I am an admittedly huge fan of Monty Python, so when I heard that my friend had been able to get us tickets to the sold out Spamalot I was more than excited. I had dreams filled with bunnies, knights and shrubberies.
Upon walking into the Shubert Theatre on West 44th, I was already amazed. Sure, the theatre is beautiful, but the first glance at the stage sets up some Monty Python goodness to let you know you’re in for a special treat. If you have ever seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, or any Monty Python for that matter, you know exactly what I am talking about. The clouds are perfect Monty Python Clouds floating above a perfect Monty Python Gate.
For those of you not in the know, Spamalot is a musical adaptation of the most successful of the Monty Python adventures, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). It follows the adventures of King Arthur (Tim Curry) as he gathers his Knights of the Roundtable in order to find the Holy Grail, a quest set before them by God (recorded by John Cleese). Among the Knights of the Roundtable you will find the unforgettable Sir Robin (David Hyde Pierce) and the sexually ambiguous Lancelot (Alan Tudyk). And unlike a mere mention in the film, the Lady of the Lake (Sara Ramirez) has a presence in the musical.
Many of the best scenes from the movie made it into this stage adaptation, including the Black Knight, the taunting French Guard (Alan Tudyk), and the Killer Rabbit. Several were left out entirely such as the Bridge of Death and the female spanking enthusiasts. But have no fear, in the two hours and twenty minutes of musical comedy there are some new bits. There are jokes made at the expense of other musicals from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s work to Mel Brooks’ The Producers or the presence of Jews on Broadway, and references to Monty Python sketches. They have added the kitschy love ballads and diva songs to further flesh out the bones with which they started. And the singing is amazing. There is not a weak note in the entire production. Sara Ramirez is probably the strongest vocally and does a great Liza Minnelli.
Article comments
1 - Phillip Winn
This sounds amazing. The spanking bit always seemed a touch out of place, though the loss of the bridge is sad. Still, it seems as if enough extra was crammed in to more than make up for the losses. And using the playbill to slyly reference the Moose/Laama references in the film's credits -- brilliant!
2 - Nancy
I'm working thru my 3rd copy of MP & THG, so I can't wait to see this! I'm sure it will have a nice, loooooooong run all over the place.
3 - Marty Dodge
It will be the first and probably only West End Musical I will ever go see whenever it makes it to London.
4 - Eric Berlin
Interesting take and nice review, Erin. I've been nearly haunted (and somewhat influenced) by a recent Slate.com piece that used Spamalot as a conduit to talk about how what was once adsurd, groundbreaking, and edgy has turned into pop culture consumerist iconography (or something).
I'm more apt to buy your take on it, for now, as I'm also a lifelong MP devotee.
5 - -E
There are certainly moments where the iconography comes into play- they mention Britney Spears and the Laker Girls for goodness sakes. But it is done in a manner that doesn't take away from the absurdity of Monty Python. It's a great musical, especially in that it doesn't take itself seriously but takes the first jab in self deprication.
6 - rusty
living in country queensland, australia i would dearly like to see a DVD of the "spamalot" broadway production. is there such an animal ???
7 - Bull
Does anyone have knowledge if there's a DVD from Spamalot? If the show from Broadway starring David Hype Pierce & Sara Ramirez is on sale I would be the first to buy it!
8 - Dave Nalle
As far as I've been able to tell there's no DVD, but the CD is a good listen. You should get that.
Dave
9 - -E
Yeah, Dave's right. I just checked the site for a Spamalot DVD. They have other Monty Python DVDs and the soundtrack for Spamalot. If you don't have the CD, I suggest you purchase it because it is fantastic.
10 - Gary Hickman
The CD was good but i thought they could of flushed it out with some of the non-singing parts
11 - Neil Comerford
I love the music but a DVD would be fantastic!!! Does anyone know of a release date or any info on a project to put it on dvd???