Michael Cox reviews a love letter to musical theatre.
Twenty years ago, lyricist Stephen Cole got a strangely worded email asking him to write a grand musical to be performed for the Emir of Qatar. At first, he thought he was being punked, but the offer proved to be genuine. Cole would be teamed with David Krane as musical collaborator, and together they embarked on a creative journey that saw them write a one-off musical spectacular that was performed in a newly built football stadium just outside of Doha and had a cast of hundreds, massive sets and camels—lots and lots of camels.
The show’s producers demanded specific plot points. A prince locked in a tower. A single bright star. Episodes that took place in Ancient Greece and the Stone Age, and acknowledgement of Qatar’s pearl diving history. With a running time of 90 minutes. And don’t forget the camels!
The fact that Cole and Krane pulled it off is impressive. Cole has the pictures and the video to prove it, even if the money wasn’t quite what he’d hoped.
If this all sounds familiar, it might be because Cole and Krane later turned their exploits into their own musical: The Road to Qatar, which toured the world and performed during the Festival Fringe at C Venues in 2013.
Thirteen years later, and Cole has returned to Edinburgh in a one-man version of the story: Camelton. Playing himself and the major characters in this tale, Cole narrates how he managed to negotiate a lucrative contract and found himself in charge of writing the behemoth.
And the truth of the matter is that this pared back version is much better than the previous musical. Cole is an engaging performer—funny, talented and capable of being self-deprecating. Camelton not only depicts Cole’s attempt at doing the impossible but also celebrates the power and pull of musical theatre. It’s constantly funny, and it has clever musical numbers that both celebrate and send up the situation—and musical theatre as a whole.
Camelton performs at Gilded Balloon Teviot (Wine Bar) at 14:05 (60mins) until 31 August 2026. For further details, go to the Gilded Balloon website.
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