Review: Raleigh Little Theatre's MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT

Lovingly ripped off from the 1975 classic film Monty Python & the Holy Grail, Spamalot is a highly irreverent spoof of the quest of King Arthur and and his Knights of the roundtable.

The musical first debuted on Broadway on March 17th, 2005 directed by the late great Mike Nichols. It would go on to win 3 Tony Awards (including Best Musical) and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, as well as enjoying a long-run of 1,575 performances after closing on January 11th, 2009.

One of the things that director Patrick Torres has accomplished with this production is that he figured out how to stage such enormous landscapes on the small stage at RLT very creatively with scenic designer Shannon Clark.

Leading the production is Mark Ridenour whose King Arthur is as charming as he is hilarious. He is joined by a terrific ensemble of so many memorable supporting characters. Brian Fisher as Arthur's trustworthy servant and companion Patsy; Brian Westbrook as the homicidally brave Sir Lancelot; Tony Hefner as the Not-Quite-So-Brave Sir Robin; James Ilsley as the dashingly handsome Sir Dennis Galahad; Tim Cherry as the strangely flatulent Sir Bedevere. But the real standout here is Nicole Julien as The Lady of the Lake. Whether it would be her comedic chops or even her powerhouse vocal chops, her performance absolutely makes the character the heart and soul of the show!

From the choreography by Nancy Rich to the orchestra led by musical directors Michael Santangelo & Bryan Phoebus, there is so much to like about this production of Monty Python's Spamalot that it should be impossible for audiences to not get a real kick out of it! This production is currently playing at Raleigh Little Theatre through September 20th.