October 25, 2010
Spamalot is a new musical “lovingly ripped off” from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, according to the posters. Strictly speaking it isn’t actually that new, having first been seen by American audiences six years ago. The men responsible for the said ripping off are former Python Eric Idle and his long-time writing partner the musician John Du Prez. The show was a huge success on Broadway, it was seen by more than two million people and collected three Tony awards during its run, including one for the best musical of the 2004-5 season. With that sort of pedigree, I was expecting great things- but I have to admit to being rather disappointed.
The show aims to be both an irreverent parody of the Arthurian legend and of Broadway musicals and in that it succeeds. Where it fails, I feel, is that it just isn’t that funny. At least it isn’t consistently funny, although there are a few hidden gems. The peasants are revolting (of course) and they come out with some rather surprising arguments to support their assertions that Arthur has no right to reign. Then the men in tights head for France, where they come face to face with feisty Frenchmen who to King Arthur’s amazement have no respect for the English.
Comedian Marcus Brigstocke puts in a strong performance as the incompetent King, former soap star Todd Carty plays his servant Patsy and Amy Nuttall does a great job as the Lady of the Lake. Eric Idle himself appears on a huge screen to play God. You cannot fault the cast, they make what they can out of quite thin material. That said, as Eric Idle is responsible for the material, I feel I can lay a little blame at his feet, which saddens me as I’m a huge fan of his.
In contrast, some of the musical numbers were very funny. King Arthur singing “I’m all Alone”, with Patsy coming in with the rejoinder “except for me” was hilarious, as was the Lady of the Lake’s “Diva’s Lament” – whatever happened to my part?
The set and costume design were extremely good and the mini-orchestra (sometimes hidden behind the scenery) was excellent but something about the whole package made it seem like a pantomime that was aimed at adults but didn’t quite make it. Or perhaps my expectations were too great to start with. After all, two million American can’t be wrong, can they?
The show aims to be both an irreverent parody of the Arthurian legend and of Broadway musicals and in that it succeeds. Where it fails, I feel, is that it just isn’t that funny. At least it isn’t consistently funny, although there are a few hidden gems. The peasants are revolting (of course) and they come out with some rather surprising arguments to support their assertions that Arthur has no right to reign. Then the men in tights head for France, where they come face to face with feisty Frenchmen who to King Arthur’s amazement have no respect for the English.
Comedian Marcus Brigstocke puts in a strong performance as the incompetent King, former soap star Todd Carty plays his servant Patsy and Amy Nuttall does a great job as the Lady of the Lake. Eric Idle himself appears on a huge screen to play God. You cannot fault the cast, they make what they can out of quite thin material. That said, as Eric Idle is responsible for the material, I feel I can lay a little blame at his feet, which saddens me as I’m a huge fan of his.
In contrast, some of the musical numbers were very funny. King Arthur singing “I’m all Alone”, with Patsy coming in with the rejoinder “except for me” was hilarious, as was the Lady of the Lake’s “Diva’s Lament” – whatever happened to my part?
The set and costume design were extremely good and the mini-orchestra (sometimes hidden behind the scenery) was excellent but something about the whole package made it seem like a pantomime that was aimed at adults but didn’t quite make it. Or perhaps my expectations were too great to start with. After all, two million American can’t be wrong, can they?