“Monty Python’s Spamalot” should be a difficult work to review. As legendary King Arthur (an assured Patrick Oxley) tells us in Act One, what happens in Camelot stays in Camelot. The King of the Britons is stopping as part of journey with faithful, thankless servant Patsy (David McLaughlin with accompanying coconut shell gait) across Middle Ages lands in quest to put together his Knights of the Round Table and follow God’s order to find the holy grail.
The multi-layered work is simultaneously inspired by the British comedy troupe’s cult classic film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, cheeky parody of Arthurian legend, and a spoof of Broadway musicals with songs like Act Two’s ‘You Won’t Succeed On Broadway’. The story (book by Monty Python’s Eric Idle) is such that stereotypes abound as songs tell of Jews running Broadway and hymn of Sir Lancelot’s gay pride, revealed in a spectacular rainbow-themed razzle dazzle GAYMCA song and dance number (choreography by Maureen Bowra and tap choreography by Cerys Downing).
Colourful costumes and closely choreographed dancing elevate many numbers as ‘Laker Girl’ dancers don raincoats, cheerleader outfits, Can-can skirts and alike ensembles to tap and twirl things along. And the on-point orchestra under Conductor and Musical Director Julie Whiting, easily finds the frolic in John Du Prez and Eric Idle’s score of playful numbers like ‘Not Dead Yet’ and the jolly of ‘Knights of the Round Table’, with all its ridiculous ham and jam and spam rhymes. Bringing some of them to life, Jessica Papst is vocally strong as the ‘watery tart’ The Lady of the Lake, who Arthur encounters along his quest. Her duet with Jake Lyle in generic Broadway love song ‘The Song That Goes Like This’, is engaging, not only through its break of the fourth wall with deconstruction of musical theatre tropes such as generic love songs that ‘start off soft and low and end up with a kiss’.
Shaun McCallum’s direction leans into the source material’s irreverence at every opportunity, with the affectionate take being brought to life by some exuberant performances. Of particular note, Lyle gives a versatile turn as old woman Dennis, especially in his political radical character’s introduction to the sovereign. His physical reactions are precise, contributing much to his comic timing and often delivering laughs as big as the script’s more overt punchlines. James Lennox (who also plays Sir Lancelot) likewise shows a natural affinity for comedy in his role of French gate-keeper, taunting the English knights, outrageous accent and all. And McClaughlin’s Patsy is high energy one minute and measured in reactions the next, elevating Arthur’s ‘I’m All Alone’ (even though Patsy has been with him the entire time) to more than just an attempted soulful lament.
While some aspects of “Monty Python’s Spamalot” may now be a little dated in their tone, the Tony Award winning work is not dead yet, as evidenced by the opening this week of its first Broadway revival. Its feature of iconic scenes is crafted around the loose narrative to ensure Arthur’s encounters with eccentric characters, like The Knights who Say Ni who will not allow Arthur to pass through their ‘extremely expensive’ forest. And imaginative use of low-budget locations and modest props only add to the humour of sight gags like the Black Knight’s ‘tis but a scratch flesh wounds and the crazy (stuffed) Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog.
The hilarious musical spoof is all sorts of silliness in journey through Monty Python’s greatest hits towards whistle-along reminder to ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’. While occasional microphone lapses mean the loss of some dialogue, particularly in opening to a sober historian begining to tell us about the extraordinary leader who will go on to unite his troubled kingdom, the energy of the entire cast is clearly evident, meaning that the satire and slapstick of Monty Python’s idiosyncratic humour easily combine in Finland fish slapping and back and forth banter about, for example, the air speed velocity of swallow wings. It is all quite silly, resulting in non-stop laughs even for those who have had previous experience of the show. Indeed, there is even often anticipatory laughter of those who know what is coming with each feature of Monty Python favourite characters and skits. And for those new to the epic quest of absurdity by King Arthur and his hilariously inept knights, it is soon quite apparent that the only thing that can be expected is the unexpected. Nudge nudge… Wink wink… Say no more…
