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July 11, 2008
Bright lights 'n' knights
New show takes Broadway back to Middle Ages.
RON FRIEDMAN
Dancing knights, rabid rodents, Jewish brides, flying livestock and self- flagellating monks are all part of the whacky characters in Spamalot, the newest arrival to Vancouver's theatrical scene.
Spamalot touts itself as "A musical (lovingly) ripped off from the motion picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail" and in this way neatly sidesteps criticism of being unfaithful to the original. The Tony Award-winning musical combines British sketch comedy with Broadway pizzazz to create a thoroughly entertaining experience.
Written by former Python Eric Idle, Spamalot begins by satirizing the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, as was done in the film, but ultimately turns into a parody of Webberesque Broadway musicals.
The play begins with King Arthur, played by Gary Beach, scouring the land in search of knights to join his army in Camelot. Along the way, he recruits sirs Lancelot and Robin, whom he finds in a plague stricken village, and Sir Galahad (aka Dennis), who he mistakenly takes for an old woman.
One of the main divergences from the film is the introduction of a leading female role. In Spamalot, we meet the character of the Lady of the Lake, portrayed by the vocally talented and beautiful Esther Stilwell. She leads her "Laker Girls" in song and helps turn Dennis into a knight.
Back in Camelot, which is depicted as a cheesy Las Vegas casino, the knights show off their dancing moves, accompanied by a chorus of medieval go-go dancers. It is amid this revelry that God appears and, in the voice of John Cleese, rather impatiently appoints Arthur with a quest – to find the Holy Grail. The brave knights (and the not so brave Sir Robin) take off on their mission, encouraged by the singing of the Lady of the Lake.
After being thwarted by cow-flinging, abusive Frenchmen, the knights flee and disperse, bringing to the end the first act.
It is in the second act that the story really diverges from the film. After delivering the required shrubbery to the Knights Who Say Ni, Arthur is given a further task of putting on a musical and taking it on Broadway. Not knowing what to do, Arthur consults with Sir Robin, who advises him in song that, to succeed in putting on a Broadway show, what he really needs is Jews to be in it. This leads to an elaborate song and dance routine, featuring Sir Robin mimicking Tevyeh from Fiddler on the Roof, a chorus of Jewish brides and Chassidic dancing knights, culminating in a gigantic, flashing, Magen David being lowered from the sky. Ironically, it is James Beaman, the play's sole Jewish actor, who plays the role of Sir Robin.
The second act also features a wonderful rendition of Monty Python's classic "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life," sung by Patsy, King Arthur's faithful servant (Brad Bradley), that had the audience whistling in their seats.
The play finishes in true Broadway fashion, with a joyous wedding scene.
All in all, Spamalot has a few too many songs. In the desire to increase the stage presence of the female lead, the play features two reprises of the same song and also includes a solo called "The Diva's Lament." The fact that nearly all the numbers parody Broadway musicals, also means that the songs are full of rising crescendos, which gets repetitive and annoying after a while. More sketches from the film could have replaced these to the pleasure of the audience.
Spamalot is recommended for everybody, as long as you don't take yourself too seriously. It will be showing at the Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts until July 27.
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