Monty Python has conquered many feats in comedy. They have a collection of incredible films that make us titter, a television series of oddball yet intelligent sketches, they have damn catchy songs and they took to the stage for a series of live shows. However, while they may have toe tapped across the wooden footsteps of the stage before, they never really launched into proper theatrical domination until 2004 when Eric Idle (the musical maestro of Monty Python) decided to create Spamalot. And thus, the Lord decreed that there was nothing Monty Python couldn’t do and blessed the world with ten years of Spamalot. And it was good.
For fans of the troop, Spamalot is an accomplishment. Heavily taking the best parts of Monty Python and adapting them for the stage is no easy feat but here, the creators of the show have established a hilarious balance. Scenes from The Holy Grail are enhanced with the magic of the theatre as they ingeniously cover the Black Knight and more. And it helps if you have a cast who can provide the laughs, be intellectually silly as well as being able to sing. The comedy comes from the core of the characters and having an effectively good ensemble takes Spamalot from a good musical and into a great one.
Nowadays, you’ll find Spamalot in the sleepy parts of London, still seeing a moderate stream of fans come by to indulge in the tunes. Unfortunately, several parts of the original musical have been changed. You’ll no longer be able to hear You Won’t Succeed In Broadway being an ode the Judaism in the business. It’s been adapted to mimic the culture of today, talking more about Britain’s Got Talent rather than its satirical original feel. But with the right cast (and the right audience) Spamalot is still a riot, hilarious and entertaining to the very end.
A must see for Monty Python fans.