Spamalot's Inside Joke

April 28, 9:50 AMAnchorage Theater ExaminerMaia Nolan

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One of the things national touring companies like to do now and then is toss in a little inside joke about the city they’re playing — a little wink to the audience that lets us know they’re not just stumbling blindly from stage to stage, but have stopped to notice what makes our stage — and the community surrounding it — special. 

There were a couple of these little moments in the national tour of “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” which closed Friday at the Atwood Concert Hall, including one winking reference to Alaska politics that brought down the house. 

Fans of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the film on which “Spamalot” is based, are well-acquainted with the Knights Who Say Ni, a mysterious sect of woodland warriors who send King Arthur off in search of a shrubbery.  When Arthur returns from his quest, the Knights have changed their name to something a little more complicated. 

Since “Spamalot” opened on Broadway, the Knights’ new name has been improvised nightly by the actor playing the lead Knight (a role originated by Hank Azaria).  The beginning is always the same, but the end is up to the actor, and it changes nightly.  The name has been tailored to match current events and the cities it’s played, with references to World Cup soccer and the Rod Blagojevich Senate seat scandal.  And in Anchorage last week, it played out something like this:

“There is one small problem.  We are no longer the Knights Who Say Ni.  We are now the Knights Who Say Ecky Ecky Ecky F'tang F'tang Olé Biscuitbarrel Ketchikan Mukluk Wasilla Hockey Mom!”

And then, just as the audience’s laughter began to subside and theatregoers started to compose themselves:

“You betcha!”