‘Monty Python’s Spamalot’ — Book and Lyrics by Eric Idle. Music by John du Prez and Eric Idle. Based on the motion picture, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.’ Original screenplay by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. Directed and Choreographed by Josh Rhodes. Music Supervision and Additional Arrangements by John Bell. Presented by Boch Center Wang Theatre through October 11.
By Shelley A. Sackett
1975 was a very good year. It brought us, for example, the end of the Vietnam War and the first episode of “Saturday Night Live’ (then called “NBC’s Saturday Night”). Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft and Russia and the US were still playing nice with the first joint US-Soviet space flight when an American Apollo spacecraft and a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft docked in orbit. Breaking racial barriers, Frank Robinson became Major League Baseball’s first Black manager, and Arthur Ashe became the first Black man to win the singles title at Wimbledon.
And, in tribute to American youth’s love affairs with both the BBC television series, “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” and reefer, the movie, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” opened to rave reviews and immediate cult status.
Thirty years later, in 2005, ‘Spamalot,’ the musical “lovingly ripped off” from the film first appeared on Broadway. It closed in 2024, and launched a North American national tour which, if you act quickly, you can enjoy at the Boch Center Wang Theatre through October 11.
The rollicking, pure escapist entertainment is everything a big, Broadway production should be and often isn’t. There is a stand out cast (particularly Amanda Robles as Lady of the Lake), vibrant costumes (Jen Caprio), a magnificent set (Paul Tate dePoo III), terrific choreography (Josh Rhodes, who includes the obligatory tap dance number) and creative lighting (Cory Pattak).
And then there is the real star: the goofy, absurdist humor of the original Python troupe as it digs deep into all things Arthurian. The loosely stitched together series of skits has King Arthur traipsing around England in search of knights to sit at his round table. He and his trusted sidekick, Patsy (a nimble Blake Segal), run into a motley crew of characters, ranging self-flagellating monks to a Trojan rabbit, a cart of not-quite-dead corpses, vulgar French taunters, and a drag prince waiting to be rescued by his closeted (until now) gay knight in shining armor, Lancelot (Chris Collins-Pisano).
Even God makes an appearance, giving the story its titular focus. Arthur is to find the Holy Grail and all will be well. That grail, of course, is within each of us, and the quest gives rise to the show’s last two musical numbers, “The Holy Grail” and “Find Your Grail Finale.” Offering uplifting advice, the lyrics include Arthur singing,
“When your life
Seems to drift
When we all need a lift
Tell yourself you won’t fail
Find your grail
Find your grail
Life is really up to you
You must choose what to pursue
Set your mind on what to find.”
Before ending on that introspective, more serious note, however, there is plenty of slapstick, vaudeville-esque humor and pithy, silly dialogue. The quirky supporting characters are hysterical (mostly) and goofy (definitely). The projection-heavy scenic design and faithful incorporation of Terry Gilliam’s original, beloved animation blends nostalgia and modern technology in a way that is just plain fun. From Patsy’s slapping together two coconut halves so King Arthur can pretend he’s riding a horse to its 19 iconic songs, “Spamalot” is a welcome (albeit dated) breath of escapist humor and visual gags, and who, right now, couldn’t use a deeply inhaled hit of that?
Highly Recommended.
For more information, visit https://www.bochcenter.org/events/all
