Subj : Two thumbs up for "Spamalot"
To   : All
From : KevNJon
Date : Mon Jan 03 2005 03:19 am

From: kevnjon@aol.comATOSE (KevNJon)

The wife and I just got back from seeing "Spamalot" at the Shubert Theater, and 
we were both pleasantly surprised.

The last time we went out to see a real show was a couple of years ago when we 
saw Nathan Lane and Mathew Broderick in "The Producers" during its pre-Broadway 
run here in Chicago. That show was outstanding, and we both were a little 
skeptical that "The Holy Grail" would translate as well into a musical.

Well, we were wrong. (It's a little unfair to compare the two anyway.) Yes, 
there were long stretches in "Spamalot" where the dialogue was followed 
scrupulously, down to the very inflection--very much appreciated by those of us 
who have had the dialogue locked in our memories since seeing the movie during 
its original run in the mid-1970's. I was afraid groupies in the audience might 
recite along with the dialogue, but thankfully that didn't happen.

Tthere is so much more original material that the show is genuinely an entirely 
new creation. Many of the scenes are interrupted by musical numbers that really 
work, that really wow, and the original musical numbers are greatly expanded 
and "Broadway-upped," if you will. The "Camelot" scene, as might be expected, 
is a splashy number, but so are other scenes where you might not expect a 
full-fledged musical number, like the "I'm not dead yet" scene.

The actors had the characters down just right. Steve Rosen, as Bedevere, 
probably bears the most uncanny resemblance to the original actor (Jones) whose 
role he's assuming, followed (arguably) by Tim Curry as Arthur, Hank Azaria as 
Lancelot, and David Hyde Pierce as Robin. But this is not to detract from the 
performances of those who aren't perfect mimics! Each brings something new to 
his respective role and demonstrates what might be the most exciting thing 
about this production--it demonstrates that Python can be done successfully by 
actors and actresses who weren't part of the original ensemble.

A few surprising and delightful alterations:

The Lady of the Lake is not just mentioned but actually appears and plays a 
significant role--to hilarious (and nearly show-stealing) effect by Sara 
Ramirez, who also plays the Witch and (get this) the "cow" who is catapulted 
over the castle wall by the French taunters.

Michael McGrath as Patsy has some new lines, including one of the funniest and 
most provocative in the show. (Let's just say it's a jab at Christianity.)

When the Witch is found guilty, she doesn't say "it's a fair cop" but rather 
"All right, you got me"--probably because so many Yanks seem not to understand 
the meaning of "a fair cop"!

Two songs from other Python ventures are used effectively in the show--"Always 
Look on the Bright Side of Life," from the "Life of Brian," and "Finland," from 
the "Contractual Obligation" album.

As the show goes on and you begin to think there's not going to be anything 
offensive about it, a reason why the show will never succeed on Broadway is 
suggested, and an elaborate and hilarious production number follows. (I won't 
ruin it by saying what the reason is--let's just say it's politically 
incorrect.)

Two characters who appear at the beginning of the story, Dennis the 
Anarcho-Syndacalist and the gatherer of the dead in "Bring out your dead" are 
"recruited" by Arthur to join his Round Table. Dennis, played by Palin in the 
movie, is dubbed Sir Dennis Galahad, and the "bring out your dead" character 
becomes Sir Robin, naturally.

The scenes where the Black Knight has his limbs cut off and Sir Bors is 
decapitated by the rabbit are very cleverly done. A bit of misdirection is used 
in the former bit to conceal the preparation for the effects.

All the principle characters end the show by "discovering" something about 
themselves--they each find their personal Grail within, so to speak. What 
Lancelot discovers about himself is particularly hilarious, and fitting.

The conclusion of the show is a real surprise and once again demonstrates the 
Pythons' skill at undermining whatever medium they're working in.

All in all an outstanding show. It didn't disappoint these two Python fans, it 
brought so much more to the story than the movie and remained unwaveringly true 
to the spirit, and as I said, it demonstrated that Python can successfully be 
carried on. This is worth going out of your way to see.

Kevin aka No relation to the nude organist

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