La Légende du roi Arthur
# La Légende du roi Arthur

La Légende du roi Arthur is a French-language musical comedy written by Dove Attia that premiered in Paris in September 2015. The show then toured through France, Belgium, and Switzerland.

## Synopsis

The show opens with Merlin gathering the people together to select the new king of Britain by pulling the sword Excalibur from a stone. All members of the nobility who attempt to remove the sword fail and a tournament is organised in the hope of finding the one worthy to retrieve Excaliber. Arthur is a young groom in the service of his adoptive brother. When he loses his brother's sword for the tournament, Arthur, unaware of its significance, pulls the sword from the stone. His action is seen by several people and he is hailed as the new king.

Some members of the nobility pledge allegiance to Arthur, whereas others argue against crowning a man of lowly birth. Merlin reveals Arthur's true identity as the son of the last king, Uther Pendragon, but some, led by Maleagant, refuse to accept the rule of an illegitimate royal child and declare war.

Merlin takes Arthur to the Forest of Brocéliande to train him. Here, Arthur is called to the aid of one of his loyal lords, whose castle is besieged by Maleagant. With Merlin's magic, Arthur successfully breaks the siege, but is wounded. He is nursed by the lord's daughter, Guinevere, whom Arthur falls in love with and pledges to marry. Merlin predicts that Guinevere will somehow be the cause of Arthur's downfall.

Before the wedding, Arthur's half-sister, Morgane, arrives at Camelot and seduces Arthur by taking on Guinevere's appearance. She becomes pregnant and vows that her child will inherit Arthur's kingdom. Morgane then unites with Maleagant to prevent Arthur's marriage to Guinevere. Some time later, the wedding celebrations have been prepared, but are disrupted by the arrival of Lancelot, who immediately falls in love with Guinevere. Despite their attraction to each other and Morgane's schemes to bring the two lovers together, Guinevere and Lancelot resist remain faithful to Arthur.

## Cast

### Singers

King Arthur - Florent Mothe Morgan le Fay - Zaho Guinevere - Camille Lou Lancelot - Charlie Boisseau Maleagant - Fabien Incardona

### Actors

Merlin - David Alexis Gawain - Dan Menasche The Man of the People, The Spirit, and Urien - Julien Lamassonne Leïa, accomplice to Morgane - Tamara Fernando Sir Kay, Arthur's half-brother - Yamin Dib, Olivier Mathieu

## Songs

1. L'ouverture d'Excalibur - Instrumental 2. Le chant du dragon - Instrumental, Ensemble 3. Advienne que pourra - Maleagant 4. Jeux dangereux - Instrumental 5. Qui suis-je? - King Arthur, Merlin 6. La danse des guerriers - Instrumental 7. Rêver l'impossible - Guinevere 8. Quelque chose de magique - King Arthur, Guinevere 9. Un nouveau départ - Maleagant 10. Au diable - Guinevere 11. A l'enfant - Morgan le Fay 12. Tu vas le payer - Morgan le Fay 13. Délivre-nous - The Man of the People 14. Le serment d'Arthur - King Arthur 15. Si je te promets - King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot 16. Jeux dangereux (Reprise) - Instrumental 17. Dors Morgane, dors - The Spirit, Morgan le Fay 18. Ce que la vie a fait de moi - Morgan le Fay 19. L'Amour. Quel idiot... - Lancelot 20. Je me relève - King Arthur 21. Faire comme si - Lancelot, Guinevere 22. À nos voeux sacrés - Maleagant, Morgan le Fay 23. Wake up - Lancelot 24. Nos corps à la dérive - Maleagant, Guinevere 25. Il est temps - Guinevere, Lancelot 26. Mon combat - Morgan le Fay, King Arthur 27. Tout est joué (Le chant du dragon) - Merlin 28. Auprès d'un autre - King Arthur 29. Quelque chose de magique (Reprise) - Troupe

### Songs not included in the musical

1. Qu'ils me traitent d'idiot - Lancelot 2. Promis c'est juré - Troupe 3. Le monde est parfait - Lancelot 4. Tant de haine - Maleagant 5. Il est temps - Troupe

## Awards and honours

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2015 | NRJ Music Award | Francophone Duo/Group of the Year | Florent Mothe & Camille Lou | Nominated | |

## Adaptations

La Légende du roi Arthur has been adapted by the Japanese theatre troupe Takarazuka Revue, who performed it at the Bunkyo Civic Center, Tokyo in September 2016. La Légende du roi Arthur has also been adapted and performed at the Chungmu Arts Center, Grand Theater, Seoul from March to June 2019.

