34^th Festival Season - 2012

A CONNECTICUT YANKEE

Music by Richard Rodgers

Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

Book by Herbert Fields

Adapted from "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" by Mark Twain

ACT I: Navy Lieutenant Martin Barrett's bachelor party is in full swing when his fiancee Fay Merrill and her girlfriends crash the gathering. Martin and the boys toast the bride, as she revels in her last day as a free spirit. When told that Alice, a former girlfriend of his, is outside wishing to see him, Martin become excited and reveals to his friends that his marriage to Fay is simply one of convenience. Alice enters and, alone with Martin, shares with him the thrill of that moment some time before when they first met and their hearts "stood still." When Fay catches Alice on Martin's lap and Alice refuses to budge, Fay grabs an empty wine bottle and whacks him on the head - he falls unconscious. When Martin awakes, he is in Camelot in 528 A.D., challenged to battle by Sir Kay. Alisande, lady-in-waiting to Queen Guinevere, confronts Martin and the two engage in a flirtatious repartee. He thinks her "swell" and will call her "Sandy." Meanwhile, King Arthur is informed that Queen Morgan Le Fay seeks an audience with him, and that she desires as husband the noblest of his knights. Lancelot thinks that his son Galahad qualifies, although Galahad has his hands full in romancing Evelyn. Arthur confronts Morgan and confirms her intentions to marry, although, as she reports in no uncertain terms, her matrimonial track record is somewhat blemished. Sir Kay leads in Martin and Sandy - Morgan takes an immediate liking to Martin and orders that Sandy buzz off. After some magic tricks that impress all, Martin hints at the clandestine romance of Lancelot and Guinevere. Arthur is furious and orders that Martin burn at the stake, a fate that Martin sidesteps only by tapping into the fear engendered by a solar eclipse that occurs at the moment of his planned demise. In return for causing the sun to reappear, Martin insists that he be the King's right-hand man and be known as "The Boss."

ACT II: It is three months later and Martin has introduced to Camelot all the modern conveniences: time-clocks, switchboards, radios, and the boogie-woogie. Morgan engages Merlin's help in ridding Camelot of Sandy, and tries to sweet-talk Martin into becoming her latest husband. Martin, however, is angling for Sandy's hand, which is becoming harder to grab as she learns from Martin more about the independent woman of the future. Galahad and Evelyn are having their own problems - she thinks that all the modern gizmos in Camelot have turned him into a non-caring machine, but they finally agree that they feel at home with one another. Merlin and Sir Kay manage to kidnap Sandy and whisk her toward Morgan's forest - Martin and Arthur take off in hot pursuit. Morgan's plan to entrap Martin via a love potion a la Tristan and Isolde goes awry, as Sandy is rescued by Martin. Cut back to 1943 ...