Jeremy Daniel
In 1975, British comedy troupe Monty Python hit the big screen for the second time — the first film was basically a collection of their TV sketches — with the original film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which lovingly and hilariously skewered the legend of King Arthur and it was a hit, and has accrued new fans ever since its release. In 2005, a musical adaptation of the film titled Spamalot opened on Broadway, with a book by Pythonite Eric Idle, and it too was a hit, earning 14 Tony Award nominations, and garnering three awards including Best Musical. The show retained much of the film’s storyline but made some adjustments for the live theatre experience. The original Broadway production ran for 1,575 performances and was seen by more than two million people. The show has also toured the country twice, and we reviewed the 2023 Toby’s Dinner Theatre production.
The story is basically the same: King Arthur travels the land in search of knights to join his round table, occasionally having to explain that he’s the King of the Britons, and who exactly the Britons are — them. Arthur travels through a village riddled with the plague where he meets Lancelot and Robin, who are disposing of a not quite yet dead body (that sings and dances), then comes upon an old lady, erm, young man named Dennis — who doesn’t believe in the monarchy — and Arthur explains how the Lady of the Lake gave him the sword Excalibur and bestowed the title of King upon him. Dennis doesn’t think a ‘watery tart that threw a sword’ at Arthur give him supreme executive power so Arthur has to prove his story and summons the Lady and her Laker Girls, and Dennis is convinced after she turns him into Sir Galahad. Sir Bedevere joins the group as does Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Show (who apologizes and promptly exits), and they head to Camelot. And anything that happens in Camelot … stays in Camelot. God then contacts Arthur and sends him and his knights on a quest for the Holy Grail — with many jokes about how the all-knowing God could have misplaced a cup — and they set off, encountering everything from rude French soldiers, a dark and very expensive forest, the Knights Who Say Ni, a Black Knight, and a bunny. Arthur is also tasked with finding a shrubbery and putting on a Broadway show … but will they ever find that Grail?
If you’re familiar with Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you will find much in Spamalot that is familiar. There are also some tweaks to the story (the whole bridge troll scene is gone, but the discussion of swallow and coconuts is retained) but in this case it does not detract at all. I get really irked when a movie I like is turned into a show and then the show completely changes key points, but Spamalot remains mostly faithful to the film. The show is also full of irreverent humor that borders on the offensive (the French, a number that is a commentary on the tradition of Jews in the theatre, and a throwaway punchline about the newly out Lancelot), but Monty Python was always pushing the envelope. If you’re easily offended, then consider seeing another show. It’s just a very, very funny, absurd exercise in musical comedy.
Jeremy Daniel
Being a fan of the movie — or the Broadway musical — is enough reason to see this new production of the show, but this production — which is part of the Kennedy Center’s Broadway Center Stage initiative — is absolutely spectacular, and it comes with a who’s who of Broadway talent: Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice), James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin), Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer (Something Rotten!), Rob McClure (Mrs. Doubtfire), Matthew Saldivar (A Streetcar Named Desire), Jimmy Smagula (Billy Elliot), Michael Urie (Torch Song) and Nik Walker (Hamilton). And those credits are just the tip of the iceberg. What a cast!
Iglehart’s King Arthur is probably the toughest role to play because Arthur is almost always the straight man in the situations going on around him, from his first meeting with Dennis to his encounter with the Black Knight. That’s not to say he doesn’t get laughs, because he does in his reactions to everything, so it takes an actor with a great stage presence and powerful voice to not fade into the chaos around him. Iglehart makes Arthur stand out, but he also never tries to steal the spotlight. He’s almost the one character who keeps the entire show from going completely off the rails. And he’s also lucky to be playing just one character. Rob McClure actually sets the stage for what’s to come as the show’s Historian … and then he’s all over the place as Not Dead Fred, a Baby, a Nun, a Minstrel, Prince Herbert, and the Bunny, fully embodying each character with their own personality, stealing his scenes as Not Dead Fred, with some really fancy footwork, and particularly Prince Herbert, a character that could have been cringe-worthy but ends on a positive note.
Matthew Saldivar is mostly on stage as Patsy, King Arthur’s ‘horseman’, sidekick, servant Patsy, but he’s also the Mayor and Guard 2. He gets to sing the show’s signature song, ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’, and he slyly shows us that Patsy isn’t quite the fool Arthur thinks he is. And he even manages to tug our heartstrings a little near the end of the show. Michael Urie, who a lot of people probably remember from Ugly Betty, plays Guard 1 and Brother Maynard, but his main role is Sir Robin, the man who wants to be a knight but doesn’t want to fight, and has the unfortunate habit of soiling himself in moments of fear. Urie is hilarious through and through, but he really gets to cut loose and steal the show with his big second act number ‘You Won’t Succeed on Broadway’, which riffs on Broadway musicals — Fiddler on the Roof in particular (and there are also references to Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables) — and is staged and choreographed brilliantly. Urie is just great in that number, and his reaction to being told they have to put on a Broadway show is priceless. Alex Brightman wears many, many hats in the show including Sir Lancelot, The French Taunter, the Knight of Ni and Tim the Enchanter, and it is so much fun watching him play all of these characters. Brightman doesn’t really get his own big solo number, but he does get his moments in all of the various group songs, but his disco Lancelot bit is hilarious, and he manages to not make Lancelot’s scenes with Prince Herbert offensive. It was also great to hear him sing without the signature Beetlejuice rasp. I don’t know how that didn’t wreck his vocal chords, but he is in fine voice here.
Nik Walker is very funny as Dennis Galahad and the way he challenges the notion of a monarchy, but it’s odd how the character disappears as the show goes on. In Act II, Walker is seen more as Prince Herbert’s Father, and he also has the stand-out role of The Black Knight (who suffered a comical mishap during his sword fight with Arthur that made it all the more funny). Like the others, he manages to make each of his characters very different from the other. Jimmy Smagula, mustache and all, is a real hoot as Dennis’ Mother, and he also appears as Sir Bedevere and Concorde. All of these actors are put through their paces and they are working their asses off to entertain and shine on that stage, and they have to because of Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as The Lady of the Lake. Kritzer’s powerful voice is amazing, and the control she has as she riffs all over the musical scale is just stunning. She’s got so many numbers in the first act, including ‘The Song That Goes Like This’ and ‘Find Your Grail’, but it’s her Act II showstopper ‘Diva’s Lament’ that brings the house down as she barrels though the song, bringing it down to a whisper, bantering with the audience, and even yelling at Michael Urie backstage. It’s a bravura performance, and her comic timing, her appearance in character all made me think of a young Carol Burnett. She earned every laugh, every cheer from the audience, every bit of applause. She was simply fabulous!
Jeremy Daniel
Speaking of fabulous — the production design by Paul Tate Depoo III was stunning. Even with the main setpiece being a castle wall that was always on stage, there were other pieces like turrets and that very expensive forest that came on and off the stage for the various scenes, so it was never stagnant. The use of video projections above the stage — and above the orchestra which was also above the action on stage — was so spot on and really served to bring even more to the Camelot scene and the big ‘Knights of the Round Table’ number, as well as the ‘You Won’t Succeed on Broadway’ number, both huge spectacles that employ the entire cast and ensemble. The lighting design by Cory Pattak was also stellar, bringing every color of the rainbow to the stage. Add in the costumes by Jen Caprio, hair and wigs by Tom Watson and the sound design by Haley Parcher, and it all adds up to a true stage extravaganza. Josh Rhodes’ direction keeps all the madness running smoothly without ever getting completely frantic, and his choreography — including some major tap dancing — is perfection. I have to point out that while the show retains the book from the original 2005 Broadway production, it has been tweaked to add in some modern references (watch the list of names on the projection during the ‘Broadway’ number) that allows the audience to be a part of the joke. There’s not more you could ask for from this production.
This was my first time seeing a Broadway Center Stage production at the Kennedy Center, and going in I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a staged reading or a full-blown production, so I was very happy to see that we got the ‘full Monty (Python)’ so to speak. Sets, costumes, lighting, great sound, direction and choreography, and a cast to die for … there aren’t enough words to describe the immense joy this production brought to the audience. The show has a very limited run, it’s not a tour, it’s not going to Broadway as a revival (although it should!), so this is your one chance to see it. If you can get to Washington DC between now and May 21, book yourself some seats at the Eisenhower Theatre and make it your quest to see Monty Python’s Spamalot. That’s an order… from God!
Spamalot runs about 2 hours and 20 minutes with one 15 minute intermission. The show runs through May 21. Visit The Kennedy Center website for more details.
Broadway Center Stage: Monty Python’s Spamalot | May 12 – 21, 2023
The Kennedy Center
Check our Ticketmaster link for ticket availability.
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