Spamalot

“Monty Python and the Holy Grail” was a hit movie in 1975. In 2005, a musical was adapted for the stage by Eric Idle and was a Tony Award winner. Now it is entertaining Davis Musical Theatre Company audiences.

I will confess my deep, dark secret: I’m not a Monty Python fan, though I had seen the odd bits here and there and one or two of the movies. But I had not seen “Holy Grail” nor had I memorized lots of favorite skits from the 45 television episodes. So I missed a lot of the “in jokes” in this musical.
Still, even for someone like me, this production has enough cheap shots, fart jokes and low-brow humor in it to make it an enjoyable two hours of nonsense.

The Historian (Steven O’Shea) sets the scene, giving a brief overview of medieval England with the precision of a weatherman, recounting where in the country there was plague (“a 50 percent chance of pestilence and famine coming out of the northeast at 12 miles per hour.”)

Following his announcement that this is “England,” the stage is, of course, filled with brightly costumed dancers singing about Finland and hitting each other with fish in the delightful “Finland/Fisch Schlapping Dance,” until the Historian reminds them that it is England, whereupon they leave the stage, disappointed, followed by a somber line of monks chanting in Latin.

The real story begins with the entrance of Arthur (Scott Minor), who announces his search for knights for his Round Table, with the assistance of sidekick Patsy (Tomas Eredia) and sets off on his quest, encountering ridiculous setbacks along the way, riding nonexistent horses and using coconuts to make the noise of the clopping hoofbeats.

Minor and Eredia make a wonderful pair, with Minor ineptly regal while Eredia is irresistible with his facial asides to the audience.

The duo encounter Lancelot (Quintin Casl) and Sir Robin (Andy Hyun), who is collecting bodies of the dead. They encounter the sickly Fred (O’Shea) and attempt to add him to the heap of bodies. When he insists he’s “Not Dead Yet,” they help him die to get rid of him so the two men can join Arthur’s knights.

Marci Maxey is a lovely Lady of the Lake, who gave Arthur his sword Excalibur, and just gets more beautiful as the show moves forward.

Python fans will be happy to note that the show includes a lot of familiar Python gags, like the Knights of Ni (led by O’Shea — his third role in this show!), and the killer rabbit.

A show highlight is “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway,” sung by Arthur, Patsy and Robin, explaining that you need Jews for a successful Broadway musical, following which there is a wild production number filled with “Fiddler on the Roof” parodies, including a bottle dance with Grails instead of bottles.

All ends with a community sing of “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” and chuckles continue as the audience shuffles out into the parking lot.

Spamalot

There is a whole lot of silliness going on at Davis Musical Theatre Company … and the audience is loving it.

With book and lyrics by Eric Idle and music by Idle and John DuPrez, “Spamalot” is a musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the 1975 film, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” While it is very, very loosely based on the story of King Arthur and his court, factual information probably stops with the entrance of King Arthur himself.

I wondered if someone who was not brought up on the comedy of the zany British group Monty Python would get most of the humor. I need not have worried. I’m sure there were “in” jokes that the Python devotees got that I didn’t, but the humor flies at you so fast and so furious that you don’t really miss anything.

Before seeing the show, I read a synopsis and found that useless. The sense of it — if there is any — rests in the twisted mind of Idle, the Monty Python members who wrote the original film, and the “12-year-old Jew” (his description) who directed it, Steve Isaacson.

Where to begin? Well, the show starts with a very proper Historian (John Haine, also hilarious as “Not Dead Fred”) setting the stage for the action, with map pointer like a proper weatherman. (“In Guinard, Palace and Difford, plague. In the kingdoms of Wessex, Sussex, Essex and Kent, plague. In Mercia, and the two Anglias, plague, with a 50 percent chance of pestilence and famine coming out of the northeast at 12 miles per hour.”)

Following his announcement that this is “England,” the stage is filled with brightly costumed dancers singing about Finland and hitting each other with fish in the delightful “Finland/Fisch Schlapping Dance,” until the historian reminds them that it is England, whereupon they leave the stage, disappointed and the scene becomes a dark, solemn church-like setting, with monks in robes and hoods chanting.

This pretty much sets up the series of vaguely related vignettes — based on Python sketches — that are to follow.
The story itself begins with the arrival of King Arthur (Scott Minor), trotting in on an invisible horse, whose hoofbeat sounds are made by coconuts worn by his trusty servant and constant companion, Patsy (Joshua Smith), which he beats on his chest. Arthur is the one character who attempts to remain serious about this silly story and Minor plays him beautifully, never noticing the total chaos around him and insisting that his only desire is to find knights for his round table to assist him in finding Christ’s cup from the Last Supper (the Holy Grail). Piece o’cake.

The knights — Sir Robin (Tony Ruiz), Sir Lancelot (Scott Daugherty), Sir Galahad (Andy Hyun) and Sir Bedevere (Steven Ross) — each play an assortment of roles. Ruiz gets to perform the delightful salute to Broadway, about the importance of Jews to Broadway musicals.

Daugherty is the “knight who really likes his night life” and is hiding a not-too-subtle secret.

Ross makes an impressive Mrs. Galahad.

Hyun goes through a “Project Runway”-like hair makeover, taming his electric tresses, and sings a salute to Andrew Lloyd Webber (“A Song that Goes Like This”) with the Lady of the Lake (Eimi Taormina).

Taormina gets to wear a succession of beautiful costumes, designed by Jean Henderson, ending with an ingenious wedding dress (by Valtyna Ribka) that must be seen to be believed. (She also has a spectacular decolletage.)
Michael Paskowitz is a towering Leader of the Ni Knights, but it is Dannette Vassar as Mini Ni, who makes the biggest impression.

Mark Deamer is Tim the Enchanter, who warns Arthur of the dangers of an evil rabbit (wrangled by Julia Thompson), prompting the use of the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.

And so it goes, a host of wacky characters including Eric Idle himself as the Voice of God (who else?).
Choreography by Cyndi Krivicich is outstanding and the DMTC orchestra, under the direction of Jonathan Rothman, was never better.

When asked in a 2008 interview for his opinion about “Spamalot,” John Cleese said, ” I think ‘Spamalot’ turned out splendidly. It’s had a tremendous run. I defy anyone to go and not have a really fun evening. It’s the silliest thing I’ve ever seen and I think Eric did a great job.”

DMTC does a great job, too, and if you’re in the mood for silly, this is the shop for it!