HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Camille Claudel'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by
Nan Knighton Nan Knighton is an American poet, playwright and lyricist. Biography Knighton is the daughter of physician Dr. Donald Proctor and artist Janice Proctor. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she is a 1965 graduate of Bryn Mawr School, with an unde ...
and music by
Frank Wildhorn Frank Wildhorn (born November 29, 1958) is an American composer of both musicals and popular songs. His musical ''Jekyll & Hyde'' ran for four years on Broadway. He also wrote the #1 International hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" for Whitne ...
, their second musical. It is based on the life of the real-life French
sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
and graphic artist
Camille Claudel Camille Rosalie Claudel (; 8 December 1864 19 October 1943) was a French sculptor known for her figurative works in bronze and marble. She died in relative obscurity, but later gained recognition for the originality and quality of her work. The ...
. The musical premiered at
Goodspeed Musicals Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, the ...
in 2003.


Plot

The show's opening scene is in 1913, when Camille was removed from society, then flashes back to 1881 and onward. The plot focuses on Claudel's career and her tempestuous relationship with Auguste Rodin, for whom she was a source of inspiration, a model, a confidante, and a lover. The show opens with Camille's love for her true passion - sculpting ("In the Stone"). The musical features Camille's sometimes troubling relationship with both her father (who had actually helped her) and brother,
Paul Claudel Paul Claudel (; 6 August 1868 – 23 February 1955) was a French poet, dramatist and diplomat, and the younger brother of the sculptor Camille Claudel. He was most famous for his verse dramas, which often convey his devout Catholicism. Early lif ...
. Despite not being a male, she insists she be allowed to be enrolled at Le Salon ("Not a Man"), yet she still manages to work and learn under Rodin. Act 1 concludes with Camille deciding she no longer needs Rodin, and attempts to live and create on her own, only to have Rodin tell her that she would be nothing without him ("Taking Back My Life"). Act II opens with Rodin reflecting on what he has done, and ailing with amiss for Camille ("A Trembling Man"). Camille now spends a lot of time with her father, and the two discuss older times and are at harmony ("Snow Falls"). When Paul realizes Camille's downward spiral into the unknown and her relations with Rodin, he attempts to save her and turn her to God, such as he had had his own conversion ("Field of Angels"). Instead, Camille cannot seem to understand why no one believes in her - including her family ("What's Never Been Done Before"). Rodin eventually rekindles his love with Camille, but the love is never returned ("Learning How to Love You"). After several more years, Camille's family decides that she is no longer stable (both emotionally and financially); they announce that her father has passed days earlier, and she is devastated that they did not tell her. Although she fights with Paul that she is not meant to be there, Paul and her mother send her to an insane asylum, where she comes to peace with the news of her father ("Snow Falls (Reprise)"). At the end of Act II, which switches to modern times, where Camille, now alone, reflects on the life she has lived ("Gold").


Productions

Goodspeed Musicals Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, the ...
in August through September 2003, staged a "developmental run". Directed by Gabriel Barre and choreographed by Mark Dendy, the cast featured
Linda Eder Linda Eder (; born February 3, 1961) is an American singer and actress. She made her Broadway debut in the musical '' Jekyll & Hyde'', originating the role of Lucy Harris, for which she was nominated for the Drama Desk Award. Eder has performe ...
in the title role,
Michael Nouri Michael Nouri (born December 9, 1945) is an American screen and stage actor. He is best known for his television roles, including Dr. Neil Roberts on ''The O.C.'', Phil Grey on ''Damages'', Caleb Cortlandt on '' All My Children'', Eli David in ...
as Auguste Rodin, Matt Bogart as Paul Claudel and
Milo O'Shea Milo Donal O'Shea (2 June 1926 – 2 April 2013) was an Irish actor. He was twice nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performances in '' Staircase'' (1968) and '' Mass Appeal'' (1982). Early life O'Shea was born and ...
as Camille's father. The musical was presented in a "chamber-style" form; the cast was minimum, and they attempted to do the most they could with small scale sets. Orchestrations (by Kim Scharnberg) were also on a smaller scale. Instead of bringing in statues, they used dancers to perform, and many of the scenes were strictly dancing for the statues (sometimes accompanied by music). ''The Waltz'' was one of these. There were also many book-scenes/moments, more than a common Wildhorn musical. The creators have denounced calling this a "tragedy," but rather a celebration of the life of Camille. In 2004 it was presented in the form of a 45-minute reading at The National Alliance for Musical Theatre's 16th Annual Festival of New Musicals. A studio demo recording was made in 2004, with no plans for a release. That demo also included songs recorded in 2001 with Linda Eder as Camille and Guy LeMonnier as Rodin. The musical has been consistently worked upon, with productions that were hoped for Europe and regional theatres across the United States. However, in 2007, author Nan Knighton has said that while there are certain opportunities still available, there were no immediate plans to bring ''Camille'' anywhere. The musical opened in Tokyo in December 2011, titled ''GOLD - Rodin and Camille''. The world premiere of the newly rewritten ''Camille Claudel'' was to be presented by the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia from March 24 to April 19, 2020. Directed by
Eric D. Schaeffer Eric D. Schaeffer is an American theater director and producer based in Arlington, Virginia. He is the co-founder and former Artistic Director of Signature Theatre., and is well known nationally for his re-invention of large American musicals for ...
and choreographed by Mathew Gardiner, the show was to feature
Teal Wicks Teal Wicks (born September 8, 1982 in Sacramento, California) is an American singer and stage actress, who is best known for her performances as Elphaba in the Broadway, San Francisco, and Los Angeles productions of the musical '' Wicked'' and as ...
as Camille Claudel,
Hugh Panaro Hugh Panaro (born February 19, 1964) is an American actor and singer known for his work on Broadway. Early life Panaro was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and resided in the East Oak Lane section of the city with his family. As a schoolchild, ...
as Augustine Rodin, Bobby Smith as M. Claudel, and Donna Migliaccio as Mme. Claudel. However, the world premiere at the Signature Theatre was postponed to the 2020/21 season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.Lefkowitz, Andy
"D.C.'s Signature Postpones Frank Wildhorn Musical 'Camille Claude'; Theater to Close Through May"
broadway.com, March 23, 2020


Songs

The world premiere song list follows. Although several changes have been made, many of the songs remain intact. ;Act I * In the Stone - Camille * What You Can Grasp In Your Hands - Rodin, Camille, and Girls/Ensemble * Enough of Paris - The Claudels * Verge of a Kiss - Rodin * I'm Home - Camille * Not a Man - Committee Members/Ensemble and Camille * A Woman in His Arms - Camille * Unveiled - Ensemble * Taking Back My Life - Camille and Rodin ;Act II * A Trembling Man - Rodin * Snow Falls - Camille and Monsieur Claudel * Field of Angels - Paul Claudel * What's Never Been Done Before - Camille * The Night It Began - Camille and Ensemble * Learning How to Love You - Camille and Rodin * Woman in My Arms (Reprise) - Rodin * If - Camille and Rodin * Snow Falls (Reprise) - Camille and Monsieur Claudel * Gold - Camille


Recordings

No cast recording have been released. In 2004, a studio demo recording was made, starring Linda Eder and the majority of the world premiere cast. While it was originally thought that the recording would be released (nearly all of Wildhorn's musicals have released a concept album prior to a major production), this did not happen. The musical features the Linda Eder single "Gold," which was included on two of her solo albums: ''Gold'' and ''Broadway, My Way''. The song was performed at the
2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...
in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
, UT, and was covered by Brandi Burkhardt at several European concerts with Frank Wildhorn.


Notes


References


''Camille Claudel'' at FrankWildhorn.comArticle about the musical
{{Auguste Rodin 2003 musicals Musicals inspired by real-life events Musicals by Frank Wildhorn Cultural depictions of Camille Claudel Cultural depictions of Auguste Rodin