| |
Monty Python's Spamalot is a comedic musical "lovingly ripped off from" the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). Like the film, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian Legend, but it differs from the film in many ways, especially in its parodies of Broadway theatre. Eric Idle, a member of the Monty Python team, wrote the musical's book and lyrics, and collaborated with John Du Prez on the music. Running since March 17, 2005, it was directed by Mike Nichols and won three Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical of the 2004–2005 season.
Idle explained the title in a February 2004 press release about the musical:
Tagline: A new musical (lovingly) ripped off from the motion picture.
Musical numbersAct I
Act II
CharactersThe Court of Camelot
Other characters
In tribute to the film, where six actors played the majority of all male parts (and a few female ones), several actors play multiple roles; the only major characters not doubling are Arthur and the Lady of the Lake.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Spamalot' Start a new discussion about 'Spamalot' Answer questions from other users |
Quotations
In Mercia and the two Anglias - plague, with a 50% chance of pestilence and famine coming out of the Northwest at twelve miles per hour.
This man was Arthur, King of the Britons. For this... was... England!
After the ensemble sings about Finland I said, ENGLAND!
Defeat at the castle in Act One seems to have utterly disheartened King Arthur. The ferocity of the French taunting took him completely by surprise.
King Arthur ==
God be praised, we have a quest!
Encyclopedia
Monty Python's Spamalot is a comedic musical "lovingly ripped off from" the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). Like the film, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian Legend, but it differs from the film in many ways, especially in its parodies of Broadway theatre. Eric Idle, a member of the Monty Python team, wrote the musical's book and lyrics, and collaborated with John Du Prez on the music. Running since March 17, 2005, it was directed by Mike Nichols and won three Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical of the 2004–2005 season.
Idle explained the title in a February 2004 press release about the musical:
Tagline: A new musical (lovingly) ripped off from the motion picture.
Musical numbersAct I
- Overture
- Historian’s Introduction to Act I
- Finland / Fisch Schlapping Dance
- Monk’s Chant / He Is Not Dead Yet
- King Arthur's Song (not on original cast recording)
- Come With Me
- Laker Girls Cheer
- The Song That Goes Like This
- He Is Not Dead Yet - Play Off
- All For One
- Knights of the Round Table / The Song That Goes Like This (Reprise)
- Find Your Grail
- Run Away!
- The Intermission (not in the show, only on the original cast recording)
Act II
- Historian’s Introduction to Act II
- Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
- Brave Sir Robin
- You Won't Succeed On Broadway (In the West end, it is changed to "You Won't Succeed in Show Business.)
- The Diva's Lament (Whatever Happened To My Part?)
- Where Are You?
- His Name Is Lancelot
- I'm All Alone
- Twice In Every Show
- The Holy Grail (not on original cast recording as it is personalized with an audience member's name)
- Act II Finale
- Always Look On the Bright Side Of Life (Company Bow)
CharactersThe Court of Camelot- King Arthur: King of the Britons. Has trouble counting to three. Is not very bright, but very willing.
- Sir Lancelot the Homicidally Brave: A near psychopathic knight...with a difference.
- Sir Robin, the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir-Lancelot: A cowardly knight well-versed in the world of musical theatre.
- Sir Dennis Galahad, The Dashingly Handsome: Formerly Dennis Galahad, a politically active peasant.
- Sir Bedevere, The Strangely Flatulent: A wise but smelly knight.
- Patsy: King Arthur's trusty servant/steed and constant companion. He is half Jewish.
- Concorde: Lancelot's trusty servant/steed. Can survive an arrow to the chest.
- Brother Maynard: Arthur's go-to guy for God.
- Sir Bors: An unlucky victim of the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog.
- Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Show: That pretty much sums it up. Dressed as Don Quixote.
Other characters- The Lady of the Lake: An aquatic diva. Part fairy, part diva and all woman.
- Not-Dead Fred: He's not dead yet. He’s getting better. Okay, now he's dead.
- Robin's Lead Minstrel (widely called Alice by fans): Doesn't really know when to shut up.
- The King of Swamp Castle (aka Herbert's Father): A hardhearted, moneygrubbing king who hates music and his gay son.
- Prince Herbert: His son. Loves to sing, and is about as butch as Minnie Mouse.
- French Taunter: A French soldier who enjoys taunting.
- The Black Knight: A psychotic, "invincible" knight who will fight even after all his limbs have been cut off.
- The Head Knight who says "Ni!": The very tall leader of the most feared cult in the land: the dreaded Knights who say "Ni!". Enjoys shrubberies. Can not stand the word "it." When Arthur finds the shrubbery, the Head Knight says the Knights of Ni are no more: they are now the Knights of (insert random quotes here).
- Tim the Enchanter: A Scottish sorcerer/pyromaniac.
- Mrs. Galahad: A Pepperpot. Dennis Galahad's mother. A politically active peasant.
- The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog: A bloodthirsty rabbit puppet with nasty, big, pointy teeth.
- Swamp Castle Guards: One has trouble understanding simple concepts, one hiccups a lot (and is presumably quite drunk).
- Two Sentries: At an unspecified castle. They enjoy talking about swallows and coconuts.
- Historian: the Narrator.
- The Mayor of Finland: A character who really shouldn’t be in this musical.
- The Laker Girls: The Lady of the Lake's backup dancers/cheerleaders.
- Knights of the Round Table: They dance when e'er they're able. They do the chorus scenes.
- Robin’s Minstrels: Enthusiastic, multi-talented group that follows the knight.
- God: Sounds a lot like John Cleese. By God it is!
- Holder of the Holy Grail: Whoever happens to be sitting in a certain seat at that performance. The luckiest person in the house.
In tribute to the film, where six actors played the majority of all male parts (and a few female ones), several actors play multiple roles; the only major characters not doubling are Arthur and the Lady of the Lake. In the Broadway production, the following doubling is used:
- Lancelot/2nd Sentry/The French Taunter/Knight of Ni/Tim the Enchanter
- Robin/1st Sentry/1st Guard/Brother Maynard
- Galahad/King of Swamp Castle/Black Knight
- Patsy/Mayor of Finland/2nd Guard
- Bedevere/Mrs. Galahad/Concorde
- The Historian/Prince Herbert/Not Dead Fred/Lead Minstrel/The French Taunter's Best Friend
Sara Ramirez was intended to double as a witch and as the cow launched from the French castle, but both parts were cut from the final script. In addition, several pairs of characters originally played by the same Monty Python member were reduced to one: the Dead Collector and Sir Robin (Idle), the Large Man with a Dead Body and Sir Lancelot (Cleese), and Dennis the Politically-Active Peasant and Sir Galahad.
Production historyChicagoPreviews of the show began in Chicago's Shubert Theatre (now the LaSalle Bank Theatre) on December 21, 2004; the show officially opened there on January 9, 2005 and was practically sold-out.
Two musical numbers were dropped from Act One while the production was still in Chicago. During the scene set in the "Witch Village", the torch song "Burn Her!" was originally performed by Sir Bedevere, The Witch, Sir Robin, Lance and Villagers. At the French Castle, "The Cow Song", in a parody of a stereotypical film noir/cabaret style, was performed by The Cow and French Citizens. Before the two songs were cut in Chicago, the lead vocals in both songs were sung by Sara Ramirez. This gave her a total of six songs in Act One, but no further appearances until scene five in Act Two, for "The Diva's Lament".
BroadwayThe musical previewed on Broadway, at New York's Shubert Theatre, beginning February 14, 2005, and, after some changes, officially opened on March 17, 2005. The Broadway previews were practically sold-out, leaving only obstructed view tickets for sale.
The original Broadway cast included Tim Curry as King Arthur, Michael McGrath as Patsy, David Hyde Pierce as Sir Robin, Hank Azaria as Sir Lancelot and other roles (e.g., the French Taunter, Knight of Ni, and Tim the Enchanter), Christopher Sieber as Sir Galahad and other roles (e.g., the Black Knight and Prince Herbert's Father), and Sara Ramirez as the Lady of the Lake. It also included Christian Borle as Prince Herbert and other roles (e.g., the Historian and Not Dead Fred), Steve Rosen as Sir Bedevere and other roles (e.g., Concorde and Dennis's Mother) and John Cleese as the (recorded) Voice of God.
Notable cast replacements have included the following:
North American tourA North American tour of the musical commenced in the spring of 2006, and the cast included Michael Siberry as King Arthur, Jeff Dumas as Patsy/Mayor/Guard, David Turner as Robin/Guard/Brother Maynard, Rick Holmes as Lancelot/French Taunter/Knight of Ni/Tim The Enchanter, Bradley Dean as Galahad/Black Knight/Herbert's Father, Tom Deckman as The Historian/Not Dead Fred/French Guard/Minstrel/Prince Herbert, Christopher Gurr as Sir Bedevere/Dennis's Mother/Concorde, and Pia Glenn (who remains slated for productions as late as June 2008) as the Lady of the Lake. Deckman moved to the Broadway production in November 2006 and was replaced by Christopher Sutton.
The tour won three 2007 Touring Broadway Awards, including Best New Musical.
London West EndA London production opened at the Palace Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue in the West End, commencing 30 September 2006 (London première 17 October) with tickets on sale booking to November 2008. Curry reprised his Broadway role as King Arthur until December, with Beale taking over since January. Sieber also reprised his role as Sir Galahad before leaving in early 2007, replaced by Graham McDuff. Hannah Waddingham was cast as the Lady of the Lake, Tom Goodman-Hill as Sir Lancelot, Robert Hands as Sir Robin, David Birell as Patsy, Tony Timberlake as Sir Bedevere and Darren Southworth as Prince Herbert. Notable cast replacements have included Peter Davison and Bill Ward in 2007 and, briefly, Marin Mazzie, in early 2008. Sanjeev Bhaskar takes over from Alan Dale as the current King Arthur (23rd June 2008 onwards). The London production is set to close on 3 January 2009, before embarking on a UK tour later that year.
Las VegasA production of the musical began Las Vegas, Nevada previewed on March 8, 2007 and opened on March 31, 2007 at the Wynn Las Vegas in the resort's newly renamed Grail Theater (formerly known as the Broadway Theater, which housed a production of Avenue Q), with an extended balcony to allow for more seating, and a redesigned interior. As with other Las Vegas transfers of Broadway musicals, including Phantom of the Opera, Spamalot has been condensed to run in 90 minutes without an intermission. Although initially contracted to run for up to 10 years, Broadway musicals have had a mixed track record in Las Vegas. Starlight Express had a successful four-year run at the Las Vegas Hilton and, more recently, Mamma Mia! has entered the fourth year of a successful run at Mandalay Bay, but other recent efforts, including Hairspray and Spamalot's predecessor Avenue Q have notably flopped.
Among the cuts required to bring the Las Vegas version of the show in at about 90 minutes include the song "All For One," most of the song "Run Away," the Knights of Ni receiving their shrubbery, and the "Make sure he doesn't leave" scene with Prince Herbert's guards.
John O'Hurley, best known as J. Peterman on Seinfeld and the current Family Feud host, stars as King Arthur. Due to the Las Vegas production, the North American touring company will not perform in California, Arizona, or Nevada. In addition, the cast includes Nikki Crawford as Lady of the Lake, Edward Staudenmayer as Galahad, J Anthony Crane as Lancelot, Justin Brill as Patsy, and Harry Bouvy as Robin.
The Las Vegas production of Spamalot closed on July 13th 2008 to make way for Danny Gans' move from the Mirage Hotel and Casino.
AustraliaA new Australian production started in Melbourne in November 2007 at Her Majesty's Theatre, with the official premiere on December 1. The cast features Bille Brown as King Arthur and Lucinda Shaw (whose past credits include We Will Rock You and Pippin) as the Lady of the Lake, Ben Lewis as Sir Galahad, Stephen Hall as Sir Lancelot, Derek Metzger as Patsy, Jason Langley as Sir Robin and Mark Conaghan as Prince Herbert.
The Australian production closed April 5, 2008. Little promotion was done outside Melbourne, with the expectation the show would tour after a successful Melbourne season. Tour plans are now in doubt due both to its premature Melbourne closure, and the lack of suitable venues available during 2008 in other Australian cities.
SpainThe first translated production, in Spanish, will open at Teatre Victoria, Barcelona on September 9, 2008, directed by Spanish Comedy Group Tricicle.
Other international versionsOther international productions have been rumored and planned for Germany, Italy, Israel, the Netherlands, Japan and Poland.
Reactions by Monty Python membersThe show has had mixed reactions from Idle's former colleagues in Monty Python. Terry Gilliam, in an audio interview,name="tgint"> by Ken Plume describes it as "Python-like". John Cleese, who is the recorded voice of God in the musical, is said to have liked it, though Michael Palin (despite his participation in the project) and Terry Jones have said that it doesn't hold up to Python's style. Jones - who co-directed the original film with Gilliam - expressed his opinions forthrightly in May 2005: "Spamalot is utterly pointless. It's full of air... Regurgitating Python is not high on my list of priorities."
Coconut orchestra world recordOn March 22, 2006, to mark the first anniversary of the official Broadway opening of the show, the "World's Largest Coconut Orchestra" (consisting of 1,789 people clapping together half coconut shells) performed in Shubert Alley, outside the theatre. The claim was officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. This record was then broken by 5,567 people in Trafalgar Square at 7pm on 23 April 2007, led by the cast from the London production, along with Jones and Gilliam, with the coconuts used in place of the whistles in "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". This formed part of London's St George's Day celebrations that year and was followed by a screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
OtherIn 2006, the London cast of Spamalot performed excerpts at the Royal Variety Performance.
On March 10, 2007, Monty Python's Spamalot partnered with HP Sauce (the classic British brown sauce which is now made in Holland due to a contentious decision to close its factory in Britain) to produce 1,075 limited edition bottles featuring a unique Spamalot take on the classic HP design. The bottles were available exclusively via Selfridges, London and came in a presentation box with a numbered certificate. 1,075 was chosen to absurdly celebrate "1,075 years of the show running in London".
In July 2007 it was announced that the London production would solve the problem of replacing Hannah Waddingham as the Lady of the Lake through a TV talent show in Sweden. The programme, called West End Star, which began airing on TV3 on December 8, 2007, announced Nina Söderquist as the winner on February 2, 2008.
On December 15, 2007, the 10 finalists were announced. These were:
- Sandra Caménisch -35 year old full time mother of three from Stockholm with 8 week old son
- Karin Funk - 25 year old checkout girl at Seven Eleven from Gothenburg
- Jenny Holmgren - 25 year old student from Stockholm
- Linda Holmgren - 27 year old cruise ship entertainer from Stockholm and older sister of Jenny
- Petra Jablonski - 38 year old Opera singer from Västerås married to renowned concert pianist Patrick Jablonski
- Viktoria Krantz - 31 year old show jumper from Stockholm
- Divina Sarkany - 34 year old actress from Gothenburg
- Nina Söderquist - 35 year old singing waitress from Stockholm (the eventual winner)
- Susanne Petersson - 28 year old Cabaret artist from Malmo
- Josefine Wassler - 19 year old student at Rock School from Stockholm
Nina successfully took up the role of The Lady of the Lake, with a standing ovation, on Monday 11 February 2008.
DVD VIDEOPortions of the Spamalot original cast recording were featured (with accompanying Flash animation) as a special feature in the 2006 "Extraordinarily Deluxe Two-Disc Edition" DVD re-release of Monty Python and the Holy Grail
AwardsThe original Broadway production received 14 Tony Award nominations, more than any other show in the 2004–2005 season. It won three of them:
- Best Musical
- Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
- Best Direction of a Musical
The production's eleven other nominations were:
- Best Book of a Musical
- Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre; Eric Idle (Lyrics))
- Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
- Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
- Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
- Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
- Best Scenic Design of a Musical
- Best Costume Design of a Musical
- Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Hugh Vanstone)
- Best Choreography
- Best Orchestrations
The show's Tony Awards led to a minor change to the song "The Diva's Lament." Initially, the line "I've no Grammy, no reward/I've no Tony Award" became "My Tony Award/won't keep me out of Betty Ford's." When Kennedy took over for Ramirez, it became "All our Tony Awards/won't keep me out of Betty Ford's." In the touring production, Glenn sings "All our goddamn awards/won't keep me out of Betty Ford's." For a change, Hannah Waddingham in the London production sings "I'm as depressed as I can be/ I've got constant PMT"
The touring production has thus far garnered Boston's Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Visiting Production.
TelevisionA special edition of The South Bank Show was a television documentary on the history of Spamalot. It features numerous segments with Eric Idle and John Du Prez explaining the process of writing the songs, plus interviews with US and UK cast members. It included scenes from the rehearsal of the West End show, and first aired on 15 October 2006.
External links- *, a review of Spamalot from the New York Times (registration required)
- explaining elimination of some pre-Broadway scenes
- from May 2005 from American Theatre Wing Downstage Center,
|
