Review: SPAMALOT at Hollywood Pantages Theatre

Monty Python’s Spamalot is a sparkling Tony Award-winning hit musical comedy playing at the Hollywood Pantages through April 12th.  Outrageously silly and positively contagious in its deranged fun, Spamalot is quite possibly the best night out you will have all year.  Don’t miss this one.

A tale of King Arthur’s search for the Holy Grail told through a demented comedic lens, Spamalot is a winking send-up of all manner of things, from class injustice to homophobia to French people to the Lakers to P-Diddy to insufferably long musical ballads.  While there are puns and in-jokes for diehard fans of Monty Python, musical theatre goers, and pop culture trivia aficionados, this is also an immensely approachable, wildly entertaining comedy for everyone (teens and adults).  You don’t need to know anything about Monty Python or the legend of King Arthur to enjoy this rollicking romp of utter silliness.  There is a bit of a slow start in the first act, but the show quickly finds its footing.

The cast is thoroughly winning and delightful, up for all kinds of madcap adventures and antics.  Major Attway shines as King Arthur, bringing boundless charm, warmth, impeccable comic timing, and a surprising sweetness to the lead part.  Attaway’s velvety, rich caramel baritone is absolutely gorgeous.

Playing The Lady of the Lake, Amanda Robles has a truly sublime, superstar Broadway voice, megawatt charisma, and effortlessly conjures old-school Hollywood glamor. 

Robles is dazzling in the sumptuous, slinky gowns and costumes by spectacularly gifted Costume Designer Jen Caprio.  Robles’ vocal stylings, imitating any number of singers, are hilarious and vocally stunning.

If there are any flaws in the brilliant writing by Eric Idle, it would probably be a lack of anything for the females to do other than be decorative, desirable, and dance. Spamalot spoofs this about itself, in the Lady of the Lake’s furious cry“Whatever happened to my part?” in Diva’s Lament. 

Mostly, we see the women in the show in Vegas-style dancer outfits as Spamalot’s eye candy, which feels a bit gallingly retro as the actresses’ main occupation. I have to confess, though, it is a pleasure to see some glamorous, old-school showgirls in a musical, since I have not seen them employed like this for some time. Scenic and Production designer Paul Tate DePoo III misses an opportunity to do anything striking or innovative with Spamalot’s plain and unremarkable sets. The overuse of sloppy digital projections is irritating.

Josh Rhodes’ choreography is vivid, bold, and dynamic, and the show’s song and dance numbers are lavish treats to be savored.  “He Is Not Yet Dead,” “Always Look On the Bright Side of Life,” “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway,” and “His Name Is Lancelot” are some of the standout, addictively hilarious numbers.  Composers John Du Prez and Eric Idle have created some insanely catchy, unforgettable songs, with Eric Idle’s lyrics being works of a certain kind of easy-to-overlook, sly satirical genius.

Photos by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

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