Spamalot at the Hollywood Bowl

[broadwayboy972]

Is anyone else going to Spamalot at the Hollywood Bowl tonight? I'm in LA for vacation and planned it so I could see this! I'll be sure to report back afterwards! 

[jwsel]

I'm going Saturday night.

[JoseLee_]

I'm here right now. It's intermission. So far this cast is great. So funny. I also saw the obc. This is one of the best cast Hollywood Bowl casts yet. Really enjoying this production.

[Hysterium]

I was there tonight. There were a few technical glitches, but nothing major. All in all it was a really great show. Jesse Tyler Ferguson completely stole the show with his Robin, which was hard to do considering the caliber of this cast which was very strong. It was quite an enjoyable night!

[broadwayboy972]

I just got back, and I must say that this production was very well done. I went in semi-familiar with the score and have seen the movie and never been to a Hollywood Bowl production. I was very impressed with the show. The casting was very well done, IMO. I think it was smart that they didn't go with big names (JTF is a star, but not on the same popularity level as, say, Vanessa Hudgens or Kristen Bell).

I guess I'll start from the beginning. The announcement regarding cellphones/cameras was very Monty Python with the announcer stating that there will be "no sex" or "no shooting up." The set was very simple, with a castle in the middle and two towers on either side; very two dimensional but okay for this production. Some microphones weren't turned up in time, but the issue fixed itself. King Arthur's microphone became muffled at one point, and a crew member brought him a handheld, which he used until intermission.

The strongest cast members by far were Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Tom Deckman (a HILARIOUS Herbert), and Merle Dandridge. Her Lady of the Lake was phenomenal. Christian Slater was good, but not as strong as some of the other cast members. The ensemble was very strong- great dancing and every member had a solid stage presence.  

There were many modern references made, obviously written for this production. During the Knights of Ni section, the leader asks for a shrubbery, but a drought resistant shrubbery to qualify for some California water program or something- didn't hear the rest because of all the laughter. When the leader changes their title, he says a bunch of different things, most of which I don't remember, but then he started reciting lyrics to Uptown Funk for a solid minute, and the audience ate it up. Another reference was in "Diva's Lament" where she says she'll be replaced by Taylor Swift. There was also a Meryl Streep/Caitlyn Jenner reference towards the end.

All in all, this was a fun, entertaining night of theatre led by a solid cast. I wish I could see it again!

Edit: I forgot to mention that Michael Arden was there, in the section right next to mine. I was going to go say hi, but he was busy talking with his friends. Pretty cool, IMO.

[JoseLee_]

Heading home right after stage dooring. Everyone staged door. I even got Casey Nicolas autograph.. After all, he did direct the original show on Broadway. Waited an hour until people actually started coming out.. (Hollywood bowl is always like that) Overall, it was a great night. I never really liked the show based on the cast recording alone. Except for the Diva's song. BUT this is a show you GET, after seeing it live. It was so funny. The cast was really good. The lady who played lady of the lake and Jesse from modern family were my personal favs. *personal opinion: out of Chicago, Hair, and this. I enjoyed THIS the most. There wasn't any flaws in the casing decisions.

[broadwayboy972]

I didn't know there was a stage door! Had I known I would have definitely stayed! Usually in big venues like the Hollywood Bowl the stage doors are either blocked off or along a private road.

[Call_me_jorge]

Casey didn't direct the obc he choreographed. Mike Nichols, who is now dead, was the director.

[LightsOut90]

soooooo hows Craig Robinson?

[billyelliotfan123]

^I have been dying to hear how Craig Robinson was as well. I hope he can pull it off and maybe one day land in a show on Broadway. He is a great talent. 

[TheatreDiva90016]

I saw the dress rehearsal and thought he was oddly miscast.  He played it very stiff and 'royal'.  He voice worked and was fine.  But he wasn't given a chance to be funny, or didn't want to play it that way.

 

On the way out, all I heard were the parents who had brought their kids to the dress, trying to explain why the cursing, and other vulgar actions were not the way real people act.  I actually head one boy say to his mom, "Well, at least they bleeped the F word!"   

 

He was only about 7,

[broadwayboy972]

I thought he was slightly miscast too, but I think that because it's such an ensemble show that it didn't bother me too much.

[jwsel]

I always thought of Arthur as the straight man in Spamalot, so I didn't think Craig Robinson was miscast.  (I never saw Tim Curry, though.)  Robinson's voice was fine and pretty much the entire cast acquitted themselves well.  Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Warwick Davis were standouts among the knights, and Merle Dandridge was phenomenal.  The main cast was pretty strong across the board, with no weak links, though I was amused at how Christian Slater was always watching the feet of other cast members during the dance sequences.  A few of the ensemble numbers could have been more synchronized, but overall the ensemble was solid.

I found the Hollywood Bowl production much more enjoyable than the 2009 production at the Ahmanson.  I actually was not looking forward to seeing the show last night, because I was sorely disappointed the first time I saw it.  I only went because my mom surprised me with tickets and I didn't want to make her scramble to find someone else.  I'm very glad I went.

[billyelliotfan123]

Curry definitely played King Arthur as the straight man when he played it on Broadway

[adamgreer]

A friend of mine saw the show (from good seats, which apparently makes all the difference in that venue) and said that Merle Dandridge walked away with the entire thing. 

[jwsel]

"A friend of mine saw the show (from good seats, which apparently makes all the difference in that venue) and said that Merle Dandridge walked away with the entire thing. "

I had lousy seats (bench seats on stage left), and was able to enjoy the show immensely.  The sound was great and the large screens were better with Spamalot than they were last year for Hair.  They still had an issue with doing too many close-ups that missed other things happening on stage, but I've learned to bring binoculars so I can get a good view of the rest of the stage. 

I agree with your friend that Merle Dandridge was a standout.  Her incredible Diva's Lament was incredible and she also was great on Find Your Grail and Song That Goes Like This.  I was really surprised, because she played the role in the tour production I saw, and I have absolutely no memory of her performance. 

My only quibble is that she walked away with the show.  With a weaker cast, she would have, but there were several excellent performances.

[VernonGersch]

I've heard nothing but excellent things from friends that went over the course of the weekend.

It's funny, I remember seeing the show on Broadway but the only strong memory I have from it was Lady of The Lake.

 

 

 

[zepka102]

Merle Dandridge really was the perfect Lady of the Lake when I saw her in NY. I'm glad she was able to play the role again on the west coast!

[zepka102]

Eek... Double post! Delete!

[zepka102]

ACK! Triple post! Sorry, app was freezing up.

[DAME]

I had fun.  It was nothing extraordinary.  Craig Robinson was bland.  I did think the show with all its shtick was a good fit for the Bowl.  Box seats and the immediate benches behind them were full.  But the rest of the Bowl was empty. 

[TheatreDiva90016]

"I always thought of Arthur as the straight man in Spamalot, so I didn't think Craig Robinson was miscast."

 

Then why cast a man who is hilarious and raunchy and not let him play it that way?  Comparing him to Tim Curry is like comparing apples to oranges.  Tim can play the royal part and still be funny, in his own 'Tim Curry' way.

 

" But the rest of the Bowl was empty."

I have a feeling the shows are losing money.  Normally they have those banners that hang from the light poles for the show.  This year, they just have the genric "Hollywood Bowl" logo. 

[DAME]

" But the rest of the Bowl was empty."
I have a feeling the shows are losing money.  Normally they have those banners that hang from the light poles for the show.  This year, they just have the genric "Hollywood Bowl" logo. "

 

It didn't look like they put that much money into it.