From Camelot to Spamalot: Musical Retellings of Arthurian Legend on Stage and Screen (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780197511039)

For centuries, Arthurian legend has captured imaginations throughout Europe and the Americas with its tales of Camelot, romance, and chivalry. The ever-shifting, age-old tale of King Arthur and his world is one which depends on retellings for its endurance in the cultural imagination. Using adaptation theory as a framework, From Camelot to Spamalot foregrounds the role of music in selected Arthurian adaptations, examining six stage and film musicals. The book considers how musical versions in twentieth and twenty-first century popular culture interpret the legend of King Arthur, contending that music guides the audience to understand this well-known tale and its characters in new and unexpected ways. All of the productions considered include an overtly modern perspective on the legend, intruding and even commenting on the tale of King Arthur. Shifting from an idealistic utopia to a silly place, the myriad notions of Camelot offer a look at the importance of myth in American popular culture. Author Megan Woller's approach, rooted in the literary theory of scholars like Linda Hutcheon, highlights the intertextual connections between chosen works and Arthurian legend. In so doing, From Camelot to Spamalot intersects with and provides a timely contribution to several different fields of study, from adaptation studies and musical theater studies to film studies and Arthurian studies.

Author: Megan Woller
ISBN-10: 0197511031
ISBN-13: 9780197511039
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Language: English
Published: 04/02/2021
Pages: 248
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.10w x 0.60d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 04/01/2022