By By Elise Meyers
When thinking about the average Broadway audience you most likely think of a crowd of little old women in their Sunday best, overly enthusiastic tourists willing to give a standing ovation to anything and beret-awearing drama types who compare every show they see to Rent. The audience assembled at the Shubert Theatre on Sept. 20 could not have been more different. This audience was all jeans and dirty shirts (both in content and in actual physical cleanliness), singing along while banging halved coconuts together. This audience had come to see Monty Python’s Spamalot.
Spamalot, which opened on March 17 to rave reviews, is “lovingly ripped off” from the cult classic motion picture Monty Python And The Holy Grail and has received both fan acclaim as well as 14 Tony Award nominations with three wins, including “Best Musical.” In its original incarnation it stared Tim Curry (a cult hero himself for The Rocky Horror Picture Show) in the King Arthur role originally played by Graham Chapman in the film. David Hyde Pierce (“Fraiser”) and Hank Azaria (“The Simpsons”) play Sirs Robin and Lancelot respectively. Unfortunately, Azaria has since left the cast, but has been successfully replaced by Alan Tudyk.
For those unfamiliar with the film the plot basically follows the adventures of legendary King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table in their search for the Holy Grail. Taken almost directly from the film, a great deal of the musical will seem very familiar to Monty Python fans. All of the songs from the movie are present including “Brave Sir Robin” and “Knights of the Round Table.” Author and Python, Eric Idle has even expanded his song “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” from Monty Python’s Life Of Brian for use in Spamalot. The new material Idle has written like “The Song That Goes Like This” and “I’m All Alone,” keep with the spirit of the original. Many sketches from the movie remain more or less intact such as “I’m Not Dead Yet,” “The Killer Rabbit” and of course “The French Taunters.” New information is also added, such as Sir Galahad’s first name, Pasty’s religion and Sir Lancelot’s sexuality.
While some characters such as Sirs Lancelot, Robin and Galahad are expanded on, others like Sir Bedevere fall into the background, with the exclusion of his “Witch Trial” origin scene. Also, noticeably absent was the scene at Castle Anthrax. Although the ladies of the castle wander through from time to time, they do not speak.
David Hyde Pierce was exceptional, bringing new life to the many small parts he played. Those wanting to see Tim Curry should hurry, as he leaves the cast on Dec. 19 and will be replaced by Simon Russell Beale, a veteran of London’s West End. Although Curry was not as regal in the role of King as the late Graham Chapman, he brought a surliness that added interesting shades to the character.
Spamalot is a Broadway show that is aware of itself and of its peers. Many well-known shows are lampooned and alluded to including West Side Story, The Wizard Of Oz, Fiddler On The Roof, Aida, Les Miserables, The Phantom Of The Opera and The Man Of La Mancha, just to name a few.
This show would be perfect for anyone looking to have a fun theatre experience. Even those who, for some reason, are not fans of the original will enjoy this exceptional cast and fast-paced adventure story.
The first laugh of the evening came before the show even began, when the disembodied voice of Eric Idle invited us all to allow our cell phones to ring very loudly throughout the show, but warned that the armed knights on stage might not appreciate the disturbance. The laughs did not stop coming until well after the audience leapt to its feet for a standing ovation.
Spamalot is simply too good to be missed.
Final Grade: A
The Broadway adaptation of cult classic Monty Python And The Holy Grail includes more songs and new facts about the characters.