Camille Claudel

COMPOSER - Frank Wildhorn

LYRICIST - Nan Knighton

LIBRETTIST - Nan Knighton

Synopsis:

Turn-of-the-century French sculptor Camille Claudel was a groundbreaking artist and a revolutionary free-thinker – but her entire life was determined by the men around her, from her passionate and tumultuous love affair with Auguste Rodin to her unsupportive brother to the gender-based censorship of her work. However, by combining her artistic genius with a fierce independence, she defied society’s limitations to create captivating masterpieces that pushed the art world to new heights.

Production History:

In 2001, Linda Eder and Guy LeMonnier recorded some demos for Camille Claudel, including "Trembling Man", "On the Verge of a Kiss", "A Woman in His Arms(Reprise)", and the ultimately cut song "I Will Let You Go". Eder portrayed the title role and LeMonnier played Rodin. In 2002, Eder released the show's 11 o'clock number "Gold" on her album of the same name. It was also released on her 2003 album "Broadway, My Way". In 2003, a world premiere production was produced by Goodspeed Musicals at the Norma Terris Theater in Chester, Connecticut. The production starred Linda Eder as well as Michael Nouri as Rodin, Matt Bogart as Paul Claudel, and Milo O'Shea as Camille's father. The production ran from August 14th to September 7th.

In October 2004, a 45-minute presentation of Camille Claudel was performed by the world premiere cast at The National Alliance of Musical Theatre's 16th Annual Festival of New Musicals.

In 2004, more demos for the show were produced featuring the world premiere cast. These demos included "In the Stone", "Taking Back My Life", "Snow Falls", "Field of Angels", "The Night It Began", and "Learning How to Love You". The album was not released officially, but was later posted on Nan Knighton's website.

Linda Eder's 2011 album "Now" featured two previously unrecorded songs from Camille Claudel. These songs were "What's Never Been Done Before" and "A Woman in His Arms".

A new version of the show titled "GOLD - Rodin and Camille" premiered at Theatre Creation in Tokyo, Japan in 2011. The production ran from December 8th-December 28th and starred Niizuma Seiko as Camille and Ishimaru Kanji as Rodin.

Premiere:

THEATRE - Goodspeed Musicals, CT

OPENING NIGHT - August 14, 2003

ORIGINAL CAST - Linda Eder, Michael Nouri, Matt Bogart, Milo O'Shea

DIRECTOR - Gabriel Barre

CHOREOGRAPHER - Mark Dendy

MUSICAL DIRECTOR - Jeremy Roberts

ORCHESTRATIONS -Jonathan Tunick

SET DESIGN - Walt Spangler

COSTUME DESIGN - Constance Hoffman

LIGHTING DESIGN - Howell Binkley

SOUND DESIGN - Mark Menard