For every lover of Ibsen, Arthur Miller or Stephen Sondheim, there’s a lover of The Three Stooges, Abbott & Costello and of course, Monty Python. Back in the 1970’s Monty Python’s Flying circus was a sensation with their irreverent and risqué observational comedy. If you couldn’t recite the week’s show the next day, you were ‘square.’ Three major films cemented their legacy with 1975’s Monty Python and The Holy Grail being the inspiration for this revival of the 2005 musical production that was nominated for 14 Tony’s, winning three. It hasn’t aged well.
Yes, the show is very silly, re-hashing the best scenes from Holy Grail verbatim. Poking fun at the plague, the clergy, the non-electable monarchy, a killer rabbit, and The Knights Who Say "Ni!" (don’t ask). The lead characters make the most of the cock-eyed book that throws the kitchen sink into this hodgepodge of material. Production number heavy, there’s big Broadway numbers that seem to come out of nowhere with a cheesy Vegas feel. The Lady of the Lake, who bemoans her small role in the play, is part Liza Minelli, part Mariah Carey, and I wondered why?
The musical moves from gag to gag, dance number to dance number and if you’re a Monty Python fan, the memories can bring back happy feelings. They’ve updated some references to TikTok, George Santos and other better musicals. When the funniest gag is using coconut shells as the sound of horse’s hooves, something’s amiss. Flatulence jokes, a big gay dance number and a Jewish bottle dance with Grails instead of bottles adds to the mayhem.
A good comic cast including Major Attaway as King Arthur, Amanda Robles as The Lady of the Lake, Sean Bell as Sir Robin, Chris Collins-Pisano (Lancelot), Leo Roberts as Sir Galahad and Blake Segal (Patsy) make the show watchable. Silly British humor like Monty Python, Benny Hill and Mr. Bean struggled mightily for US acceptance. It’s certainly a niche audience, and they were all there opening night for some lowbrow laughs at Spamalot.
Spamalot continues through March 22nd. Tickets available at broadwaysf.com.
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