Spamalot London Cast Announced
Spamalot London Cast Announced
Matty
Understudy Joined: 10/24/05
#0Spamalot London Cast Announced
Posted: 2/21/06 at 7:36am
English stars Tim Curry and Simon Russell Beale, who have both played King Arthur on Broadway, will reprise the role for the London show, which opens in October.
Inspired by the 1975 film Monty Python And The Holy Grail, Spamalot will be staged at the Palace Theatre, where Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Woman In White closes on Saturday.
Former Python star Eric Idle cowrote the musical with John Du Prez. Idle announced today that Curry will open the show as Arthur, with Russell Beale stepping into the part in January - a replay of what happened in the US.
Spamalot won more best musical awards than any other New York show last year, including a Tony. Its Oscar-winning director Mike Nichols, who also bagged a Tony, said today that he hopes for the same level of success in London.
"You can only tell when you put a show on in front of an audience what the response will be like but it would be fantastic if Spamalot gets the same reception in the West End that it's got on Broadway," said Nichols, whose films include The Graduate and Working Girl.
"Spamalot is an ineradicably funny musical. Directing it is a joy. All we do is laugh. Usually that's a lie because putting on a musical is an agonising thing but in this case it's true."
He revealed that Idle had long wanted to create a Broadway musical and originally hoped to base one on Mel Brooks's film The Producers - now a smash hit stage show in its own right - but Brooks turned down the idea.
Curry's stint as Arthur will be his first on the London stage for 20 years. Russell Beale, a triple winner of the Evening Standard best actor award, will step in after he finishes at the National Theatre in The Life Of Galileo and The Alchemist. The New York Observer has hailed Russell Beale "King of Broadway".
Joining the dancing divas, serfs and killer rabbits in the quest for the Holy Grail are West End musical performer Hannah Waddingham as The Lady of the Lake and Tom Goodman-Hill as Sir Lancelot.
#1re: Spamalot London Cast Announced
Posted: 2/21/06 at 8:13am
I thought Beale was going to open the show. Hmm...
And on a slightly sarcastic note, i'm rather surprised that the Lady of the Lake isn't being played by Maria Friedman or Ruthie Henshall.....
"Y'all have a GRAND day now"
leeinlondon
Leading Actor Joined: 5/22/03
#2re: Spamalot London Cast Announced
Posted: 2/21/06 at 8:21am
"I thought Beale was going to open the show. Hmm"
Simon is doign a coupel of plays at the National this year that woudl have clashed.
Matty
Understudy Joined: 10/24/05
#3re: Spamalot London Cast Announced
Posted: 2/21/06 at 8:23am
robert hands - sir robyn
david birrell - patsy
leeinlondon
Leading Actor Joined: 5/22/03
#4re: Spamalot London Cast Announced
Posted: 2/21/06 at 8:33am
Tim Goodman-Hill is Sir Lancealot and Hannah Waddingham is Lady of the Lake.
They have only gone for oen star name here..
Shame the Eddie Izzard rumour wasn't true.
mrkringas
Broadway Star Joined: 9/28/05
#5re: Spamalot London Cast Announced
Posted: 2/21/06 at 10:24am
Well its nice to see some younger talent getting a chance to shine! Plus Hannah has a much bigger voice than either Ruthie or Maria and will hopefully sing the sh** out of it
popcultureboy
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/23/03
#6re: Spamalot London Cast Announced
Posted: 2/21/06 at 10:28amHopefully she'll learn to control her voice better and inprove her attendance record.
Nothing precious, plain to see, don't make a fuss over me. Not loud, not soft, but somewhere inbetween. Say sorry, just let it be the word you mean.
#7re: Spamalot London Cast Announced
Posted: 2/21/06 at 10:44amIsn't it required that whoever plays Lady of the Lake misses half of her performances?
popcultureboy
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/23/03
#8re: Spamalot London Cast Announced
Posted: 2/21/06 at 10:57amNow, don't start, BB.
Nothing precious, plain to see, don't make a fuss over me. Not loud, not soft, but somewhere inbetween. Say sorry, just let it be the word you mean.
#9re: Spamalot London Cast Announced
Posted: 2/21/06 at 11:01amWell hello! They had a leading lady on Broadway who didn't always show up. Cough cough, I can't go on. So now they cast someone with a similar record in London? I'm sorry, but that deserves to be made fun of!
popcultureboy
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/23/03
#10re: Spamalot London Cast Announced
Posted: 2/21/06 at 11:03amIn fairness to Hannah, she doesn't have the reputation of Sara. But I know people who worked on her two last London shows and she rarely had a full week as she would over sing and over belt and over strain her voice too much.
Nothing precious, plain to see, don't make a fuss over me. Not loud, not soft, but somewhere inbetween. Say sorry, just let it be the word you mean.
mrkringas
Broadway Star Joined: 9/28/05
#11re: Spamalot London Cast Announced
Posted: 2/21/06 at 8:11pm
Given that her last show was Tonight's the Night I dont think she was the only principal guilty of that. The material lent itself to unhealthy vocalisations. She may have this sort of rep but a good friend of mines lost out to her for Lautrec and she has nothing but high praise for her. My friend is a stickler for vocal technique.... where did Hannah train btw?
IMHO the best singer/actors these days are coming out of RAM. Verity Quade for example kicked ass with her rendition of The Song that Goes Like This. Also has the comic chops for the role although perhaps not the same "type" as Hannah.
