, after which he becomes weaker. Morgana leaves the chamber certain of victory ( request ).
A little later, Lancelot disappears without a trace, whereupon a search is initiated. However, he fled into the woods because he can no longer bear Guinevere's closeness due to his love for her ( only she ). After all, Guinevere is the one who finds him. Since both are overwhelmed with sadness and affection, they hug each other and indulge in their feelings. Merlin observes them from a distance and explains that humans never learn from their mistakes and always go in circles, which would also be the case in this case. He expresses his concern for Arthur. ( The circle of humanity ).
That same night Morgana sneaks into Arthur's bedchamber and shows him a vision of Lancelot and Guinevere's mutual future. She makes it look like they're making love and cheating on Arthur in the background all the time. Arthur runs in disbelief and finally finds them. When he is confirmed in his suspicions, he breaks out into despair and anger. Shortly afterwards he banishes the two of them from his realm. Lancelot is said to roam the world and Guinevere is to be sent to a nunnery. Morgana triumphs (it's all over ).
Merlin visits Morgana again. But this time he succumbs to her seductions. In the moment of weakness all his magic deviates from him and he becomes an ordinary mortal person, since every magician is obliged to protect the realm and therefore must never indulge in lust, otherwise he will lose all his power. Morgana, on the other hand, increases in power and acquires all the knowledge she needs to increase her magical power.
A now perfectly ordinary and frail Merlin visits Arthur for the last time. He now sees himself betrayed and abandoned by all his allies and friends. But Merlin explains to him that only he could pull Excalibur out of the stone and that he was the true rightful king. However, he can no longer help him, but he knows that Arthur can do it. Then Merlin disappears once and for all. Arthur takes courage again and finally and truly accepts his fate as king. He is ready for the final battle ( What makes a king out of recapitulation ).
Arthur calls his knights and army together. On the battlefield, his and Loth's army finally meet and the final battle breaks out. Many people die during the battle, including Loth, Gareth and Lancelot, who joins in the middle of the battle to help Arthur one last time. As he dies, Lancelot reveals to his friend that Guinevere never betrayed him, but only sought refuge in him from sadness and despair. He then dies in Arthur's arms. He then had him buried with full honors and mourned the loss ( Das Feld der Ehre recapitulation ).
When Arthur kneels at Lancelot's grave, a woman suddenly appears behind him. Because of the voice, Arthur thinks at first that it is Guinevere, but in truth it is Morgana, who is able to change shape with her newfound power. She snatches Arthur Excalibur and wants to kill him once and for all out of a thirst for revenge and hatred. But suddenly the real Guinevere appears and shoots Morgana in the back with a crossbow. Then Arthur seizes Excalibur again and pierces Morgana with it, whereby she dies once and for all.
Guinevere explains to Arthur that Merlin appeared at the monastery and told her he needed her. Thereupon she confirms Lancelot's words by asserting that she really loves Arthur and has always loved. Arthur also realizes that he still loves her and they embrace each other (a long time ago ). Accompanied by the spirits of the fallen, Arthur and Guinevere leave the place together with the vision that the round table could rise again.
Songs
first act
- The field of honor - Guinevere, Ensemble
- The healer - Merlin
- Excalibur - Artus, Lancelot, Ector, Ensemble
- Far from this world - Merlin
- Sword and stone - Arthur
- Sins of the Fathers - Morgana
- A true hero - Arthur, Guinevere
- What makes a king - Arthur
- The glorious battle - Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin, Ensemble
- What do I want here - Arthur, Merlin, Morgana
- Another day - Guinevere
- Far from this world reprise - Merlin, Morgana
- It starts tonight - Artus, Merlin, Lancelot, Ensemble
Second act
- Wedding vows - Arthur, Guinevere, Ensemble
- Even the rain is silent tonight - Lancelot
- Father and son - Arthur, Ector
- Tomorrow you will meet death - Artus, Morgana, Loth, Guinevere, Ensemble
- The rose- morgana
- Where did love go - Guinevere
- Desire - Merlin, Morgana
- Just her - Lancelot
- The circle of humanity - Merlin
- It's all over - Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Morgana
- What makes a king out of recapitulation - Arthur
- The field of honor recapitulation - Artus, ensemble
- A long time ago - Artus, Guinevere, Ensemble
Occupations
Occupations of German-language premieres
| role | World premiere at the St. Gallen Theater | Austrian premiere of Felsenbühne Staatz | German premiere of the Freilichtspiele Tecklenburg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur | Patrick Stanke | Christoph Apfelbeck | Armin Kahl |
| Guinevere | Annemieke van Dam / Lisa Antoni | Tanja Petrasek | Milica Jovanovic |
| Merlin | Thomas Borchert | Werner Auer | Kevin Tart |
| Morgana | Sabrina Weckerlin | Regina Mallinger | Roberta Valentini |
| Lancelot | Mark Seibert / Anton Zetterholm | Philipp Dietrich | Dominik Hees |
| Ector | Alexander Bellinkx | Ludwig Flessl | Thomas Schirano |
| Loth from Orkney | Robert Johansson | Lawrence Karla | Christian Schöne |
| Sir Gareth | Kevin Foster | Michael Postmann | Thomas Hohler |
| Mother Superior / Mother of Guinea | Colleen Besett | Steffi Regner | Anne Welte |
| Lucan | Gero Wendorff | Daniel Hauser | Andrea Luca Cotti |
| priest | Marc Lamberty | Daniel Eckert | Sebastian Brandmeir |
| Igraine | Jeannine Michèle Wacker / Stéphanie Signer | Anna Burger | Sophie Bluemel |
| Uther Pendragon | Rupert Markthaler / Richard Leggett | Wolfgang Fahrner | Zoltan Fekete |
| ensemble | Colleen Besett, Marle Martens, Amélie Dobler, Stéphanie Signer, Ariane Swoboda, Jeannine Michèle Wacker, Gero Wendorff, Marc Lamberty, Rupert Markthaler, Robert Johansson, Samuel Tobias Klauser , Alexander Belinkx | Alexandra-Yoana Alexandrova, Anna Burger, Paul Csitkovics, Daniel Eckert, Martin Enenkel, Enny de Alba, Wolfgang Fahrner, Ludwig Flessl, Laura Friedrich, Markus Hareter, Daniel Hauser, Lawrence Karla, Petra Niedermayer, Michael Postmann, Angelika Ratej, Steffi Regner , Korbinian Reile, Rico Salathe, Cassandra Schütt, Anja Štruc, Stefan Ulreich | Lisa Kolada, Juliane Bischoff, Jennifer Kohl, Marthe Römer, Juliana Dreyer, Alexandra Hoffman, Sophie Blümel, Anne Welte, Anna Carina Buchegger , Jan Altenbockum, Andrew Hill, Zoltan Fekete, Marco Herse Foti, Fin Holzwart, Mathias Meffert, Wolfgang Postlbauer, Thomas Hohler , Andrea Luca Cotti, Sebastian Brandmeir, Christian Schöne , Luciano Mercoli |
Further occupations
German-language performances
| role | Zwingenberg Castle Festival 2019 |
|---|---|
| Arthur | Nikolaj Alexander Brucker |
| Guinevere | Jana Marie Gropp |
| Merlin | Uwe Kroeger |
| Morgana | Caroline Frank |
| Lancelot | Sascha Krebs |
| Ector | Holger Ries |
| Loth from Orkney | Sascha Oliver Bauer |
| Sir Gareth | Oleg Lapochkin |
| Lucan | Christian Strobel |
| priest | Sven Wagenhöfer |
South Korean premiere
In June 2019, the South Korean premiere of the musical took place in Seoul . This version has several changes to the German version. About half of the songs were replaced by new compositions and the book itself was largely rewritten to make the plot more intense. In addition, the figure of Loth of Orkney was replaced by that of the Anglo-Saxon Wulfstan.
| role | Sejong Center of Performing Arts, Seoul |
|---|---|
| Arthur | Kai, alternating Kim Junsu, alternating DK |
| Guinevere | Kim So Hyang, alternating Min Kyung Ah |
| Merlin | Kim Joon Hyun, alternating with Son Joon Ho |
| Morgana | Shin Young Sook, alternating Jang Eun Ah |
| Lancelot | Uhm Ki Joon, alternating Lee Ji Hoon, alternating Park Kang Hyun |
| Ector | Park Chul Ho, alternating with Jo Won Hee |
| Wulfstan | Lee Sang Joon |
reception
The criticism of the Swiss premiere was largely positive. Other reviews praised the musical, technical and theatrical implementation, but accused the book of weaknesses. Furthermore, a CD with the title Artus - Excalibur - Das Musical with the original St. Gallen cast was released in 2014 .
The criticism of the specialist press about the Austrian premiere on the Staatz Felsenbühne praised the production as a "high-quality summer musical in a dreamlike setting".
Individual evidence
- ^ Theater St. Gallen
- ↑ http://www.felsenbuehne-staatz.at/
- ↑ http://www.buehne-tecklenburg.de/home/
- ↑ Arthur - Excalibur. 2019. At Schlossfestspiele-Zwingenberg.de, accessed on December 10, 2019.
- ↑ https://namastehallyu.com/2019/02/28/cast-announced-for-musical-xcalibur-seventeens-dk-to-make-musical-debut/
- ↑ https://www.sejongpac.or.kr/eng/main/main.asp
- ↑ Arthur Excalibur. Musical friends. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 23, 2015 ; accessed on April 15, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Frank Wildhorn's ARTUS-EXCALIBUR Press Preview in Switzerland. Broadwayworld from March 1st, 2014 (English). Retrieved April 15, 2015 .
- ↑ Wildhorn Musical Artus Excalibur: What Makes a King? Review Musicalzentrale 15.03.2014. Retrieved April 15, 2015 .
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from April 15, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ ARTUS EXCALIBUR on the rock stage in Staatz - Musical1. July 25, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016 .
- ↑ Online marker. In: der-neue-merker.eu. Retrieved July 27, 2016 .
