Bill Kellert

Fans of Monty Python in general — and especially the classic movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail" — are sure to love “Spamalot.” But even if you’re not a Monty Python fan you will be hard-pressed not to enjoy the show now playing through Sunday at Proctors in Schenectady.

'Shucked’ offers laughs as well as a few groans from the puns and double entendres, and delivers it all by the tractor load. It asks nothing more from its audience than to sit back and enjoy. And isn't that enough?

The production, currently appearing at Proctors is at once interesting and terrifying, beautiful and spartan. Andrzej Goulding's video and animation design combined with Tim Lutkin and Tim Deiling's lighting and Carolyn Caldwell's sound designs create enticing spaces in which the play takes place. From the zoo and the Indian marketplace to the storm tossed time onboard ship to the open spaces of the sea you will be literally swept away with the rain, the tides and the terror of Pi's life in the boat he calls home.

The cast of nearly three dozen is flawless in their approach under the direction of Michael Arden. The choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant creates wonderful pictures framed on Dane Laffrey's scenic design, Heather Gilbert's lighting, Jon Weston's sound design, presented in Sven Ortel's production design. Charlie Alterman leads the cast of this nearly entirely sung through musical pitch perfectly as the Musical Director and Conductor.

The cast is one of the most evenly filled with amazing talent to grace the stage in a long time. From the outstanding Jamal Fields-Green as MJ to the supporting roles and the ensemble, this production overflows with an embarrassment of riches.

The Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin book with music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman is a thrill for all the senses. Scott Pask's scene design and Natasha Katz's lighting package create a beautiful world for the cast to inhabit. Gregg Barnes has put together a magnificent array of costumes, and we watch the color palette of the clothing go from rich muted jewel tones in Chicago to pastels and creams when the show progresses to California, ending in stunning saturated colors in the finale.

“Beetlejuice” is based on the 1988 Tim Burton film of the same name. For those who have seen the movie, don't expect a rerun … the characters are the same, but the plot shifts are fairly enormous. With a book by Scott Brown and Anthony King, music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect the show will leave you cheering in your seat, stomping your feet, rolling over in fits of laughter and even a little bit scared.

The play takes some time to dig into and to feel a part of, though when it does the journey soars. Ramzi Khalaf does a wonderful job as Amir, carrying the production with the prodigious amount of dialogue during the show's two plus hours. He recounts his journey to the audience stepping into the action after setting up each scene.

The cast of 17 has strong voices that reach to the back of theater with pathos and pain that resonates to the core. Sharae’ Moultrie as Marianne, Ashley D. Brooks as Mrs. Neilsen and Aidan Wharton as Elias have provided the production world-class voices and soaring vocals that rise above an already outstanding cast.

Sondheim’s music remains strong, and the company of Company performs the music well, but something is missing. The production appears flat, without heart. There is a certain lack of believably in the characters, or rather the performances of the actors, that leaves one cold. Whether that is the result of Marianne Elliott’s direction, the fact this is a brand new cast and production just breaking itself in, in Schenectady this week, or just the rewriting of the script that leaves one cold, is up for grabs. Bunny Christie’s scene design plays off neon-framed boxes that the characters emerge from throughout the show is a clever conceit. We are all boxed in our own lives and in many ways isolated from the world around us; this certainly puts it right on the stage for you.