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SPAMALOT
HAS OFFICIAL OPENING NIGHT IN CHICAGO
I just returned from Chicago, having attended the official opening night (December 9) of Monty Python's Spamalot. A plane trip, a hotel stay, and a party later, strains of songs by dancing knights in tights are still swimming in my head. While it is probably a foregone conclusion that the web manager of the official Monty Python website will praise any Python-related opus, I must say - with only the slightest propensity toward hyperbole - Monty Python's Spamalot kicks ass! Now, it is difficult to talk about a show packed with so many new, yes that's right: new, hilarious moments - I have attempted to not spoil any of the surprises. Ironically, Holy Grail is one of those films that all fans know entirely by heart. But Spamalot provides fans of Python and Broadway alike with something new at every turn anyway.
Still, if you want to experience the show yourself without any advance knowledge, stop reading HERE.
Eric Idle has created a sure-fire hit. The visual and verbal japes are pure Python, and the musical numbers are on par with the Pythons' best songs. Not only is the show a near-faithful recreation of the Holy Grail movie (arguably their most popular film, certainly in America), there is material from Life of Brian, Flying Circus, and the Contractual Obligation album to enjoy. In addition, Eric and his long-time friend and music collaborator John Du Prez have written over a dozen new songs; many of them guaranteed to delight Broadway revelers. David Hyde Pierce leads the cast in a show-stopping "You Won't Succeed on Broadway" that is not to be missed. The show departs a little from the film, particulary in the second act, but only to keep Python fans guessing and to provide an alternate ending (the original film's ending would obviously not have worked well on stage).
Python fans will know the story well of course, except that in addition to the quest for the holy grail, the Knights of Camelot are directed to stage a Broadway musical; borrowing from the musical-about-musicals formula that made The Producers such a success. There are dozens of references and homages (done through lyrics, dance sequences, and musical phrases) to other famous shows, such as The Producers, Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, Camelot, Les Miserables, Fosse, Guys and Dolls, and Phantom of the Opera. And it is all there: the Knights Who Say Ni, the killer rabbit, Tim the Enchanter, the taunting Frenchmen (complete with catapulted cow), Swamp Castle, the constitutional peasants, the witch burning, and on and on and on. Only a few scenes were trimmed from the show, most notably the spanking virgins and the Bridge of Death, but they are hardly missed. And the Black Knight scene? You know, the one that left John Cleese as a limbless torso on the forest floor? Amazingly yes, that scene is impressively recreated, employing an on-stage magic stunt for which Eric consulted his comedy-magician pals Penn and Teller.
Similar to The Producers and other successful broadway shows, Spamalot is getting its inauguration in Chicago before its official opening on the Great White Way. In its first week at Chicago's Shubert theater starting December 21, the show raked in $778,599 - an excitingly huge step toward recovering the show's $11 million production cost. The Chicago Tribune reported that tickets at the 2,000 seat Shubert theater are virtually sold out, with only obstructed view seats left. Tickets online are scarce as well, and purchasing them on eBay can run buyers as much as $300 per head. Advance ticket sales in New York have already exceeded $8 million, according to one report. Tim Curry plays King Arthur with the same affability and regal silliness as Graham Chapman did in 1975. Hank Azaria breathes new life into many of the classic lines from the film as Lancelot, the French Taunter, the Knight of Ni, and Tim the Enchanter - all of them an excellent match befitting the man of so many voices from The Simpsons television series. David Hyde Pierce, from Frasier, is perfectly cast as Sir Robin and has other memorable performances as a villager, a guard, and Brother Maynard. Chistopher Sieber plays blond-haired operatic Dennis Galahad (peasant turned knight), as well as the Black Knight, and Prince Herbert's Father. Michael McGrath is a likeable Patsy who delivers some memorable scenes.
Steve Rosen, who convincingly portrays Sir Bedevere, Dennis' Mother, and the unlucky Concorde was, until recently, an "out of work actor" with a few off-Broadway credits and work in improvisational theater. He accepted a low-paying assignment to help audition actors for Spamalot. After the last day of auditions, Steve was asked if he had any music with him... he promptly performed a Monty Python song he had worked out on the piano. Not a half-hour later Steve had gotten his first Broadway part. Steve mentioned to me that he was "delirious" about having been given the chance to portray a role in a Monty Python related endeavor, and all that in a Broadway show too.
One refreshing addition to both the story and the cast is the very lovely Sara Ramirez, who portrays The Lady of the Lake, The Witch, and even the Cow (before "she" gets catapulted over the French battlements). Sara has a voice that sends chills down the spine, not to mention that her comedic timing rivals that of her more-seasoned co-stars. Early reviews have already mentioned Sara's performances as being Tony-award worthy. All of the actors have a bit of room to improvise, Steve Rosen told me after the show, but perhaps none more so than Hank Azaria, he of the thousand voices on The Simpsons. When the Knights of Ni are no longer called the Knights of Ni, just wait for Hank to invent some impossible and hilarious name involving endless references that would have made the Silly Party Candidate a shoe-in.
And by the now the rumors have been confirmed: John Cleese has a recorded cameo as the voice of God. But outside of Eric (and Cleese's voice), the other Pythons were largely involved from affar. The financial arrangements take that into account as well - Idle will benefit largely from the profits from "Spamalot" early on; with the other Pythons' share really kicking in if the show becomes a hit. The set and costume design, by Tony-award-winning Tim Hatley, is worth the price of admission. Every few minutes, some new stunning Python related contraption or fantastic bit of stagecraft is unveiled. Gilliamesque clouds float and move over the stage, trees and castle turrets look perfectly Python and are now three-dimensional and several stories high. Seeing it makes you feel as though you have taken Mr. Toad's Wild Ride directly into Terry Gilliam's cartoons. After the show, the cast, crew, and their guests celebrated at the LaSalle Bank atrium where folk danced, dined, and drank (Holy Grail beer), all by candlelit cans of SPAM. At the party I sat and chatted with Eric and his wife Tania, who grew up in Chicago and has a large family there. Eric seemed more than pleased thus far with the show, and was still delighted with some of his favorite bits - including the fact that there are some very elaborate visual gags that appear only for a few moments on stage only to be whisked away in true Pythonesque fashion. We talked about the Greedy Bastard Diary which is finished and will be published soon by Harper Collins. Eric re-wrote about a third of the journal he penned while on his comedy tour in 2003. Also at the party was John Du Prez who was overjoyed at the early success of the show. Stay tuned for some possible future Python projects involving John as well. I weaved my way through the crowded atrium, along with Python-guru Kim "Howard" Johnson, who also happens to live in the Chicago area. Howard is one of the nicest people you shall ever meet, and his knowledge of and acquaintance with Python is legendary. He is still writing speeches for John Cleese and can be seen on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire later this month. The rest of the cast and crew seemed elated at the reaction to the show and there was eager anticipation toward the coming press reviews. Here are a few reviews from the week that followed...
Damien Jones Michael Riedel Dan Zeff Chris Jones Jack Helbig |
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Hedy
Weiss