Dish-Houston

BY DISH CONTRIBUTOR: SCOTT ARTHUR

The first thing you notice about Robert is his voice. It’s deep and rich and very reminiscent of the late Robert Goulet. If you’re a fan of audio books, the voice might be familiar to you because he has narrated quite a number of best sellers.

Houston has heard this voice before ….Petkoff, an award winning stage actor, voice actor and singer, last appeared in the Bayou City reprising his Broadway role of Sir Robin in the TUTS production of Spamalot. Now, in CAMELOT, he graces the stage as Arthur, the man who will be king. Was it challenging as an actor to transform from the goofy version of the classic to the real deal?

 “I admit that there were times in rehearsal that we’d look at each other with a sparkle in our eye and go a little astray,” Petkoff chuckled.

CAMELOT, Lerner and Loewe’s timeless masterpiece, is one of history’s greatest love stories. A sumptuous tale set in a land where honor and chivalry reign. The musical follows the love triangle of King Arthur, his Queen Guenevere, and the young Lancelot. With one of Broadway’s most enchanting scores featuring the hauntingly romantic If Ever I Would Leave You, I Loved You Once in Silence, and Follow Me, CAMELOT is the definitive musical theatre fable.

Petkoff’s seasoned career shows that the California born actor is very much at home on stage performing Shakespeare or sitting behind a microphone reading books …but in the last decade he has become a Broadway musical star.  Since he had no musical training, how did that come about?

“A director saw me playing Hamlet and asked if I would audition for a singing role. I thought –what the heck, I sing in the shower all the time – why not?” 

His performance hit all the right notes and Petkoff’s musical career was launched in 2002 when he got the role of George in the Chicago production of Sunday in the Park with George.

He was pleasantly surprised at the reaction. “I told my agent to start booking me in musicals …and here I am.” he said. Since then, Petkoff’s Broadway credits include Fiddler on the Roof, Spamalot, and most recently Anything Goes with Joel Grey.

In CAMELOT Arthur sort of “sing-talks” his musical part. Are you comfortable with that?

“Absolutely,” Petkoff says enthusiastically. “The part was originally written for Richard Burton … much more a Shakespearean actor than a singer. This (sing-talk) style allows the actor to actually act out the song in the moment and lets the audience feel the passion. It also worked well for Richard Harris in the 1967 movie version."

Speaking of those two iconic King Arthurs, do you base your performance on either of their portrayals?

“Part of them creeps into whom you are on stage,” said Petkoff. “I saw Burton do it early in my career and it influenced me greatly. And I sometime occasionally slip into my James Mason impression. But for the most part – it’s my interpretation.”

The story of CAMELOT is more than half a century old. What about it has made it a classic that never seems to get old?

Petkoff smiles as he says,

“I think the idea of royalty still attracts us. And the story is really about a guy who won the lottery. He pulled a sword out of a stone and was allowed to rule a country. Arthur was an everyman – a good man with a sense of humor and a youthful awkwardness. We can all relate as we watch him grow into becoming a wise king.” 

CAMELOT runs from January 22 through February 3 at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.

Tickets (starting at only $24) are available on-line at TUTS.com, by phone at (713) 558-TUTS (8887), outside the Houston area at (888) 558-3882, or in person at the Theatre Under The Stars Box Office, located at 800 Bagby at Walker, Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., and Saturday - Sunday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. An audio described performance is available Sunday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m.; open captioning is available Sunday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. The Hobby Center is wheelchair accessible. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more. Group tickets may be purchased by calling (713) 558-8888 or via email at groupsales@tuts.com.