One of the challenges inherent in staging a show like Monty Python’s Spamalot is that much of the best material is going to be familiar to a significant portion of the audience.
The musical comedy is, after all, billed as being “lovingly ripped off” from the British troupe’s classic motion picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
In fact, entering the Dunfield Theatre for opening night of the Drayton Entertainment production, enthusiastic patrons could be heard quoting lines from the film and anticipatory laughter rippled through the hall every time a scene built around one of the legendary movie skits began.
Didn’t hurt a bit. The show was flat out hilarious from beginning to end, as the well-loved material blended with the new book and song lyrics from show creator and original troupe-member Eric Idle to form a seamless stream of silliness well worthy of the Python name.
And if you’re wondering if it’s possible to credibly pull off a scene like King Arthur’s encounter with the Black Knight or the attack of the killer rabbit in a stage version, the answer is a resounding and highly amusing yes.
The tone does deteriorate somewhat during a brief slide into some mildly homophobic humour that now seems pretty dated. However, to be fair, the bits are from the original 40-year-old movie and pulled off tongue-in-cheek enough to seem largely inoffensive. And, that said, His Name is Lancelot (He likes to dance a lot!) manages to be one of the better show tunes in the production on its strengths as a song and dance number alone. You’ll be singing it out loud for days, so book some time off work to avoid embarrassment.
The show itself, under the direction of Drayton Entertainment artistic director Alex Mustakas, is a genuine spectacle, with the kind of authentic costumes and lavish sets the Pythons could only have dreamed about during the original run of their popular, but frugally-produced, Flying Circus television series, where the merry madness began.
Music director Steve Thomas crafts a show as strong in musical elements as it is in comedic ones and the energetic dance routines by choreographer Lisa Stevens and associate choreographer Robert Allan meet the test of being both aesthetically impressive and enormously amusing.
The cast is, in true Python fashion, an ensemble, but Victor A. Young carries much of the load as the clueless King Arthur, and Nick Settimi is also a workhorse as his coconut-clopping underling Patsy.
Eddie Glen, Stephen Patterson, Keith Savage and Liam Tobin are terrific as a diverse team of Knights of the Round Table, with each taking on several other roles as well.
Jennifer Lyon makes her Drayton Entertainment debut as the Lady of the Lake. A tiny bit part in the movie, the role is much expanded (but apparently not enough for the character’s liking, as one of her key numbers is called Whatever Happened to My Part?) for the musical. And a good thing too, as Lyon possesses a simply amazing singing voice and strong acting talent that makes you wish she had been allotted even more time on stage.
Jamie McKnight shows comic ability and range in multiple roles, including several repeats as Not Dead Fred.
The rest of the ensemble – Robert Allan, Danielle Benton, Rachel Clark, Michael Donald, Dani Jazzar, Allison McCaughey, Nicholas Nesbitt, and Christine Watson – keep the production moving at a torrid pace, working like, well, troupers, to bring the dizzying song and dance numbers to life.
The true beauty of Spamalot is that it gives enough of a nod to the source material to please the fans, while realizing it’s also a full-fledged musical designed to delight the uninitiated as well. Bloody good show!
Spamalot runs through May 24. Tickets are available at Dunfield Theatre, online at dunfieldtheatrecambridge.com or by calling 519-519-621-8000 or 1-855-drayton (372-9866).
