Spamalot

Original Post Date: September 27, 2007

I haven't laughed so hard in a really long time. As a long time fan of Monty Python, and as someone who grew up on Monty Python and the Holy Grail, this afternoon was a real treat. Spamalot is SO FUNNY!!!!!! I especially loved the jabs at other shows. ESPECIALLY the nods to The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. PRICELESS!!!!!

One of the funnest parts of the show is the audience reaction. Come on, most of us there have seen the movie. They would be getting ready to start a scene and everyone would know exactly which scene it was and either a) laugh or b) cheer. Or c) both. It was fun to see the old favorites with some new funny stuff thrown in. And may I just say that the Lady of the Lake totally rocks the show. I'm a mezzo...I have to say that.

My one gripe was that I wasn't very impressed with the guy who played King Arthur. He wasn't strong enough and didn't have a commanding enough presence on the stage. Every single character upstaged him. He needed a booming voice, at least, and he mostly just sounded slightly inebriated. When everyone else is hamming it up to the hilt, Arthur needs to be the one that holds everything together. And he really wasn't. He showed a lot of potential during "I'm All Alone", but Patsy pretty much stole that from him, too. Now I'd really like to go see the show in Vegas, because John O'Hurley is playing Arthur. There's a commanding presence if there ever was one.

That aside, I laughed so hard that my sides hurt. The show is great for Monty Python fans and musical theatre fans alike!