Swords

Plot and Duck have a nice five-day stretch where we'll see three plays. Last night's "Camelot" at San Francisco Playhouse was good, tonight's Don Reed show at the Marsh is sure to be very funny, and then Wednesday we'll go down to Palo Alto to see "The Loudest Man on Earth" which got a little- man-leaping-off-his-chair review from the Chron.

Seeing lots of shows makes for tighter reviewing, but it wasn't easy to review "Camelot" because the music, for a classic show by world-class writers, is kind of meh. It premiered in 1960 just as the Kennedys were taking over in Washington, and the show became identified with the new spirit in U.S. politics. So, in a sense, timing was everything for Lerner and Loewe. But all these years later and their previous blockbuster "My Fair Lady" is still one of the two or three greatest musicals of all time, while "Camelot" has not worn nearly as well.

It had to have been easier for a knight 1,000 years ago to carry around a sword than for an actor in the 21st century,  especially when you have to sit or squat or turn around in tight company. It was fun to watch this cast pull it off without anyone losing his pants. Maybe  JJ-aka-PP can tell us all what's involved in stage choreography when swords are part of the program.