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'Spamalot' a rollicking funny comedy that riffs off Broadway musicals
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John O'Hurley as King Arthur. Photo by Joan Marcus.
It's true! It's true! The show's finally made it here.
The 2005 Tony-award Best Musical of the Year
Ripped off from a movie was made a distant moon ago, dear!
In July through September the tickets will be hot
There's no legal limit to who can go here,
To Spamalot.
The play was written a Monty Python member
From Monty Python and the Holy Grail he stole the plot
By order, tickets are available through 6 September
It's Spamalot!
Spamalot! Spamalot!
I know it sounds a bit bizarre,
But at the Ahmanson, John Peterman is the star.
The play is, of course, "Monty Python's Spamalot: A New Musical Lovingly Ripped off from the Motion Picture 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail.'" While the original screenplay was written by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, Idle is responsible for the book and lyrics while he co-wrote the music with John Du Prez. While the 1974 movie had a very modest budget, this 2005 winner of the Best Musical Tony Award has a bigger budget although a wonderfully cheesy sense of humor. John O'Hurley plays King Arthur.
None of the original Monty Python members makes an appearance although we do hear John Cleese as the voice of God. True to the low-budget spirit of the original movie, many cast members take on multiple roles. Merle Dandridge who plays the Lady of the Lake as both vamp and Broadway diva is one of the innovations that Idle has brought to the book. SPAM does make an appearance which I don't recall in the movie, but not Rex Harris, the King Arthur of the movie "Camelot."
O'Hurley just completed a two-year run as King Arthur in the Las Vegas show of this musical and there are plenty of Las Vegas references and even mention of Laker girls. There's also a dash of disco and even a faux Carmen Miranda. The killer bunny still appears as does the historian (Christopher Sutton), the politically aware peasant Dennis (Ben Davis) and the French Taunter (Rick Holmes until 21 July and Matthew Greer there after). O'Hurley does a little dancing here, not nearly as tough as the routines he did on the first season of "Dancing with the Stars" and he sings well enough. Overall, he a pleasant and slightly bemused and sometimes puzzled King Arthur--how else does one face the dreaded and slightly dotty Black Knight (also Ben Davis). Holmes also plays Lancelot who doesn't quite lust for Guenevere who makes a surprise appearance. Sutton is delightfully winsome as Not Dead Fred and the fruity Prince Herbert.
Ben Davis and Merle Dandridge.
This holds together a bit better than the movie although it still has that zany intellectual bent. There's no nudity, but some naughty references to sex and scantily-clad women, so perhaps this show is best for older children. The Ahmanson recommendation is for children 11 and older. This is a musical for people who like making fun of musicals, who love all things Camelot or Monty Python and even for adults who want to bring children to musicals for a family evening.
"Monty Python's Spamalot: A New Musical Lovingly Ripped off from the Motion Picture 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail,'" continues until 6 September at the Ahmanson, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.
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