Florida Studio Theatre Opens Monty Python's SPAMALOT Tonight

Florida Studio Theatre opens the first show of the 13-14 Mainstage Season, the Tony Award-Winning MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT, with book by Eric Idle and score by Eric Idle and John Du Prez. It will open in Florida Studio Theatre's Gompertz Theatre (1241 N. Palm Avenue) tonight, November 15, 2013. Subscriptions for all four shows can be purchased for as little as $45, online at FloridaStudioTheatre.org, by phone at (941) 366-9000 or by visiting the Box Office.

In 2005, Spamalot won the Tony Award for best musical comedy. Lovingly ripped off from the classic film "Monty Python and The Holy Grail," this outrageous parody tells the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and has been called "The best new musical to open" by The New York Times. While embarking on their quest for the Holy Grail, the Knights encounter flying cows, killer rabbits, and taunting Frenchmen while performing heart-stopping musical numbers.

Bruce Jordan will return to FST after previously directing hit comedies such as The Underpants, Perfect Wedding and Shear Madness, on which he was one of the original co-producers. "My favorite part about Spamalot is not only does it have a lot of funny scenes, it also has lots of tuneful music. In its own way it's like the musical comedies I was brought up on. A fun book and a strong score... Some people have said that Monty Python is to comedy what the Beatles were to music. I see that. I understand how they began and how they have shaped much of the comedy that follows them... I also like that they were influenced by Alan Bennet and Peter Cook, who were brilliant comedians."

For those of you thinking you have to know this comedic style before seeing the show, Jordan states, "You don't have to know anything at all about Monty Python to have a rip roaring time at this musical. I like to direct just about anything that is well written, and this sure is."

Among the 16 member cast are returning FST company members Patrick Noonan, Gill Brady and Priscilla Fernandez, along with new company members including Kevin Loreque and Jacob Hoffman. Among Noonan's past FST productions are Occupant and Irma Vep. Brady previously appeared in FST's productions of The Underpants and Our Son's Wedding while Fernandez previously appeared in FST's South Beach Babylon production.

Monty Python's Spamalot will open in the Gompertz Theatre on November 15, 2013 (with previews on November 13 and 14), and will run until January 11, 2014. Single tickets to this joyful joust will go on sale on September 22 and will range from $18 - $45. Season subscriptions can be purchased for as little as $45 and single tickets to this joyful joust range from $18 - $45. Both are available now online at FloridaStudioTheatre.org, in person at the FST Box Office or by calling (941) 366-9000.

Known as Sarasota's Contemporary Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre was founded in 1973 by Jon Spelman. Starting out as a small touring company, FST traveled to places such as migrant camps and prisons. The company eventually settled down into a permanent home, acquiring the former Woman's Club building - now renamed the Keating Theatre. In the years that followed, Florida Studio Theatre established itself as a major force in American Theatre, presenting Contemporary Theatre in its four theatre venues: the Keating Theatre, the renovated Gompertz Theatre, the Goldstein Cabaret and the John C. Court Cabaret. Soon to come in January of 2014, FST will open its fifth theatre venue, the Bowne Lab Theatre.

Even with its growth, Florida Studio Theatre remains firmly committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to a broad-based audience. Under Richard Hopkins, Artistic Director and CEO, FST develops theatre that speaks to our living, evolving, and dynamically changing world. As FST grows and expands, it continues to provide audiences with challenging, contemporary drama and innovative programs.