Monty Python's SPAMALOT Tour Review: Cleveland

After pulling off the most difficult feat of appealing to both diehard Monty Python fans and newcomers to the British humorists, "Monty Python's Spamalot" enjoyed a healthy and audience-pleasing run on The Great White Way before closing earlier this year. The touring version of the show is not dead yet, however, and arrived last night at Cleveland's Palace Theatre for an eight-show engagement.

Does the show still create all the giggles and guffaws it did when headlined on Broadway by such talent at Tim Curry, Sara Ramirez and Hank Azaria? Well, no, but not many comedic casts could. Still, this production is a solid and enjoyable, if easily forgettable, comedic tale of the Knights of the Round Table.

For those not in the know, "Spamalot" is based upon the first (and best) Monty Python film, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," taking some of the best moments and gags from the movie (the Knights of Ni, the cow and, of course, the man-eating rabbit) and adding in some musical pizzazz and one Jew. This is both a blessing and a curse for the musical-it flourishes when lifting certain parts of the film and becomes anemic when focusing on others.

But when it works, it works wonderfully. There are moments of such comedic genius, many involving the Lady of the Lake (the magnificent Merle Dandridge, reprising her role from Broadway), that rightly leave the audience in stitches for minutes. The Andrew Lloyd Webber send-up "The Song That Goes Like This" remains the smartest, funniest comedic song of the past decade and has lost none of its luster.

Structurally, the show has some problems. The first act is a rollicking trip with only a few slow spots, but the second act is sometimes painfully drawn out. The latter half separates the Knights and places them into their own skits, most of which last way too long and contain nary a real belly laugh. Despite the best efforts of the cast, songs like "You Won't Succeed on Broadway" and "I'm All Alone" are too overdone and should have been trimmed or, in the case of "I'm All Alone," deleted for the tour.

Richard Chamberlain leads the Knights as the daft yet enigmatic King Arthur, and does not lead them well. Chamberlain is a gifted actor, but his brand of comedy does not fit with Arthur. He never completely lets himself loose in the way former Arthurs Curry and Stephen Collins (yes, "Seventh Heaven's" Stephen Collins) did, and as a result many punchlines are lost and musicals numbers that should soar only sputter.

Luckily, much of the rest of the cast picks up Chamberlain's slack admirably. Dandridge, late of the somewhat underrated "Tarzan" on Broadway, is so good as the Lady in the Lake that I would go so far to say she is an equal to Ramirez's Tony-winning performance, effortlessly going from Liza to Tina to Rihanna impersonations without missing a beat or a costume change.

Understudy Nigel Columbus likewise brings a lot of life and excellent comedic timing to Sir Lancelot, especially in his dry delivery in the first act and the "His Name is Lancelot" number, one of the few songs in the second half of the show that really takes off, thanks mostly to Columbus' enthusiasm. The guy is a Broadway star in the making.

Monty Python enthusiasts won't care a fig about the show's slow spots and missed jokes, embracing this interpretation of their teenage holy grail of gags wholeheartedly. "Spamalot" is still strong enough to appeal to newcomers as well, though it might not convert as many in its quest as it once did.

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