Jared Hulme plays Lancelot in the Elgin Opera House production of “Camelot.”

ELGIN — Audiences who think they know the story of King Arthur and Guinevere may be surprised by “Camelot” at the Elgin Opera House Jewel Theatre.

A staple of classic Broadway, “Camelot” is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe that ran on Broadway for 873 performances in the early 1960s. Director Grant Turner said people know a story of King Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot, but that story has many different angles and can be approached in different ways.

“The impetus of the play for me was approaching it from Guinevere’s perspective and, most importantly, I think, making sure that she wasn’t the bad guy,” Turner said. “One could tell a story where Arthur is idealistic and has all these goals and these two (Lancelot and Guinevere) ruin it and destroy Camelot. I don’t think that’s the case at all. I think each one was equally responsible for its demise.”

Turner, who also plays Arthur, said he first wanted to sink his teeth into the play because of the story of Guinevere and the triangle between her, Arthur, and Lancelot. He knew from the beginning he wanted to cast Karen Taylor as Guinevere. Taylor said revisiting “Camelot” has been a surprise.

“I think I misunderstood what the play was about,” she said. “I kind of had this idea that ‘Camelot’ was this very serious telling of the story, but it really isn’t. It’s funny, and it’s light-hearted. You know, it’s very romantic, and the music is gorgeous.”

Although the fall of Camelot may seem like a heavy topic, Turner said the tone and the feel of the musical may surprise audiences.

“Ultimately, the moral is just that human beings are messy and we get in our own way and destroy ourselves, but that being said, it’s actually a very cheerful play,” Turner said. “It’s very light-hearted, and the music is phenomenal.”

Many of the songs — “Camelot,” “Lusty Month of May” and “C’est Moi,” to name three — are upbeat and will sound familiar to audience members, even if they don’t recognize them from “Camelot” itself.

Turner and Taylor as actors will also be familiar to Elgin Opera House audiences, but Lancelot (Jared Hulme) is a newcomer to the Jewel Theater.

Hulme said he is enjoying the process of being in an Elgin Opera House musical as well as learning about Lancelot and “Camelot.”

“One of my favorite things about this is discovering the story,” he said. “I feel like it’s still evolving. As we meet and we try new things, the way I think about Lancelot is changing on a regular basis. It’s fun experimenting and learning.”

Although “Camelot” can be performed with a large cast, the show in the Jewel Theater will have only a dozen: the three leads and a nine-person ensemble. Turner said the show is working incredibly well in the space.

“I’m very, very pleased. I’m really, really excited to see how this all goes together,” Turner said.

“Camelot” opens Nov. 3 at the Jewel Theater in Elgin. It runs Fridays and Saturdays from Nov. 3-25 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday matinee performances, at 2:30 p.m., are offered Nov. 4, 11, 18, and 25.

Tickets are available now at www.elginoperahouse.com.