Spamalot
Encyclopedia
Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy
"lovingly ripped off from" the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail
. Like the film, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian Legend, but it differs from the film in many ways, especially in its parodies of Broadway theatre
. Eric Idle
, a member of the Monty Python
team, wrote the musical's book and lyrics
and collaborated with John Du Prez
on most of the music.
Idle explained the title in a February 2004 press release:
The original 2005 Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols
, won three Tony Award
s, including the Tony Award for Best Musical
of the 2004–2005 season
and received 14 Tony Award nominations. During its initial run of over 1,500 performances it was seen by more than two million people and grossed over $175 million.
. In an apparent (and deliberate) miscommunication between the actors and the narrator, an idyllic Scandinavia
n village appears, with gaily dressed Finnish villagers singing and dancing to the "Fisch Schlapping Song." The Historian returns, irritated, and tells the frolicking Finns that he was talking about England, not Finland. The villagers disperse and the pastoral forest is immediately replaced by a dreary, dark village with penitent monk
s in hooded robes chanting Latin
prayers and hitting themselves in the face with large Bible
s. King Arthur
travels the land with his servant Patsy, who follows him around banging two coconut shells together to make the sound of a horse's hooves as Arthur "rides" before him, trying to recruit Knights of the Round Table to join him in Camelot
("King Arthur's Song"). He encounters a pair of sentries who are more interested in debating whether two swallows could successfully carry a coconut than in listening to the king.
Sir Robin, a collector of plague victims, and Lance, a large, handsome and incredibly violent man, meet as Lance attempts to dispose of the sickly Not Dead Fred ("He Is Not Dead Yet"). They agree to become Knights of the Round Table together, Lance for the fighting, and Robin for the singing and the dancing.
Arthur attempts to convince a peasant named Dennis Galahad that he, Arthur, is king of England because the Lady of the Lake
gave him Excalibur
, the sword given only to the man fit to rule England. However, Dennis and his mother, Mrs Galahad, are political radicals
and deny that any king who has not been elected by the people has any legitimate right to rule over them. To settle the issue, Arthur has the Lady of the Lake and her Laker Girls appear to turn Dennis into a knight ("Come With Me"). Cheered on by the girls ("Laker Girls Cheer"), the Lady of the Lake turns Dennis into Sir Galahad
and together, they sing a generic Broadway love song ("The Song That Goes Like This
"), complete with chandelier. They are joined by Sir Robin and Sir Lancelot, and together with Sir Bedevere and "the aptly named" Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Show (a knight resembling Don Quixote, who promptly apologizes and leaves), they make up the Knights of the Round Table ("All for One").
The five knights gather in Camelot
, a deliberately anachronistic place resembling Las Vegas's
Camelot-inspired Excalibur resort, complete with showgirls, oversized dice and the Lady of the Lake headlining the Castle in full Cher
get-up ("Knights of the Round Table"/"The Song That Goes Like This (Reprise)"). In the midst of their revelry, they are contacted by God
(a recording voiced by John Cleese
of the original Monty Python troupe and Eric Idle in the version currently touring the UK) who tells them to locate the Holy Grail
. Urged on by the Lady of the Lake ("Find Your Grail"), the Knights set off. They travel throughout the land until they reach a castle, only to be viciously taunted by lewd French
soldiers. They attempt to retaliate by sending them a large wooden rabbit in the style of the Trojan Horse
; however, they realize after the fact that it was not as simple as leaving the rabbit and walking away — they should have hidden inside it. Defeated, they leave in a hurry when the French begin taunting them again, sending cancan dancers after them and throwing barnyard animals including cows at them ("Run Away!").
, who demand a shrubbery
. King Arthur despairs of finding one, but Patsy cheers him up ("Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
") and they find a shrubbery shortly after.
Sir Robin, after wandering the forest for some time with his minstrels ("Brave Sir Robin"), encounters The Black Knight
, who scares him off, but King Arthur, who happens on the scene, more or less defeats him by cutting off both his arms and legs, impaling his still-alive torso on a door, and leaving to give the Knights their shrubbery. The Knights accept it, but next demand that King Arthur put on a musical and bring it to Broadway (in the United Kingdom
, this became a West End
musical; on the tour, they must put on a "Broadway musical", implying that it need only be Broadway-style, "but not an Andrew Lloyd Webber
". The mere mention of his name causes everyone to cover their ears and scream in pain.). Sir Robin, who has found Arthur by this point, insists that it would be impossible for them to accomplish this next task, since you need Jews for a successful Broadway (or West End) musical ("You Won't Succeed on Broadway"), and proves his point in a wild production number filled with Fiddler on the Roof
parodies, including a bottle dance like the one in Fiddler on the Roof
, with Grails instead of bottles. King Arthur and Patsy promptly set off in search of Jews.
While the Lady of the Lake laments her lack of stage time ("Diva's Lament - Whatever Happened to My Part?"), Sir Lancelot receives a letter from what he assumes is a young damsel in distress. He is very surprised to find that the "damsel" is actually an embarrassingly effeminate young man named Prince Herbert ("Where Are You?"/"Here Are You") whose overbearing, music-hating father, the King of Swamp Castle, is forcing him into an arranged marriage. As Herbert is asking Lancelot to help him escape, the King of Swamp Castle cuts the rope that he is using to climb out of the window, and Herbert falls to his death. Lancelot is a bit puzzled at the king's actions, but it is revealed that Herbert was saved at the last minute by Lancelot's sidekick, Concord. The King asks his son how he was saved, exactly, to which Herbert replies happily with a song. But the king charges at his son with a spear, preparing to kill him. Lancelot steps in to save him, then gives a tearful, heartfelt speech about sensitivity to the king on Herbert's behalf, and Lancelot is outed
as a homosexual in the process, an announcement celebrated in a wild disco number ("His Name is Lancelot").
King Arthur begins to give up hope of ever putting on the Broadway musical and laments that he is alone, even though Patsy has been with him the entire time ("I'm All Alone"). The Lady of the Lake appears and tells Arthur that he and the Knights have been in a Broadway musical all along. Patsy also reveals he is half Jewish, but didn't want to say anything to Arthur because "that's not really the sort of thing you say to a heavily-armed Christian
." All that's left is for King Arthur to find the Grail and marry someone. After picking up on some not-too-subtle hints, Arthur decides to marry the Lady of the Lake after he finds the Grail ("Twice In Every Show").
Reunited with his Knights, Arthur meets Tim the Enchanter
who warns them of the danger of an evil rabbit
. When the rabbit bites a knight's head off, Arthur uses the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch
against it, knocking down a nearby hill and revealing that the "evil rabbit" was actually a puppet controlled by a surprised puppeteer. A large stone block showing a combination of letters and numbers is also revealed. (The letters vary from show to show, but in the Broadway production and on the tour it is either A101, B101, C101 or D101. In the West End Production a word is revealed - DONE, CONE or BONE, referring to D1, C1 and B1 respectively.) After pondering the final clue, Arthur admits that they're "a bit stumped with the clue thing" and asks God to "give them a hand". A large hand points to the audience and Arthur realizes that the letters and numbers refer to a seat number in the audience. The grail is "found" (with some sleight of hand) under the seat and the person sitting in the seat is rewarded with a small trophy and a polaroid
photo. ("The Holy Grail"). Arthur marries the Lady of the Lake, who reveals that her name is Guinevere
; Lancelot marries Herbert (who finally has a chance to sing); and Sir Robin decides to pursue a career in musical theatre
("Act 2 Finale/Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Company Bow)").
The duration of the show is about two hours plus interval time.
and collaborated with John Du Prez
on the music, except for "Knights of the Round Table" and "Brave Sir Robin", which were composed by Neil Innes
for Monty Python and the Holy Grail
. ("Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" was originally written by Idle for the film Monty Python's Life of Brian
.)
Act I
Act II
* Does not appear on the Original cast album.
** On the cast album but not in the show itself.
In tribute to the film, where six actors played the majority of the male parts (and a few female ones), several actors play multiple roles; the only major characters not doubling are Arthur and the Lady of the Lake. In the Broadway production, the following doubling is used:
Sara Ramirez was intended to double as a witch but this part was cut from the final script. Several pairs of characters originally played by the same Monty Python member were reduced to one: the Dead Collector and Sir Robin (Idle), the Large Man with a Dead Body and Sir Lancelot (Cleese), and Dennis the Politically-Active Peasant and Sir Galahad (Michael Palin
).
Two musical numbers were dropped from Act One while the production was still in Chicago. During the scene set in the "Witch Village", the torch song
"Burn Her!" was originally performed by Sir Bedevere, The Witch, Sir Robin, Lance and Villagers. At the French Castle, "The Cow Song", in a parody of a stereotypical film noir
/cabaret
style, was performed by The Cow and French Citizens. Before the two songs were cut in Chicago, the lead vocals in both songs were sung by Sara Ramirez
. This gave her six songs in Act One, but no further appearances until scene five in Act Two, for "The Diva's Lament".
, at New York
's Shubert Theatre
, beginning 14 February 2005, and, after some changes, officially opened on 17 March 2005. Mike Nichols
directed, and Casey Nicholaw
choreographed. The Broadway previews were practically sold out, leaving only obstructed view tickets for sale. The production won the Tony Award for Best Musical
and was nominated for 14 Tony Awards. The show played its final performance on 11 January 2009 after 35 previews and 1,574 performances; it was seen by more than two million people and grossed over $175 million, recouping its initial production costs in under six months.
The original Broadway cast included Tim Curry
as King Arthur, Michael McGrath as Patsy, David Hyde Pierce
as Sir Robin, Hank Azaria
as Sir Lancelot and other roles (e.g., the French Taunter, Knight of Ni
, and Tim the Enchanter
), Christopher Sieber
as Sir Galahad and other roles (e.g., the Black Knight and Prince Herbert's Father), and Sara Ramírez
as the Lady of the Lake
. It also included Christian Borle
as Prince Herbert and other roles (e.g., the Historian and Not Dead Fred), Steve Rosen as Sir Bedevere and other roles (e.g., Concorde and Dennis's Mother) and John Cleese
as the (recorded) Voice of God.
Notable cast replacements include:
A North America
n tour commenced in spring 2006, and the cast included Michael Siberry
as King Arthur, Jeff Dumas
as Patsy/Mayor/Guard, David Turner as Robin/Guard/Brother Maynard, Rick Holmes as Lancelot/French Taunter/Knight of Ni/Tim The Enchanter, Bradley Dean as Galahad/Black Knight/Herbert's Father, Tom Deckman as The Historian/Not Dead Fred/French Guard/Minstrel/Prince Herbert, Christopher Gurr as Sir Bedevere/Dennis's Mother/Concorde, and Pia Glenn (who remains slated for productions as late as June 2008) as the Lady of the Lake. Deckman moved to the Broadway production in November 2006 and was replaced by Christopher Sutton.
The tour won three 2007 Touring Broadway Awards
, including Best New Musical.
This same tour returned to Chicago
on 20 January 2009 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University
, this time with Richard Chamberlain
as King Arthur. This production costs $419,099.53 in artist fees/royalties for 8 performances in a venue in Florida.
The Tour continued through the summer 2009, with dates at the Golden Gate Theatre
San Francisco, the Ahmanson Theatre
, Los Angeles
, the Canon Theatre
in Toronto
, the San Diego Civic Theatre in San Diego, the Tucson Music Hall in Tucson, and played its final performances at the Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa where it closed on 18 October 2009.
Second National tour (2010)
A Second North American tour launched on 24 September 2010 from Waterbury, CT and ended 26 June 2011 in Dallas, TX. Leading the tour was a non-equity cast, however it used the same sets and costumes as the First National tour. The cast included Steve McCoy as King Arthur, Caroline Bowman as the Lady of the Lake, Adam Grabau as Lancelot, Jacob L. Smith as Galahad, Matt Ban as Sir Bedevere/Dennis's Mother, Glenn Giron as Patsy, Martin Glyer as Robin, Thomas DeMarcus as The Historian, and John Garry as Not Dead Fred/Prince Herbert. Other cast members include Stephen Cerf, Jennifer Cordiner, Carl Draper, William Harrell, Melissa Denise Lopez, Shaun Patrick Moe, Linda Neel, Jeffrey Shankle, Keleen Snowgren, Tara Sweeney, Michael Warrell, Jessica Wockenfuss, Matthew Alexander, and Jenny Holahan.
production opened at the Palace Theatre
on Shaftesbury Avenue
in the West End
, commencing 30 September 2006 (London première 17 October) with tickets on sale booking to November 2008. Curry reprised his Broadway role as King Arthur until December, with Beale taking over from January. Sieber also reprised his role as Sir Galahad before leaving in early 2007, replaced by Graham McDuff. Hannah Waddingham
was cast as the Lady of the Lake, Tom Goodman-Hill
as Sir Lancelot, Robert Hands
as Sir Robin, David Birell as Patsy, Tony Timberlake as Sir Bedevere and Darren Southworth as Prince Herbert. Notable cast replacements have included Peter Davison
and Bill Ward
in 2007 and, briefly, Marin Mazzie
, in early 2008. Sanjeev Bhaskar
took over from Alan Dale
as the last King Arthur (23 June 2008 onwards). The London production closed on 3 January 2009.
A UK tour scheduled for later in 2009 was initially postponed, the producers commenting "Due to unforeseen circumstances the UK Tour of Spamalot will not be taking place as scheduled in 2009", but eventually started at the New Wimbledon Theatre
on 29 May - 5 June 2010 and Nottingham Theatre Royal on 7–12 June 2010. The tour is scheduled to run until June 2011 at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton
. The production travelled to Trieste's Politeama Rossetti marking on 24 May 2011 the official opening of the show in Italy.
Phill Jupitus plays King Arthur in the current UK tour.
Todd Carty
plays Patsy
, assistant to King Arthur
for the duration of the tour. He is due to finish the tour after performing at Wycombe Swan
theatre. Marcus Brigstocke
will be making his musical theatre debut as King Arthur for a limited engagement. Jodie Prenger
, Hayley Tamaddon
, and Amy Nuttall
share the role of The Lady of the Lake. The tour also features Simon Lipkin as Sir Galahad, Graham McDuff as Sir Lancelot, David Lingham as Prince Herbert, Samuel Holmes as Sir Robin, and Robin Armstrong as Sir Bedevere.
The UK tour also features for the first time a re-working of the song "You won't succeed on Broadway" which has been re-named "You won't succeed in showbiz". The theme of the song has been changed from poking fun at the need for Jewish input into Broadway productions and instead mocks the cross over of celebrities in musicals and reality television competitions such as the X Factor
. It notably pokes fun at reality TV celebrities including Simon Cowell
, Cheryl Cole
and Susan Boyle
(who is shot by Sir Robin when she begins to sing).
UK Casts:
previewed on 8 March 2007 and opened on 31 March 2007 at the Wynn Las Vegas
in the newly renamed Grail Theater (formerly the Broadway Theater, which housed a production of Avenue Q
), with an extended balcony to allow for more seating, and a redesigned interior. As with other Las Vegas transfers of Broadway musicals, including The Phantom of the Opera
, Spamalot was condensed to run in ninety minutes without an intermission. Among the cuts were the song "All For One", most of the song "Run Away", the Knights of Ni receiving their shrubbery, and the "Make sure he doesn't leave" scene with Prince Herbert's guards.
Actor John O'Hurley
starred as King Arthur. Due to the Las Vegas production, the North American touring company would not perform in California
, Arizona
, or Nevada
. In addition to O'Hurley, the cast included Nikki Crawford as Lady of the Lake, Edward Staudenmayer as Galahad, J Anthony Crane
as Lancelot, Justin Brill as Patsy, and Harry Bouvy as Robin, with Reva Rice
as the standby Lady of the Lake.
Although initially contracted to run for up to ten years its final performance was on 18 July 2008. The Las Vegas production closed to make way for Danny Gans
' move from The Mirage
casino hotel; the theater was renamed the Encore Theater and integrated into the newer Encore Las Vegas resort. Danny Gans died unexpectedly on 1 May 2009.
, with the official premiere on 1 December. The cast featured Bille Brown
as King Arthur and Lucinda Shaw as the Lady of the Lake, Ben Lewis as Sir Galahad, Stephen Hall
as Sir Lancelot, Derek Metzger as Patsy, Jason Langley as Sir Robin and Mark Conaghan
as Prince Herbert, with Christina O'Neill as the standby Lady of the Lake.
The Australian production closed on 5 April 2008, due to lack of ticket sales and no tour followed.
The Australian Non-Professional Premiere season of Spamalot was presented by Phoenix Ensemble at the Pavilion Theatre in Beenleigh and the Logan Entertainment Centre from 20 March to 25 April 2009 for 16 performances. This production won several awards at the Gold Coast Theatre Awards including Best Musical Direction (Casey Chadwick and Ben Murray), Best Set Design (Tracey and Luke Hutley, Doug McClean) and Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical (Tash McKoy). It was also nominated for Best Costumes (Glynis Aubrey) and Best Choreography (Scott Hollingsworth).
The Gold Coast Premiere season of Spamalot opened at the Spotlight Theatre, Benowa on 24 July 2009 for a four week run. The Sydney Premiere of Spamalot was held on 9 October 2009 by The Regals Musical Society.
In Adelaide, a new production of Spamalot opened on 12 March 2010 at the Shedley Theatre.
The Brisbane City Premiere of Spamalot opened 23 April 2010 at the Schonell Theatre. It was also the inaugural production of Queensland's latest exciting new theatre company 'Blue Fish Theatrical Productions.' Spamalot featured an all-star cast of well known Brisbane performers. Gary Rose as King Arthur, Bradley McCaw as Patsy, Tony Campbell as Sir Robin, Chris Kellett as Sir Lancelot, Lionel Theunissen as Sir Galahad, Steve Norris as Sir Bedevere (also played by Jason Lawson in a special guest appearance), Tye Shepherd as Finland Mayor/Not Dead Fred/Prince Herbet/Robin's Minstrel and Brother Maynard and Ruth Bridgstock as the Lady of the Lake.
The Canberra premier was in May 2010 at the ANU Arts Centre by SUPA Productions. Max Gambale as King Arthur, Louisa Bloomfield and the Lady of the Lake, Will Huang as Patsy, Joseph McGrail-Bateup as Sir Robin, Patrick J Gallagher as Mrs Galahad, Dave Smith as Galahad and Michael Jordan as Lancelot. Director - Ron Dowd
The Empire Theatre in Toowoomba, Australia's largest regional theatre, will present Spamalot in October 2010.
Perth will finally see Spamalot in November 2010, presented by Playlovers in Hackett Hall, Floreat.
for a four week season in November/December 2009. Hillcrest High School in Hamilton, did the second performance of Spamalot in March 2010 whilst the South Island premiere was performed by Bayfield High School at The Mayfair Theatre, Dunedin on the 19–22 May 2010.
, opened at Teatre Victoria, Barcelona
on 9 September 2008 and closed on 10 May 2009. Directed by Catalan Comedy Group Tricicle
and choreographed by Francesc Abós, the cast included Jordi Bosch
as King Arthur, Marta Ribera
as the Lady of the Lake, Sergi Albert as Sir Galahad (later replaced by Edu Soto), Fernando Gil as Sir Lancelot, Julián Fontalvo as Patsy, Xavi Duch as Sir Robin, Josep M. Gimeno as Sir Bedevere and Jesús García as Prince Herbert, with Sara Pérez as the standby Lady of the Lake. The Original Barcelona Cast Recording was released on December 2008.
On 10 September 2009 the production was transferred to Teatro Lope de Vega, Madrid
with some changes in the cast: Dulcinea Juárez as the Lady of the Lake, Ignasi Vidal as Sir Galahad, Víctor Ullate Roche as Sir Robin and Lorena Calero as the standby Lady of the Lake. The show finally closed on 28 February 2010, after more than 450 performances.
production premiered in January 2009 at the Musical Dome in Cologne
. The last performance was held on 13 September 2009 at the venue.
Further information
on 24 September 2010.
In London the Swedish Nina Söderquist won, 2008, the role as Lady of the Lake after winning competitions soap West End star in Swedish TV3. It was thought that she would play the role in Sweden, but when she became pregnant, she left the show and was replaced by Anki Albertsson.
The Swedish cast included Johan Wester
as King Arthur, Kim Sulocki as Patsy and other roles (e.g., Guard, and The Mayor), Robert Rydberg as Sir Galahad and other roles (e.g., the Black Knight, and Concorde), Anders Jansson as Sir Bedevere and other roles (e.g., Prince Herbert's Father, Sir Galahad's Mother, and the Historian), Adde Malmberg as Sir Lancelot and other roles (e.g., the French Taunter, Knight of Ni, and Tim the Enchanter), Johan Glans
as Sir Robin and other roles (e.g., Guard, and Brother Maynard), Anki Albertsson as Lady of the Lake, Mattias Linderoth as Prince Herbret and other roles (e.g., French Guard, Not Dead Yet Ben, and Musician) and John Cleese as the (recorded) Voice of God.
in Pilsen. The play achieved a great success.
It is a completely translated version directed by Roman Meluzín.
and is directed by French actor Pierre-François Martin-Laval
.
in Trieste. Eric Idle attended the opening night on 24 May.
Terry Gilliam
, in an audio interview,
Terry Jones
- who co-directed the original film with Gilliam - expressed his opinions forthrightly in May 2005: "Spamalot is utterly pointless. It's full of air…Regurgitating Python is not high on my list of priorities." However, when asked whether he liked Spamalot during an interview with Dennis Daniel
on 98.5 WBON
-FM "The BONE" on Long Island shortly after the musical's opening on Broadway, Jones said, "Well, I thought it was terrific good fun. It’s great to see the audience loving it. I suppose I had reservations as far as…well…the idea of doing scenes from a film on stage. I just don’t get the point of it. They do them terribly well…I mean, they really are good…but I just quite don’t understand what that’s about. It isn’t really 'Python.' It is very much Eric
." Jones went on to say, "...I think the best parts of the musical are the new things. For instance, when they do the Andrew Lloyd Webber take-off and this girl comes in and sings 'Whatever Happened To My Part' since she hasn’t appeared since the opening number and she’s really furious! That is one of the great moments where the show really comes alive for me."
In an Oct. 2006 interview, Michael Palin
said, "We’re all hugely delighted that Spamalot is doing so well. Because we’re all beneficiaries! It’s a great show. It’s not ‘Python’ as we would have written it. But then, none of us would get together and write a ‘Python’ stage show. Eric eventually ran out of patience and said, ‘Well, I’ll do it myself then.’ He sent us bits and songs and all that and we said, ‘Yeah, that’s all right, have a go.’ But its success is so enormous that it took us all by surprise, including Eric, and now we’re just proud to be associated with it, rather pathetically."
When asked by a Las Vegas Review-Journal
reporter in 2008 if he had to be persuaded to provide the recorded voice of God in the musical, John Cleese
said, "Yeah, that’s right. And in the end 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."
reported advance ticket sales of $18 million, with ticket prices ranging from $36 to $179. The advance made Broadway box office history.
The show proved to be an early success when moving to London's West End. After high advance ticket sales the show's run was extended by four weeks, four months before the run commenced.
The play makes many references to the film and other material in the Python canon
, including a line from "The Lumberjack Song
", nods to "Ministry of Silly Walks
," the "Election Night Special" and "Dead Parrot Sketch" routines, a bar
from "Spam
" worked into "Knights of the Round Table", a rendition of the song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
" from the film Monty Python's Life of Brian
(1979), and the "Fisch Schlapping Song" which is a reference to both "The Fish-Slapping Dance
" and the song "Finland
". Another reference is actually part of the Playbill
of the show; there are several gag pages about a musical entitled "Dik Od Triaanenen Fol (Finns Ain't What They Used To Be)". This gag programme was written by Palin, and echoes the faux-Swedish subtitles in the credits of the original Grail Python film.
Broadway musical fans appreciate its references to other musicals and musical theatre in general, such as: "The Song That Goes Like This" (a spoof of Andrew Lloyd Webber
productions and many other Broadway power ballads); the knights doing a dance reminiscent of Fiddler on the Roof
, and another reminiscent of West Side Story (including the music); Sir Lancelot's mimicking of Peter Allen
in "His Name Is Lancelot"; the character of Sir Not Appearing in This Show being Man of La Mancha
s Don Quixote; a member of the French "army" dressed as Eponine from Les Misérables
; and a line pulled from "Another Hundred People" from Stephen Sondheim
's Company
by the "damsel" Herbert. The song "You Won't Succeed (On Broadway)" also parodies The Producers
and Yentl
.
The show has not escaped criticism. In Slate
, Sam Anderson wrote,
"Python was formed in reaction to exactly the kind of lazy comedy represented by Spamalot — what Michael Palin once described as the 'easy, catch-phrase reaction' the members had all been forced to pander in their previous writing jobs... Spamalot is the gaudy climax of a long, unfunny tradition of post-Python exploitation — books, actions figures, video games — that treats the old material as a series of slogans to be referenced without doing any of the work that made the lines so original in the first place."
The West End version opened to two rave reviews. "It’s a wonderful night, and I fart in the general direction of anyone who says otherwise", wrote Charles Spencer
in the Daily Telegraph (echoing a joke from the show). According to Paul Taylor in the Independent, "it leaves you that high and weak with laughter, thanks not just to the Python provenance of the basic material but to the phenomenal speed, wit, cheek and showbiz knowingness of the direction, which is by the great veteran, Mike Nichols". Michael Billington
in the Guardian was less enthusiastic, though, stating "while I'm happy to see musicals spoofed, the show's New York origins are clearly exposed in a would-be outre number which announces "we won't succeed in show business if we don't have any Jews": a Broadway in-joke that has little purchase this side of the Atlantic
." Billington adds, "With hand on heart, I'd much rather watch Lerner and Loewe's Camelot
than Eric Idle's smart-arsed Spamalot."
The Las Vegas production was awarded the Number 1 show of 2007 by the Las Vegas Review-Journal
.
, outside the theatre. The claim was officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. This record was broken by 5,567 people in Trafalgar Square
at 7pm on 23 April 2007, led by the cast from the London production, along with Jones and Gilliam, with the coconuts used in place of the whistles in "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". This formed part of London's St George's Day
celebrations that year and was followed by a screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
.
On 10 March 2007, Spamalot partnered with HP Sauce
(the classic British brown sauce
, now made in the Netherlands
following a contentious decision to close its factory in Britain) to produce 1,075 limited edition bottles featuring a unique Spamalot take on the classic HP design. The bottles were available exclusively via Selfridges
, London and came in a presentation box with a numbered certificate
. 1,075 was chosen to celebrate, absurdly, "1,075 years of the show running in London".
In July 2007 it was announced that the London production would solve the problem of replacing Hannah Waddingham as the Lady of the Lake through a TV talent show in Sweden. The programme, called West End Star, which began airing on TV3
on 8 December 2007, announced Nina Söderquist
as the winner on 2 February 2008.
On 15 December 2007, the 10 finalists were announced. These were:
Nina took up the role of The Lady of the Lake, with a standing ovation, on Monday 11 February 2008.
were featured (with accompanying Flash animation
) as a special feature in the 2006 "Extraordinarily Deluxe Two-Disc Edition" DVD re-release of Monty Python and the Holy Grail
.
The original Broadway production received 14 Tony Award
nominations, more than any other show in the 2004–2005 season. It won three of them:
The 11 other nominations were:
The Awards led to a minor change to the song "The Diva's Lament." Initially, the line "I've no Grammy, no reward/I've no Tony Award" became "My Tony Award/won't keep me out of Betty Ford's
." When Kennedy took over for Ramirez, it became "My predecessor won awards/and now she’s in Betty Ford’s" but was later changed to, "All our Tony Awards/won't keep me out of Betty Ford's." In the touring production, Glenn sings "All our goddamn awards/won't keep me out of Betty Ford's." For a change, Hannah Waddingham in the London production sings "I'm as depressed as I can be/ I've got constant PMT".
The touring production has garnered Boston's Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Visiting Production.
was a television documentary
on the history of Spamalot. It features numerous segments with Eric Idle and John Du Prez explaining the process of writing the songs, plus interviews with US and UK cast members. It included scenes from the rehearsal of the West End show, and first aired on 15 October 2006.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
"lovingly ripped off from" the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1974 British comedy film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python , and directed by Gilliam and Jones...
. Like the film, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian Legend, but it differs from the film in many ways, especially in its parodies of Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
, a member of the Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
team, wrote the musical's book and lyrics
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
and collaborated with John Du Prez
John Du Prez
John Du Prez is a musician, conductor, and composer. Du Prez was a member of the 1980s multi-hit Salsa-driven pop band Modern Romance and has since written several Film scores including Oxford Blues and the final Carry On film, Carry On Columbus...
on most of the music.
Idle explained the title in a February 2004 press release:
The original 2005 Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols is a German-born American television, stage and film director, writer, producer and comedian. He began his career in the 1950s as one half of the comedy duo Nichols and May, along with Elaine May. In 1968 he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film The Graduate...
, won three Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
s, including the Tony Award for Best Musical
Tony Award for Best Musical
This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Musical, first awarded in 1949. This award is presented to the producers of the musical.-1940s:* 1949: Kiss Me, Kate – Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Samuel and Bella Spewack...
of the 2004–2005 season
59th Tony Awards
The 59th Annual Tony Awards ceremony was held on June 5, 2005 at Radio City Music Hall and broadcast by CBS television. Hugh Jackman hosted for the third time in a row....
and received 14 Tony Award nominations. During its initial run of over 1,500 performances it was seen by more than two million people and grossed over $175 million.
Before the play
A recording encourages members of the audience to "let your cellphones and pagers ring willy-nilly," and comments that they should "be aware there are heavily armed knights on stage that may drag you on stage and impale you." This was recorded by John Cleese.Act I
A historian gives a brief overview of medieval EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In an apparent (and deliberate) miscommunication between the actors and the narrator, an idyllic Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n village appears, with gaily dressed Finnish villagers singing and dancing to the "Fisch Schlapping Song." The Historian returns, irritated, and tells the frolicking Finns that he was talking about England, not Finland. The villagers disperse and the pastoral forest is immediately replaced by a dreary, dark village with penitent monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s in hooded robes chanting Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
prayers and hitting themselves in the face with large Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
s. King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
travels the land with his servant Patsy, who follows him around banging two coconut shells together to make the sound of a horse's hooves as Arthur "rides" before him, trying to recruit Knights of the Round Table to join him in Camelot
Camelot
Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and eventually came to be described as the fantastic capital of Arthur's realm and a symbol of the Arthurian world...
("King Arthur's Song"). He encounters a pair of sentries who are more interested in debating whether two swallows could successfully carry a coconut than in listening to the king.
Sir Robin, a collector of plague victims, and Lance, a large, handsome and incredibly violent man, meet as Lance attempts to dispose of the sickly Not Dead Fred ("He Is Not Dead Yet"). They agree to become Knights of the Round Table together, Lance for the fighting, and Robin for the singing and the dancing.
Arthur attempts to convince a peasant named Dennis Galahad that he, Arthur, is king of England because the Lady of the Lake
Lady of the Lake
The Lady of the Lake is the name of several related characters who play parts in the Arthurian legend. These characters' roles include giving King Arthur his sword Excalibur, enchanting Merlin, and raising Lancelot after the death of his father...
gave him Excalibur
Excalibur
Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was...
, the sword given only to the man fit to rule England. However, Dennis and his mother, Mrs Galahad, are political radicals
Political radicalism
The term political radicalism denotes political principles focused on altering social structures through revolutionary means and changing value systems in fundamental ways...
and deny that any king who has not been elected by the people has any legitimate right to rule over them. To settle the issue, Arthur has the Lady of the Lake and her Laker Girls appear to turn Dennis into a knight ("Come With Me"). Cheered on by the girls ("Laker Girls Cheer"), the Lady of the Lake turns Dennis into Sir Galahad
Galahad
Sir Galahad |Round Table]] and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. He is the illegitimate son of Lancelot and Elaine of Corbenic, and is renowned for his gallantry and purity. Emerging quite late in the medieval Arthurian tradition, he is perhaps the knightly...
and together, they sing a generic Broadway love song ("The Song That Goes Like This
The Song That Goes Like This
The Song That Goes Like This is a song written by Eric Idle from the musical comedy Spamalot. The song's melody is intentionally treacly and insipid, and is essentially a parody of the love songs written by composers like Andrew Lloyd Webber....
"), complete with chandelier. They are joined by Sir Robin and Sir Lancelot, and together with Sir Bedevere and "the aptly named" Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Show (a knight resembling Don Quixote, who promptly apologizes and leaves), they make up the Knights of the Round Table ("All for One").
The five knights gather in Camelot
Camelot
Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and eventually came to be described as the fantastic capital of Arthur's realm and a symbol of the Arthurian world...
, a deliberately anachronistic place resembling Las Vegas's
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
Camelot-inspired Excalibur resort, complete with showgirls, oversized dice and the Lady of the Lake headlining the Castle in full Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
get-up ("Knights of the Round Table"/"The Song That Goes Like This (Reprise)"). In the midst of their revelry, they are contacted by God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
(a recording voiced by John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
of the original Monty Python troupe and Eric Idle in the version currently touring the UK) who tells them to locate the Holy Grail
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
. Urged on by the Lady of the Lake ("Find Your Grail"), the Knights set off. They travel throughout the land until they reach a castle, only to be viciously taunted by lewd French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
soldiers. They attempt to retaliate by sending them a large wooden rabbit in the style of the Trojan Horse
Trojan Horse
The Trojan Horse is a tale from the Trojan War about the stratagem that allowed the Greeks finally to enter the city of Troy and end the conflict. In the canonical version, after a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of men inside...
; however, they realize after the fact that it was not as simple as leaving the rabbit and walking away — they should have hidden inside it. Defeated, they leave in a hurry when the French begin taunting them again, sending cancan dancers after them and throwing barnyard animals including cows at them ("Run Away!").
Act II
Sir Robin and his minstrels follow King Arthur and Patsy into a "dark and very expensive forest", where they are separated. King Arthur meets the terrifying but silly Knights who say NiKnights who say Ni
The Knights who say Ni are a band of knights from the comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, feared for the manner in which they utter the word "ni"...
, who demand a shrubbery
Shrubbery
A shrubbery is a wide border to a garden where shrubs are thickly planted; or a similar larger area with a path winding through it. A shrubbery was a feature of 19th-century gardens in the English manner, with its origins in the gardenesque style of the early part of the century...
. King Arthur despairs of finding one, but Patsy cheers him up ("Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" is a popular song written by Eric Idle that was originally featured in the 1979 film Monty Python's Life of Brian and has gone on to become a common singalong at public events such as football matches as well as funerals.-History:Whilst trying to come up...
") and they find a shrubbery shortly after.
Sir Robin, after wandering the forest for some time with his minstrels ("Brave Sir Robin"), encounters The Black Knight
Black Knight (Monty Python)
The Black Knight is a fictional character who appears in a scene of the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. As his name suggests, he is a black knight who guards a "bridge" over a small stream, for unknown reasons...
, who scares him off, but King Arthur, who happens on the scene, more or less defeats him by cutting off both his arms and legs, impaling his still-alive torso on a door, and leaving to give the Knights their shrubbery. The Knights accept it, but next demand that King Arthur put on a musical and bring it to Broadway (in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, this became a West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
musical; on the tour, they must put on a "Broadway musical", implying that it need only be Broadway-style, "but not an Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
". The mere mention of his name causes everyone to cover their ears and scream in pain.). Sir Robin, who has found Arthur by this point, insists that it would be impossible for them to accomplish this next task, since you need Jews for a successful Broadway (or West End) musical ("You Won't Succeed on Broadway"), and proves his point in a wild production number filled with Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
parodies, including a bottle dance like the one in Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
, with Grails instead of bottles. King Arthur and Patsy promptly set off in search of Jews.
While the Lady of the Lake laments her lack of stage time ("Diva's Lament - Whatever Happened to My Part?"), Sir Lancelot receives a letter from what he assumes is a young damsel in distress. He is very surprised to find that the "damsel" is actually an embarrassingly effeminate young man named Prince Herbert ("Where Are You?"/"Here Are You") whose overbearing, music-hating father, the King of Swamp Castle, is forcing him into an arranged marriage. As Herbert is asking Lancelot to help him escape, the King of Swamp Castle cuts the rope that he is using to climb out of the window, and Herbert falls to his death. Lancelot is a bit puzzled at the king's actions, but it is revealed that Herbert was saved at the last minute by Lancelot's sidekick, Concord. The King asks his son how he was saved, exactly, to which Herbert replies happily with a song. But the king charges at his son with a spear, preparing to kill him. Lancelot steps in to save him, then gives a tearful, heartfelt speech about sensitivity to the king on Herbert's behalf, and Lancelot is outed
Outing
Outing is the act of disclosing a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person's true sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. Outing gives rise to issues of privacy, choice, hypocrisy, and harm in addition to sparking debate on what constitutes common good in efforts...
as a homosexual in the process, an announcement celebrated in a wild disco number ("His Name is Lancelot").
King Arthur begins to give up hope of ever putting on the Broadway musical and laments that he is alone, even though Patsy has been with him the entire time ("I'm All Alone"). The Lady of the Lake appears and tells Arthur that he and the Knights have been in a Broadway musical all along. Patsy also reveals he is half Jewish, but didn't want to say anything to Arthur because "that's not really the sort of thing you say to a heavily-armed Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
." All that's left is for King Arthur to find the Grail and marry someone. After picking up on some not-too-subtle hints, Arthur decides to marry the Lady of the Lake after he finds the Grail ("Twice In Every Show").
Reunited with his Knights, Arthur meets Tim the Enchanter
Tim the Enchanter
Tim the Enchanter is a fictional character from Monty Python's 1975 movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail played by John Cleese. In the play Spamalot based on the movie, the part was originally played by Hank Azaria. Tim is a strange reclusive wizard or conjurer who wears ram horns on his...
who warns them of the danger of an evil rabbit
Rabbit of Caerbannog
The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog is a fictional beast in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It is the antagonist in a major setpiece battle, and makes a similar appearance in Spamalot, a musical inspired by the movie...
. When the rabbit bites a knight's head off, Arthur uses the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch
Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch
The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch is a fictional weapon from the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It bears a striking resemblance to the Sovereign's Orb of the United Kingdom, and seems to draw some inspiration from the Holy Spear of Antioch...
against it, knocking down a nearby hill and revealing that the "evil rabbit" was actually a puppet controlled by a surprised puppeteer. A large stone block showing a combination of letters and numbers is also revealed. (The letters vary from show to show, but in the Broadway production and on the tour it is either A101, B101, C101 or D101. In the West End Production a word is revealed - DONE, CONE or BONE, referring to D1, C1 and B1 respectively.) After pondering the final clue, Arthur admits that they're "a bit stumped with the clue thing" and asks God to "give them a hand". A large hand points to the audience and Arthur realizes that the letters and numbers refer to a seat number in the audience. The grail is "found" (with some sleight of hand) under the seat and the person sitting in the seat is rewarded with a small trophy and a polaroid
Instant camera
The instant camera is a type of camera that generates a developed film image. The most popular types to use self-developing film were formerly made by Polaroid Corporation....
photo. ("The Holy Grail"). Arthur marries the Lady of the Lake, who reveals that her name is Guinevere
Guinevere
Guinevere was the legendary queen consort of King Arthur. In tales and folklore, she was said to have had a love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot...
; Lancelot marries Herbert (who finally has a chance to sing); and Sir Robin decides to pursue a career in musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
("Act 2 Finale/Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Company Bow)").
The duration of the show is about two hours plus interval time.
Musical numbers
Eric Idle wrote the musical's book and lyricsLibretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
and collaborated with John Du Prez
John Du Prez
John Du Prez is a musician, conductor, and composer. Du Prez was a member of the 1980s multi-hit Salsa-driven pop band Modern Romance and has since written several Film scores including Oxford Blues and the final Carry On film, Carry On Columbus...
on the music, except for "Knights of the Round Table" and "Brave Sir Robin", which were composed by Neil Innes
Neil Innes
Neil James Innes is an English writer and performer of comic songs, best known for his collaborative work with Monty Python, and for playing in the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and later The Rutles.-Personal life:...
for Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1974 British comedy film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python , and directed by Gilliam and Jones...
. ("Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" was originally written by Idle for the film Monty Python's Life of Brian
Monty Python's Life of Brian
Monty Python's Life of Brian, also known as Life of Brian, is a 1979 British comedy film written, directed and largely performed by the Monty Python comedy team...
.)
Act I
- Tuning**
- Overture
- Historian’s Introduction to Act I- Historian
- Finland/Fisch Schlapping DanceThe Fish-Slapping DanceThe Fish-Slapping Dance is a comedy sketch written and performed by the Monty Python team. The sketch was originally recorded in 1971 for a pan-European May Day special entitled Euroshow 71...
- Mayor and Company - Monk’s Chant- Company
- King Arthur's Song- King Arthur, Patsy*
- I am Not Dead Yet- Not Dead Fred, Lance, Robin, and Bodies
- Come With Me- King Arthur, Lady of the Lake, and Laker girls
- ^Laker Girls Cheer^- Laker Girls
- The Song That Goes Like ThisThe Song That Goes Like ThisThe Song That Goes Like This is a song written by Eric Idle from the musical comedy Spamalot. The song's melody is intentionally treacly and insipid, and is essentially a parody of the love songs written by composers like Andrew Lloyd Webber....
- Sir Galahad and Lady of the Lake - All For One- King Arthur, Patsy, Sir Robin, Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad and Sir Bedevere
- Knights of the Round TableKnights of the Round Table (Monty Python song)"Knights of the Round Table" is a song from the comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The song's lyrics were written by Graham Chapman and John Cleese, with music by Neil Innes...
- Company - The Song That Goes Like This (Reprise)- Lady of the Lake
- Find Your Grail- Lady of the Lake and Company
- Run Away!- Company
- The Intermission**
Act II
- Historian’s Introduction to Act II- Historian
- Always Look on the Bright Side of LifeAlways Look on the Bright Side of Life"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" is a popular song written by Eric Idle that was originally featured in the 1979 film Monty Python's Life of Brian and has gone on to become a common singalong at public events such as football matches as well as funerals.-History:Whilst trying to come up...
- Patsy, King Arthur, Knights, and Knights of Ni - Brave Sir Robin - Sir Robin and Minstrels
- You Won't Succeed On Broadway- Sir Robin and Ensemble
- The Diva's Lament (Whatever Happened To My Part?)- Lady of the Lake
- Where Are You?- Prince Herbert
- Here Are You- Prince Herbert
- His Name Is Lancelot- Sir Lancelot, Prince Herbert, and Ensemble
- I'm All Alone- King Arthur, Patsy, and Knights
- Twice In Every Show- Lady of the Lake and King Arthur
- The Holy Grail- King Arthur, Patsy, Sir Robin, Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad, Sir Bedevere, and Knights*
- Act II Finale- Company
- Always Look On the Bright Side Of Life- Company and Audience
The Court of Camelot
- King Arthur of Britain
- Sir Lancelot the Homicidally Brave
- Sir Robin, the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir-Lancelot
- Sir Dennis Galahad, The Dashingly Handsome
- Sir Bedevere, The Strangely Flatulent
- PatsyPatsy (Monty Python)Patsy is a character in the film Monty Python and The Holy Grail and the musical Spamalot. He is played by Terry Gilliam in Monty Python and The Holy Grail...
: King Arthur's trusty servant/steed and constant companion. - Concorde: Lancelot's trusty servant/steed.
- Brother Maynard: Camelot's clergyman.
- Sir Bors
- Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Show: Dressed as Don Quixote.
Other characters
- The Lady of the Lake
- Not Dead Fred
- Robin's Lead Minstrel
- The King of Swamp Castle (aka Herbert's Father)
- Prince Herbert
- French Taunter
- The Black KnightBlack Knight (Monty Python)The Black Knight is a fictional character who appears in a scene of the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. As his name suggests, he is a black knight who guards a "bridge" over a small stream, for unknown reasons...
: A psychotic, "invincible" knight who will insist on fighting even after all his limbs have been cut off. - The Head Knight who says "Ni!": The very tall leader of the most feared cult in the land: the dreaded Knights who say NiKnights who say NiThe Knights who say Ni are a band of knights from the comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, feared for the manner in which they utter the word "ni"...
. - Tim the EnchanterTim the EnchanterTim the Enchanter is a fictional character from Monty Python's 1975 movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail played by John Cleese. In the play Spamalot based on the movie, the part was originally played by Hank Azaria. Tim is a strange reclusive wizard or conjurer who wears ram horns on his...
- Mrs. Galahad
- The Killer Rabbit of CaerbannogRabbit of CaerbannogThe Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog is a fictional beast in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It is the antagonist in a major setpiece battle, and makes a similar appearance in Spamalot, a musical inspired by the movie...
- Swamp Castle Guards
- Two Sentries
- Historian: the Narrator.
- The Laker Girls: The Lady of the Lake's backup dancers/cheerleaders.
- Knights of the Round Table
- Robin’s Minstrels
- God
- Holder of the Holy Grail: Whoever happens to be sitting in a certain seat at that performance.
In tribute to the film, where six actors played the majority of the male parts (and a few female ones), several actors play multiple roles; the only major characters not doubling are Arthur and the Lady of the Lake. In the Broadway production, the following doubling is used:
- Lancelot/2nd Sentry/The French Taunter/Knight of Ni/Tim the Enchanter
- Robin/1st Sentry/Brother Maynard/2nd Guard
- Galahad/King of Swamp Castle/Black Knight
- Patsy/Mayor of FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
/1st Guard - Bedevere/Mrs. Galahad/Concorde
- The Historian/Prince Herbert/Not Dead Fred/Lead Minstrel/The French Taunter's Best Friend
Sara Ramirez was intended to double as a witch but this part was cut from the final script. Several pairs of characters originally played by the same Monty Python member were reduced to one: the Dead Collector and Sir Robin (Idle), the Large Man with a Dead Body and Sir Lancelot (Cleese), and Dennis the Politically-Active Peasant and Sir Galahad (Michael Palin
Michael Palin
Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
).
Chicago
Previews of the show began in Chicago's Shubert Theatre (now the Bank of America Theatre) on 21 December 2004; the show officially opened there on 9 January 2005.Two musical numbers were dropped from Act One while the production was still in Chicago. During the scene set in the "Witch Village", the torch song
Torch song
A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affected the relationship...
"Burn Her!" was originally performed by Sir Bedevere, The Witch, Sir Robin, Lance and Villagers. At the French Castle, "The Cow Song", in a parody of a stereotypical film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
/cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
style, was performed by The Cow and French Citizens. Before the two songs were cut in Chicago, the lead vocals in both songs were sung by Sara Ramirez
Sara Ramírez
Sara Ramírez is a Mexican-American singer/songwriter and actress. She is known for her role as Callie Torres in Grey's Anatomy and as the original Lady of the Lake in the 2005 Broadway musical Spamalot, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.-Early life:Ramírez...
. This gave her six songs in Act One, but no further appearances until scene five in Act Two, for "The Diva's Lament".
Broadway
The musical previewed on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, at New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Shubert Theatre
Shubert Theatre (Broadway)
The Shubert Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 225 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan, New York, United States.Designed by architect Henry Beaumont Herts, it was named after Sam S. Shubert, the second oldest of the three brothers of the theatrical producing family...
, beginning 14 February 2005, and, after some changes, officially opened on 17 March 2005. Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols is a German-born American television, stage and film director, writer, producer and comedian. He began his career in the 1950s as one half of the comedy duo Nichols and May, along with Elaine May. In 1968 he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film The Graduate...
directed, and Casey Nicholaw
Casey Nicholaw
Casey Nicholaw is an American theatre director, choreographer and performer. He has been nominated for Tony Awards for directing and choreographing The Drowsy Chaperone , for choreographing Monty Python's Spamalot , and choreographing The Book of Mormon , as well as winning for his co-direction...
choreographed. The Broadway previews were practically sold out, leaving only obstructed view tickets for sale. The production won the Tony Award for Best Musical
Tony Award for Best Musical
This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Musical, first awarded in 1949. This award is presented to the producers of the musical.-1940s:* 1949: Kiss Me, Kate – Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Samuel and Bella Spewack...
and was nominated for 14 Tony Awards. The show played its final performance on 11 January 2009 after 35 previews and 1,574 performances; it was seen by more than two million people and grossed over $175 million, recouping its initial production costs in under six months.
The original Broadway cast included Tim Curry
Tim Curry
Timothy James "Tim" Curry is a British actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California....
as King Arthur, Michael McGrath as Patsy, David Hyde Pierce
David Hyde Pierce
David Hyde Pierce is an American actor and comedian best known for playing psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom Frasier, for which he received many accolades including four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.-Early life:Pierce, the youngest of four siblings,...
as Sir Robin, Hank Azaria
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...
as Sir Lancelot and other roles (e.g., the French Taunter, Knight of Ni
Knights who say Ni
The Knights who say Ni are a band of knights from the comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, feared for the manner in which they utter the word "ni"...
, and Tim the Enchanter
Tim the Enchanter
Tim the Enchanter is a fictional character from Monty Python's 1975 movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail played by John Cleese. In the play Spamalot based on the movie, the part was originally played by Hank Azaria. Tim is a strange reclusive wizard or conjurer who wears ram horns on his...
), Christopher Sieber
Christopher Sieber
Christopher Sieber is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Kevin Burke in Two of a Kind starring Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen and Lord Farquaad in Shrek the Musical. Christopher studied acting and musical comedy at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City...
as Sir Galahad and other roles (e.g., the Black Knight and Prince Herbert's Father), and Sara Ramírez
Sara Ramírez
Sara Ramírez is a Mexican-American singer/songwriter and actress. She is known for her role as Callie Torres in Grey's Anatomy and as the original Lady of the Lake in the 2005 Broadway musical Spamalot, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.-Early life:Ramírez...
as the Lady of the Lake
Lady of the Lake
The Lady of the Lake is the name of several related characters who play parts in the Arthurian legend. These characters' roles include giving King Arthur his sword Excalibur, enchanting Merlin, and raising Lancelot after the death of his father...
. It also included Christian Borle
Christian Borle
Christian Borle is an American actor. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Borle has been primarily featured as an actor in Broadway productions....
as Prince Herbert and other roles (e.g., the Historian and Not Dead Fred), Steve Rosen as Sir Bedevere and other roles (e.g., Concorde and Dennis's Mother) and John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
as the (recorded) Voice of God.
Notable cast replacements include:
- Azaria was replaced by Alan TudykAlan TudykAlan Wray Tudyk is an American actor known for his roles as Simon in the British comedy Death at a Funeral, as Steve the Pirate in DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, as Sonny in the science fiction drama I, Robot, as Doc Potter in 3:10 to Yuma, as Tucker in the Tucker & Dale vs Evil and as Hoban...
and later by Rick HolmesRichard Holmes (actor)Richard Homes is a contemporary American actor of the stage and screen. He received his BA from Gettysburg College and an MFA in acting from New York University...
. - Ramírez was replaced by Lauren KennedyLauren KennedyLauren Kennedy is an actress and a singer who has performed numerous times on Broadway. She most recently starred in the Off-Broadway show Good Ol' Girls at the Black Box Theatre during the 2009-2010 season...
, then by Marin MazzieMarin MazzieMarin Joy Mazzie is an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theater. She was nominated for the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Olivier Award for her role as Lilli/Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate, and won the Outer Critics Circle Award...
, Hannah WaddinghamHannah WaddinghamHannah Waddingham is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her contribution to West End theatre, particularly her original performance in Spamalot and in A Little Night Music...
, and Merle DandridgeMerle DandridgeMerle Dandridge is an American actress who was born in Okinawa, Japan. Her father was an African-American US serviceman from Memphis and her mother was a local Okinawan of Korean and Japanese descent. Dandridge is primarily a stage actress, but has had several roles in television...
. - Curry was replaced by Simon Russell BealeSimon Russell BealeSimon Russell Beale, CBE is an English actor. He has been described by The Independent as "the greatest stage actor of his generation."-Early years:...
, Harry GroenerHarry GroenerHarry Groener is a German-born American actor and dancer, perhaps best known for playing Mayor Wilkins in Buffy the Vampire Slayer .-Early life:...
, Jonathan HadaryJonathan HadaryJonathan Hadary is an American actor.Born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Bethesda, Maryland, Hadary arrived at Tufts University already an accomplished actor. He was promptly cast by every director at Tufts, both student and faculty. During his sophomore year, he became an understudy for the...
, Stephen Collins, Michael Siberry, and John O'HurleyJohn O'HurleyJohn George O'Hurley is an American actor, voice actor, and television personality. He is known for the role of J. Peterman on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld and was the host of the game show Family Feud from 2006 to 2010.-Early life:...
. - Sieber was replaced by Lewis ClealeLewis ClealeLewis Cleale is an American theatre actor and singer. He is originally from Houlton, Maine.A graduate of the University of Miami's Frost School of Music and of the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre, Cleale's big break came when he was cast in a European tour of Oklahoma!, in which he was noticed by...
, then by Bradley DeanBradley DeanBradley Dean is an American stage and screen actor. On March 25, 2008, Dean succeeded Christopher Sieber in the role of Sir Galahad in the musical comedy Spamalot on Broadway. Prior to performing the role on Broadway, Dean played the same role in the show's touring company.Dean has had other...
. - Borle was replaced by Tom DeckmanTom Deckman (actor)Tom Deckman is a stage and screen actor who is currently starring on Broadway in Monty Python's Spamalot as The Historian, Not Dead Fred, French Guard, Minstrel, and Prince Herbert....
. - Pierce was replaced by Martin Moran, Clay AikenClay AikenClayton Holmes "Clay" Aiken is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and author who began his rise to fame on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album Measure of a Man was released...
, and Robert PetkoffRobert PetkoffRobert Petkoff is an award-winning American stage actor known for his work in Shakespearean productions and more recently on the New York City musical theater stage. Petkoff has performed on Broadway, the West End, regional theatre, and done work in film and television...
. - McGrath was replaced by David Hibbard, then by Drew LacheyDrew LacheyAndrew John "Drew" Lachey is an American singer and actor, known as a member of 98 Degrees, the winner of the second season of Dancing with the Stars, and the younger brother of Nick Lachey.-Early years:...
. - Rosen was replaced by Jeffrey Kuhn, Brad Oscar, Steve Rosen and Wally Dunn.
US Tour
First National tour (2006–2009)A North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n tour commenced in spring 2006, and the cast included Michael Siberry
Michael Siberry
Michael Siberry is an Australian stage and screen actor. He most recently starred as King Arthur in the National Tour of Monty Python's Spamalot. In September 2008, he assumed the role of King Arthur on Broadway....
as King Arthur, Jeff Dumas
Jeff Dumas
Jeff Dumas is an American actor. Most recently, he made his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as Njegus in "The Merry Widow", directed by Gary Griffin. Prior to that, he was seen as Patsy in the first US national tour of Monty Python's Spamalot, for which he received the 2007 Helen Hayes Award as...
as Patsy/Mayor/Guard, David Turner as Robin/Guard/Brother Maynard, Rick Holmes as Lancelot/French Taunter/Knight of Ni/Tim The Enchanter, Bradley Dean as Galahad/Black Knight/Herbert's Father, Tom Deckman as The Historian/Not Dead Fred/French Guard/Minstrel/Prince Herbert, Christopher Gurr as Sir Bedevere/Dennis's Mother/Concorde, and Pia Glenn (who remains slated for productions as late as June 2008) as the Lady of the Lake. Deckman moved to the Broadway production in November 2006 and was replaced by Christopher Sutton.
The tour won three 2007 Touring Broadway Awards
Touring Broadway Awards
The Touring Broadway Awards recognize outstanding achievement in Broadway plays and musicals that tour North America.Founded in 2000 by the League of American Theatres and Producers, the TBAs celebrate excellence in touring Broadway by honoring artists and productions...
, including Best New Musical.
This same tour returned to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
on 20 January 2009 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a coeducational, private university with campuses in Chicago, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university is named in honor of both former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university's curriculum is based on...
, this time with Richard Chamberlain
Richard Chamberlain
George Richard Chamberlain is an American actor of stage and screen who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show Dr. Kildare .-Early life:...
as King Arthur. This production costs $419,099.53 in artist fees/royalties for 8 performances in a venue in Florida.
The Tour continued through the summer 2009, with dates at the Golden Gate Theatre
Golden Gate Theatre
The Golden Gate Theatre is a performance venue located in San Francisco, CA., first opened in 1922 as a vaudeville venue, and later was a major movie theater...
San Francisco, the Ahmanson Theatre
Ahmanson Theatre
The Ahmanson Theatre is one of the four main venues that comprise the Los Angeles Music Center.Through the generosity of philanthropist Robert H. Ahmanson, construction began on March 9, 1962. The theatre opened on April 12, 1967 with a production of More Stately Mansions starring Ingrid Bergman,...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, the Canon Theatre
Canon Theatre
-History:The Canon Theatre began as the Pantages Theatre in 1920 as a combination vaudeville and motion picture house. Designed by the great theatre architect Thomas W. Lamb, it was the largest cinema in Canada and one of the most elegant.The Pantages was built by the Canadian motion picture...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, the San Diego Civic Theatre in San Diego, the Tucson Music Hall in Tucson, and played its final performances at the Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa where it closed on 18 October 2009.
Second National tour (2010)
A Second North American tour launched on 24 September 2010 from Waterbury, CT and ended 26 June 2011 in Dallas, TX. Leading the tour was a non-equity cast, however it used the same sets and costumes as the First National tour. The cast included Steve McCoy as King Arthur, Caroline Bowman as the Lady of the Lake, Adam Grabau as Lancelot, Jacob L. Smith as Galahad, Matt Ban as Sir Bedevere/Dennis's Mother, Glenn Giron as Patsy, Martin Glyer as Robin, Thomas DeMarcus as The Historian, and John Garry as Not Dead Fred/Prince Herbert. Other cast members include Stephen Cerf, Jennifer Cordiner, Carl Draper, William Harrell, Melissa Denise Lopez, Shaun Patrick Moe, Linda Neel, Jeffrey Shankle, Keleen Snowgren, Tara Sweeney, Michael Warrell, Jessica Wockenfuss, Matthew Alexander, and Jenny Holahan.
West End and UK tour
A LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
production opened at the Palace Theatre
Palace Theatre, London
The Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster in London. It is an imposing red-brick building that dominates the west side of Cambridge Circus and is located near the intersection of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road...
on Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue is a major street in central London, England, named after Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, that runs in a north-easterly direction from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus....
in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
, commencing 30 September 2006 (London première 17 October) with tickets on sale booking to November 2008. Curry reprised his Broadway role as King Arthur until December, with Beale taking over from January. Sieber also reprised his role as Sir Galahad before leaving in early 2007, replaced by Graham McDuff. Hannah Waddingham
Hannah Waddingham
Hannah Waddingham is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her contribution to West End theatre, particularly her original performance in Spamalot and in A Little Night Music...
was cast as the Lady of the Lake, Tom Goodman-Hill
Tom Goodman-Hill
Tom Goodman-Hill is an English actor of radio, film, stage and television.Born as Tom Hill and raised near Newcastle upon Tyne, he qualified as a teacher before turning to acting. During his time in Newcastle, he regularly acted in amateur performances at the People's Theatre...
as Sir Lancelot, Robert Hands
Robert Hands
Robert Hands is a British actor based in London. He trained at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic theatre school. His career has spanned over twenty years during which time he has played leading roles in film, television, and both classical and musical theatre in London’s West End...
as Sir Robin, David Birell as Patsy, Tony Timberlake as Sir Bedevere and Darren Southworth as Prince Herbert. Notable cast replacements have included Peter Davison
Peter Davison
Peter Davison is a British actor, best known for his roles as Tristan Farnon in the television version of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small and the fifth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, which he played from 1982 to 1984.-Early life:Davison was born Peter Moffett in Streatham,...
and Bill Ward
Bill Ward (actor)
Bill Ward is an English actor who played Charlie Stubbs in Coronation Street.-Biography:He completed a degree in History at Bristol University. He is a former advertising executive. After Coronation Street, he had a role in the ITV series Cold Blood with Pauline Quirke...
in 2007 and, briefly, Marin Mazzie
Marin Mazzie
Marin Joy Mazzie is an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theater. She was nominated for the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Olivier Award for her role as Lilli/Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate, and won the Outer Critics Circle Award...
, in early 2008. Sanjeev Bhaskar
Sanjeev Bhaskar
Sanjeev Bhaskar, OBE is a British Indian comedian, actor and broadcaster, best known for his work in the BBC Two comedy series Goodness Gracious Me and as host of The Kumars at No. 42...
took over from Alan Dale
Alan Dale
Alan Hugh Dale is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale developed a love of theatre and also became a rugby player. After retiring from the sport he took on a number of professions to support his family, before deciding to become a professional actor at the age of 27. With work limited in New...
as the last King Arthur (23 June 2008 onwards). The London production closed on 3 January 2009.
A UK tour scheduled for later in 2009 was initially postponed, the producers commenting "Due to unforeseen circumstances the UK Tour of Spamalot will not be taking place as scheduled in 2009", but eventually started at the New Wimbledon Theatre
New Wimbledon Theatre
The New Wimbledon Theatre is situated on The Broadway, Wimbledon, London, in the London Borough of Merton. It is a Grade II listed Edwardian theatre built by the theatre lover and entrepreneur, J B Mullholland. Built on the site of a large house with spacious grounds the theatre was designed by...
on 29 May - 5 June 2010 and Nottingham Theatre Royal on 7–12 June 2010. The tour is scheduled to run until June 2011 at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. The production travelled to Trieste's Politeama Rossetti marking on 24 May 2011 the official opening of the show in Italy.
Phill Jupitus plays King Arthur in the current UK tour.
Todd Carty
Todd Carty
Todd Carty is an Irish actor and director, who has grown up on television screens in a variety of roles. His stage work has varied from pantomime to serious drama, as well as radio plays, voiceovers, commercials, narrations, and films...
plays Patsy
Patsy
Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" or "Pet" .-Historical usage:...
, assistant to King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
for the duration of the tour. He is due to finish the tour after performing at Wycombe Swan
Wycombe Swan
Wycombe Swan is an HQ theatre in High Wycombe. The theatre in opened in November 1992 by Wycombe District Council and has been acquired by HQ Theatre since. it has a capacity of 1076. It presents a varied programme including a pantomime every Christmas. At the Swan itself there were 280...
theatre. Marcus Brigstocke
Marcus Brigstocke
Marcus Alexander Brigstocke is an English comedian, actor and satirist who has worked extensively in stand-up comedy, television, radio and in 2010-2011 musical theatre. He is particularly associated with the 6.30pm comedy slot on BBC Radio 4, having frequently appeared on several of its shows...
will be making his musical theatre debut as King Arthur for a limited engagement. Jodie Prenger
Jodie Prenger
Jodie Prenger is an English actress and singer. She was the winner of BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything on 31 May 2008. She was also the winner of the second series of The Biggest Loser on Living in 2006...
, Hayley Tamaddon
Hayley Tamaddon
Hayley Tamaddon , is an English actress of Iranian descent, who is most notable for portraying Delilah Dingle in ITV's Emmerdale and winning ITV's Dancing on Ice on 28 March 2010.-Background:...
, and Amy Nuttall
Amy Nuttall
Amy Nuttall is an English actress and singer most notable for playing the role of Chloe Atkinson in the long-running ITV soap opera Emmerdale from 2000 until 2005.-Early life:...
share the role of The Lady of the Lake. The tour also features Simon Lipkin as Sir Galahad, Graham McDuff as Sir Lancelot, David Lingham as Prince Herbert, Samuel Holmes as Sir Robin, and Robin Armstrong as Sir Bedevere.
The UK tour also features for the first time a re-working of the song "You won't succeed on Broadway" which has been re-named "You won't succeed in showbiz". The theme of the song has been changed from poking fun at the need for Jewish input into Broadway productions and instead mocks the cross over of celebrities in musicals and reality television competitions such as the X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
. It notably pokes fun at reality TV celebrities including Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
, Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
and Susan Boyle
Susan Boyle
Susan Magdalane Boyle is a Scottish singer who came to international public attention when she appeared as a contestant on the TV programme Britain's Got Talent on 11 April 2009, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from ...
(who is shot by Sir Robin when she begins to sing).
UK Casts:
| Role | Original West End | Final West End | UK Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Arthur | Tim Curry Tim Curry Timothy James "Tim" Curry is a British actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.... |
Sanjeev Bhaskar Sanjeev Bhaskar Sanjeev Bhaskar, OBE is a British Indian comedian, actor and broadcaster, best known for his work in the BBC Two comedy series Goodness Gracious Me and as host of The Kumars at No. 42... |
Marcus Brigstocke Marcus Brigstocke Marcus Alexander Brigstocke is an English comedian, actor and satirist who has worked extensively in stand-up comedy, television, radio and in 2010-2011 musical theatre. He is particularly associated with the 6.30pm comedy slot on BBC Radio 4, having frequently appeared on several of its shows... /Phill Jupitus Phill Jupitus Phillip Christopher Jupitus is an English stand-up and improvised comedian, actor, performance poet, musician and podcaster.... |
| Lady Of The Lake | Hannah Waddingham Hannah Waddingham Hannah Waddingham is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her contribution to West End theatre, particularly her original performance in Spamalot and in A Little Night Music... |
Nina Söderquist Nina Söderquist - Career :Nina started her career on Wallmans Salonger and as a choir girl behind many of Sweden's most popular singers. On February 2, 2008 Söderquist won the Swedish talent show West End Star on TV3. She won the prize of getting the leading role as "Lady of the Lake" in the London West End... |
Jodie Prenger Jodie Prenger Jodie Prenger is an English actress and singer. She was the winner of BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything on 31 May 2008. She was also the winner of the second series of The Biggest Loser on Living in 2006... |
| Patsy | David Birrel | Andrew Spillett | Todd Carty Todd Carty Todd Carty is an Irish actor and director, who has grown up on television screens in a variety of roles. His stage work has varied from pantomime to serious drama, as well as radio plays, voiceovers, commercials, narrations, and films... |
| Sir Lancelot | Tom Goodman-Hill Tom Goodman-Hill Tom Goodman-Hill is an English actor of radio, film, stage and television.Born as Tom Hill and raised near Newcastle upon Tyne, he qualified as a teacher before turning to acting. During his time in Newcastle, he regularly acted in amateur performances at the People's Theatre... |
Jake Nightingale | Graham MacDuff |
| Sir Galahad | Christopher Sieber Christopher Sieber Christopher Sieber is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Kevin Burke in Two of a Kind starring Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen and Lord Farquaad in Shrek the Musical. Christopher studied acting and musical comedy at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City... |
Michael Xavier | Simon Lipkin |
| Sir Robin | Robert Hands | Ross Dawes | Samuel Holmes |
| Sir Bedevere | Tony Timberlake | Adam Stafford | Robin Armstrong |
| Prince Herbert | Darren Southworth | Gerard Carey | David Langham |
| Ensemble | Ross Dawes | Oliver Tydman | Kit Orton |
| Ensemble | Stuart Dawes | Seth Bailey | Philip Catchpole |
| Ensemble | Andrew Spillet | Andy Rees | ROLE CUT |
| Ensemble | Gavin Staplehurst | Gavin Staplehurst | ROLE CUT |
| Ensemble | Sebastian Sykes | Chris Coxon | ROLE CUT |
| Ensemble | Nathan Taylor | Spencer Stafford | ROLE CUT |
| Ensemble | Krystal Archer | Jenny Gaynor | Amy Papa |
| Ensemble | Rachel Dempsey | Genevieve Nicole | Rachel Knowles |
| Ensemble | Emma Green | Laura Tyrer | ROLE CUT |
| Ensemble | Selina Hamilton | Pippa Raine | ROLE CUT |
| Ensemble | Amber Neale | Amber Neale | ROLE CUT |
| Ensemble | Luzahnn Taylor | Stacey Hayden | ROLE CUT |
| Swing | Ben Clare | Ben Clare | Tim Bonser |
| Swing | Rebecca Giacopazzi | Rebecca Giacopazzi | ROLE CUT |
| Swing | Brendan Cull | Stuart Dawes | Paul Bullion |
| Swing | Mark Evans | Ian Waller | ROLE CUT |
| Swing | Amy Ellen Richardson | Hayley Reed | ROLE CUT |
| Standby | Amy Field | Amy Field | ROLE CUT |
| Standby | Craige Els | Haydn Oakley | ROLE CUT |
| Standby | Simon Greiff | ROLE CUT |
Las Vegas
A production of the musical began Las Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
previewed on 8 March 2007 and opened on 31 March 2007 at the Wynn Las Vegas
Wynn Las Vegas
Wynn Las Vegas is a resort and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The US $2.7 billion resort is named after casino developer Steve Wynn and is the flagship property of Wynn Resorts Limited. The resort covers . It is located on Las Vegas Boulevard and Sands Avenue Wynn Las...
in the newly renamed Grail Theater (formerly the Broadway Theater, which housed a production of Avenue Q
Avenue Q
Avenue Q is a musical in two acts, conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics. The book was written by Jeff Whitty and the show was directed by Jason Moore and produced by Kevin McCollum, Robyn Goodman, and Jeffrey Seller...
), with an extended balcony to allow for more seating, and a redesigned interior. As with other Las Vegas transfers of Broadway musicals, including The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
, Spamalot was condensed to run in ninety minutes without an intermission. Among the cuts were the song "All For One", most of the song "Run Away", the Knights of Ni receiving their shrubbery, and the "Make sure he doesn't leave" scene with Prince Herbert's guards.
Actor John O'Hurley
John O'Hurley
John George O'Hurley is an American actor, voice actor, and television personality. He is known for the role of J. Peterman on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld and was the host of the game show Family Feud from 2006 to 2010.-Early life:...
starred as King Arthur. Due to the Las Vegas production, the North American touring company would not perform in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, or Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. In addition to O'Hurley, the cast included Nikki Crawford as Lady of the Lake, Edward Staudenmayer as Galahad, J Anthony Crane
J Anthony Crane
J. Anthony Crane, aka Tony Crane is an American film, television, and stage actor.-Career:He is well known for his portrayal of Remy McSwain in the television series The Big Easy, a small screen adaptation of the 1987 movie...
as Lancelot, Justin Brill as Patsy, and Harry Bouvy as Robin, with Reva Rice
Reva Rice
Reva Rice is an American musical theatre actress and singer. She originated the role of Pearl in Starlight Express on Broadway, and played the character in the show's 1992 London run. She also played the role on tour in the USA and in Las Vegas....
as the standby Lady of the Lake.
Although initially contracted to run for up to ten years its final performance was on 18 July 2008. The Las Vegas production closed to make way for Danny Gans
Danny Gans
Daniel Davies Gans was an American singer and comedian who found regional success as a vocal impressionist.-Career:...
' move from The Mirage
The Mirage
The Mirage is a 3,044 room hotel and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States.The Mirage is connected by a free tram to Treasure Island. The marquee in front of the Mirage is the largest free standing marquee in the world.-History:The Mirage was built by...
casino hotel; the theater was renamed the Encore Theater and integrated into the newer Encore Las Vegas resort. Danny Gans died unexpectedly on 1 May 2009.
Australia
A new Australian production started in Melbourne in November 2007 at Her Majesty's TheatreHer Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne
Her Majesty's Theatre is a 1706 seat theatre in Melbourne, Australia. Built in 1886, it is located at 219 Exhibition Street, Melbourne. It is classified by the National Trust of Australia and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register....
, with the official premiere on 1 December. The cast featured Bille Brown
Bille Brown
Bille Brown, AM is an Australian Shakespearean actor and acclaimed writer of plays.Brown was born in Biloela, Queensland and studied drama at the University of Queensland where he received and Honorary Doctorate of Letters...
as King Arthur and Lucinda Shaw as the Lady of the Lake, Ben Lewis as Sir Galahad, Stephen Hall
Stephen Hall
Stephen Charles Hall is an Australian actor and writer.-Television:Halls' career in televisions includes both acting and production duties...
as Sir Lancelot, Derek Metzger as Patsy, Jason Langley as Sir Robin and Mark Conaghan
Mark Conaghan
Mark Conaghan is an Australian stage, television and film actor, best known for his theatre acting and directing in Brisbane.He has recently been cast in the 2007 Australian production of the musical Spamalot.-Theatre:...
as Prince Herbert, with Christina O'Neill as the standby Lady of the Lake.
The Australian production closed on 5 April 2008, due to lack of ticket sales and no tour followed.
The Australian Non-Professional Premiere season of Spamalot was presented by Phoenix Ensemble at the Pavilion Theatre in Beenleigh and the Logan Entertainment Centre from 20 March to 25 April 2009 for 16 performances. This production won several awards at the Gold Coast Theatre Awards including Best Musical Direction (Casey Chadwick and Ben Murray), Best Set Design (Tracey and Luke Hutley, Doug McClean) and Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical (Tash McKoy). It was also nominated for Best Costumes (Glynis Aubrey) and Best Choreography (Scott Hollingsworth).
The Gold Coast Premiere season of Spamalot opened at the Spotlight Theatre, Benowa on 24 July 2009 for a four week run. The Sydney Premiere of Spamalot was held on 9 October 2009 by The Regals Musical Society.
In Adelaide, a new production of Spamalot opened on 12 March 2010 at the Shedley Theatre.
The Brisbane City Premiere of Spamalot opened 23 April 2010 at the Schonell Theatre. It was also the inaugural production of Queensland's latest exciting new theatre company 'Blue Fish Theatrical Productions.' Spamalot featured an all-star cast of well known Brisbane performers. Gary Rose as King Arthur, Bradley McCaw as Patsy, Tony Campbell as Sir Robin, Chris Kellett as Sir Lancelot, Lionel Theunissen as Sir Galahad, Steve Norris as Sir Bedevere (also played by Jason Lawson in a special guest appearance), Tye Shepherd as Finland Mayor/Not Dead Fred/Prince Herbet/Robin's Minstrel and Brother Maynard and Ruth Bridgstock as the Lady of the Lake.
The Canberra premier was in May 2010 at the ANU Arts Centre by SUPA Productions. Max Gambale as King Arthur, Louisa Bloomfield and the Lady of the Lake, Will Huang as Patsy, Joseph McGrail-Bateup as Sir Robin, Patrick J Gallagher as Mrs Galahad, Dave Smith as Galahad and Michael Jordan as Lancelot. Director - Ron Dowd
The Empire Theatre in Toowoomba, Australia's largest regional theatre, will present Spamalot in October 2010.
Perth will finally see Spamalot in November 2010, presented by Playlovers in Hackett Hall, Floreat.
New Zealand
The New Zealand premiere was staged at the Globe Theatre Palmerston NorthPalmerston North
Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...
for a four week season in November/December 2009. Hillcrest High School in Hamilton, did the second performance of Spamalot in March 2010 whilst the South Island premiere was performed by Bayfield High School at The Mayfair Theatre, Dunedin on the 19–22 May 2010.
Spain
The first translated production, in SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, opened at Teatre Victoria, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
on 9 September 2008 and closed on 10 May 2009. Directed by Catalan Comedy Group Tricicle
Tricicle
' is a spanish group of gestual theatre from Catalonia in Spain. It consists of three members : Carles Sans, Paco Mir and Joan Gràcia. Founded in 1979, has 32 years offering his particular humor in theaters worldwide...
and choreographed by Francesc Abós, the cast included Jordi Bosch
Jordi Bosch
-Theatre:*1981-“Mort accidental d’un anarquista”, by Dario Fo. Dir. Pere Planella. Teatre Regina and Villarroel Teatre, Barcelona*1983-“Advertència per a embarcacions petites”, by Tennessee Williams. Dir. Carlos Gandolfo. Teatre Lliure, Barcelona...
as King Arthur, Marta Ribera
Marta Ribera
Marta Ribera is a Spanish theatrical actress star born in 1971. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the Frank Wildhorn musical Jekyll & Hyde in the starring role of Lucy Harris and her most recent role as The Lady of the Lake in Monty Python's Spamalot...
as the Lady of the Lake, Sergi Albert as Sir Galahad (later replaced by Edu Soto), Fernando Gil as Sir Lancelot, Julián Fontalvo as Patsy, Xavi Duch as Sir Robin, Josep M. Gimeno as Sir Bedevere and Jesús García as Prince Herbert, with Sara Pérez as the standby Lady of the Lake. The Original Barcelona Cast Recording was released on December 2008.
On 10 September 2009 the production was transferred to Teatro Lope de Vega, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
with some changes in the cast: Dulcinea Juárez as the Lady of the Lake, Ignasi Vidal as Sir Galahad, Víctor Ullate Roche as Sir Robin and Lorena Calero as the standby Lady of the Lake. The show finally closed on 28 February 2010, after more than 450 performances.
Germany
A GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
production premiered in January 2009 at the Musical Dome in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. The last performance was held on 13 September 2009 at the venue.
Hungary
The Hungarian production has started on September 2009 at the Madách Theatre in Budapest.Further information
Sweden
The Swedish production premiered in MalmöMalmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
on 24 September 2010.
In London the Swedish Nina Söderquist won, 2008, the role as Lady of the Lake after winning competitions soap West End star in Swedish TV3. It was thought that she would play the role in Sweden, but when she became pregnant, she left the show and was replaced by Anki Albertsson.
The Swedish cast included Johan Wester
Johan Wester
Johan Wester is a Swedish comedian and actor.Together with Anders Jansson he wrote and created the comedy sketch-show Hipphipp!...
as King Arthur, Kim Sulocki as Patsy and other roles (e.g., Guard, and The Mayor), Robert Rydberg as Sir Galahad and other roles (e.g., the Black Knight, and Concorde), Anders Jansson as Sir Bedevere and other roles (e.g., Prince Herbert's Father, Sir Galahad's Mother, and the Historian), Adde Malmberg as Sir Lancelot and other roles (e.g., the French Taunter, Knight of Ni, and Tim the Enchanter), Johan Glans
Johan Glans
Johan Magnus Glans is a Swedish stand up comedian and TV actor. He started doing stand up comedy in 1994 and has worked on Swedish TV with David Batra. He is often featured in SVT's Stockholm Live and TV4's Parlamentet. He has at numerous times been called "Sveriges Roligaste Man", in English...
as Sir Robin and other roles (e.g., Guard, and Brother Maynard), Anki Albertsson as Lady of the Lake, Mattias Linderoth as Prince Herbret and other roles (e.g., French Guard, Not Dead Yet Ben, and Musician) and John Cleese as the (recorded) Voice of God.
Czech Republic
The premiere of Czech production took place 6 March 2010 in the J. K. Tyl TheatreJ. K. Tyl Theatre
Josef Kajetán Tyl Theatre is a main theatre in Plzeň, Czech Republic. The theatre was built between 1899-1902 in the neo-renaissance style with some art nouveau elements to the design of Antonin Balsanek...
in Pilsen. The play achieved a great success.
It is a completely translated version directed by Roman Meluzín.
France
The French production has started on 5 February 2010 at the Comedia Theatre in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and is directed by French actor Pierre-François Martin-Laval
Pierre-François Martin-Laval
Pierre-François Martin-Laval is a French actor, born in Marseille. Well appreciated in France for his acting performance in burlesque show but also in touching plays, PEF is nowadays a recognized actor in his country. Theatre lover from ever, he incorporated a famous French school of acting: Cours...
.
Poland
Since 25 September 2010 "Spamalot" is played at the music theatre in Gdynia, Poland, directed by Maciej Korwin. The première took place on 2 October 2010.Canada
18–21 November 2010, Mecca Productions of Brandon, Manitoba staged their production of Spamalot. This marks the first time a non-professional company has performed the show in Canada. The production stars James Comrie as King Arthur, Lisa Vasconcelos as The Lady of the Lake, Chris Isaak as Sir Dennis Galahad, Bob Brereton as Patsy, Dylan Woodcock as Sir Robin, Brody Harms as Sir Lancelot, and John Szabo as Sir Bedevere.Italy
In May 2011, the original UK touring production played at Politeama RossettiPoliteama Rossetti
Politeama Rossetti is an Italian theatre situated in the city of Trieste. With over 60 shows scheduled each season, running from October to June, its stage shows include plays, musicals, ballet, dance and rock concerts....
in Trieste. Eric Idle attended the opening night on 24 May.
Netherlands
In April 2011 a Dutch touring version opened, starring comedians Paul Groot and Owen Schumacher. The entire cast also appeared in character on Dutch TV in a Python/Spamalot tribute: "Help, mijn man is ridder!" (Help! My husband is a knight!).Reactions by Monty Python members
The show has had mixed reactions from Idle's former colleagues in Monty Python.Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
, in an audio interview,
Terry Jones
Terry Jones
Terence Graham Parry Jones is a Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator, and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team....
- who co-directed the original film with Gilliam - expressed his opinions forthrightly in May 2005: "Spamalot is utterly pointless. It's full of air…Regurgitating Python is not high on my list of priorities." However, when asked whether he liked Spamalot during an interview with Dennis Daniel
Dennis Daniel
Dennis Daniel is an American media personality. He has been a public figure in radio, TV and film criticism for over 25 years. His regular voice and many character voices have been heard on thousands of radio and TV commercials nationwide.- Writing :...
on 98.5 WBON
WBON
WBON, also known as "La Nueva Fiesta", is a Spanish-language FM radio station licensed to Westhampton, New York and operating at 98.5 MHz and 96.9 MHz with a Tropical format. Its transmitter is located in Manorville, New York. The station is licensed to JVC Media LLC.Until March 2007, the...
-FM "The BONE" on Long Island shortly after the musical's opening on Broadway, Jones said, "Well, I thought it was terrific good fun. It’s great to see the audience loving it. I suppose I had reservations as far as…well…the idea of doing scenes from a film on stage. I just don’t get the point of it. They do them terribly well…I mean, they really are good…but I just quite don’t understand what that’s about. It isn’t really 'Python.' It is very much Eric
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
." Jones went on to say, "...I think the best parts of the musical are the new things. For instance, when they do the Andrew Lloyd Webber take-off and this girl comes in and sings 'Whatever Happened To My Part' since she hasn’t appeared since the opening number and she’s really furious! That is one of the great moments where the show really comes alive for me."
In an Oct. 2006 interview, Michael Palin
Michael Palin
Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
said, "We’re all hugely delighted that Spamalot is doing so well. Because we’re all beneficiaries! It’s a great show. It’s not ‘Python’ as we would have written it. But then, none of us would get together and write a ‘Python’ stage show. Eric eventually ran out of patience and said, ‘Well, I’ll do it myself then.’ He sent us bits and songs and all that and we said, ‘Yeah, that’s all right, have a go.’ But its success is so enormous that it took us all by surprise, including Eric, and now we’re just proud to be associated with it, rather pathetically."
When asked by a Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is published in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada, and one of two daily newspapers in Las Vegas . It is the flagship publication of Stephens Media LLC...
reporter in 2008 if he had to be persuaded to provide the recorded voice of God in the musical, John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
said, "Yeah, that’s right. And in the end 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."
Critical reception and box-office
The original production has been both a financial and critical success. VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported advance ticket sales of $18 million, with ticket prices ranging from $36 to $179. The advance made Broadway box office history.
The show proved to be an early success when moving to London's West End. After high advance ticket sales the show's run was extended by four weeks, four months before the run commenced.
The play makes many references to the film and other material in the Python canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
, including a line from "The Lumberjack Song
The Lumberjack Song
"The Lumberjack Song" is a song by the Monty Python comedy troupe. The song was written by Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Fred Tomlinson.It first appeared on the ninth episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus, "The Ant: An Introduction" on BBC1 on 14 December 1969...
", nods to "Ministry of Silly Walks
The Ministry of Silly Walks
"The Ministry of Silly Walks" is a sketch from the Monty Python comedy troupe's television show Monty Python's Flying Circus, episode 14, which is entitled "Face the Press". The episode first aired in 1970. A shortened version of the sketch was performed for Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl...
," the "Election Night Special" and "Dead Parrot Sketch" routines, a bar
Bar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
from "Spam
Spam (Monty Python)
"Spam" is a popular Monty Python sketch, first televised in 1970. In the sketch, two customers are in a greasy spoon café trying to order a breakfast from a menu that includes the processed meat product in almost every dish. The term spam is derived from this sketch...
" worked into "Knights of the Round Table", a rendition of the song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" is a popular song written by Eric Idle that was originally featured in the 1979 film Monty Python's Life of Brian and has gone on to become a common singalong at public events such as football matches as well as funerals.-History:Whilst trying to come up...
" from the film Monty Python's Life of Brian
Monty Python's Life of Brian
Monty Python's Life of Brian, also known as Life of Brian, is a 1979 British comedy film written, directed and largely performed by the Monty Python comedy team...
(1979), and the "Fisch Schlapping Song" which is a reference to both "The Fish-Slapping Dance
The Fish-Slapping Dance
The Fish-Slapping Dance is a comedy sketch written and performed by the Monty Python team. The sketch was originally recorded in 1971 for a pan-European May Day special entitled Euroshow 71...
" and the song "Finland
Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album
Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album is an album released by Monty Python in 1980, a mixture of songs, new sketches and some rerecorded pre-Python work. As the title suggests, the album was put together to complete a contract with Charisma Records...
". Another reference is actually part of the Playbill
Playbill
Playbill is a monthly U.S. magazine for theatregoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most Playbills are printed for particular shows to be distributed at the door...
of the show; there are several gag pages about a musical entitled "Dik Od Triaanenen Fol (Finns Ain't What They Used To Be)". This gag programme was written by Palin, and echoes the faux-Swedish subtitles in the credits of the original Grail Python film.
Broadway musical fans appreciate its references to other musicals and musical theatre in general, such as: "The Song That Goes Like This" (a spoof of Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
productions and many other Broadway power ballads); the knights doing a dance reminiscent of Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
, and another reminiscent of West Side Story (including the music); Sir Lancelot's mimicking of Peter Allen
Peter Allen
Peter Allen was an Australian songwriter and entertainer. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, with one, Arthur's Theme, winning an Academy Award in 1981...
in "His Name Is Lancelot"; the character of Sir Not Appearing in This Show being Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha is a musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's seventeenth century masterpiece Don Quixote...
s Don Quixote; a member of the French "army" dressed as Eponine from Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
; and a line pulled from "Another Hundred People" from Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
's Company
Company (musical)
Company is a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six....
by the "damsel" Herbert. The song "You Won't Succeed (On Broadway)" also parodies The Producers
The Producers (musical)
The Producers is a musical adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from Brooks' 1968 film of the same name, with lyrics written by Brooks and music composed by Brooks and arranged by Glen Kelly and Doug Besterman. As in the film, the story concerns two theatrical producers who scheme to get rich...
and Yentl
Yentl
Yentl is a play by Leah Napolin and Isaac Bashevis Singer.Based on Singer's short story "Yentl the Yeshiva Boy," it centers on a young girl who defies tradition by discussing and debating Jewish law and theology with her rabbi father...
.
The show has not escaped criticism. In Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
, Sam Anderson wrote,
"Python was formed in reaction to exactly the kind of lazy comedy represented by Spamalot — what Michael Palin once described as the 'easy, catch-phrase reaction' the members had all been forced to pander in their previous writing jobs... Spamalot is the gaudy climax of a long, unfunny tradition of post-Python exploitation — books, actions figures, video games — that treats the old material as a series of slogans to be referenced without doing any of the work that made the lines so original in the first place."
The West End version opened to two rave reviews. "It’s a wonderful night, and I fart in the general direction of anyone who says otherwise", wrote Charles Spencer
Charles Spencer (journalist)
Charles Spencer is a British journalist. He has been the drama critic of The Daily Telegraph since 1991. In 2006, Compton Miller of The Independent wrote in a profile: "This convivial ex-alcoholic is best remembered for his description of Nicole Kidman's nude scene in The Blue Room as 'pure...
in the Daily Telegraph (echoing a joke from the show). According to Paul Taylor in the Independent, "it leaves you that high and weak with laughter, thanks not just to the Python provenance of the basic material but to the phenomenal speed, wit, cheek and showbiz knowingness of the direction, which is by the great veteran, Mike Nichols". Michael Billington
Michael Billington (critic)
Michael Keith Billington is a British author and arts critic. Drama critic of The Guardian since October 1971, he is "Britain's longest-serving theatre critic" and the author of biographical and critical studies relating to British theatre and the arts; most notably, he is the authorised...
in the Guardian was less enthusiastic, though, stating "while I'm happy to see musicals spoofed, the show's New York origins are clearly exposed in a would-be outre number which announces "we won't succeed in show business if we don't have any Jews": a Broadway in-joke that has little purchase this side of the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
." Billington adds, "With hand on heart, I'd much rather watch Lerner and Loewe's Camelot
Camelot (musical)
Camelot is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe . It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T. H. White tetralogy novel The Once and Future King....
than Eric Idle's smart-arsed Spamalot."
The Las Vegas production was awarded the Number 1 show of 2007 by the Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is published in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada, and one of two daily newspapers in Las Vegas . It is the flagship publication of Stephens Media LLC...
.
Coconut orchestra world record
On 22 March 2006, to mark the first anniversary of the official Broadway opening, the "World's Largest Coconut Orchestra", 1,789 people clapping together half coconut shells, performed in Shubert AlleyShubert Alley
Shubert Alley is a narrow long pedestrian alley at the heart of the Broadway theater district of New York City. It splits a block, as it runs parallel to and between Eighth Avenue and Broadway, linking West 44th Street to West 45th Street. It contains approximately of public space.The alley has...
, outside the theatre. The claim was officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. This record was broken by 5,567 people in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
at 7pm on 23 April 2007, led by the cast from the London production, along with Jones and Gilliam, with the coconuts used in place of the whistles in "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". This formed part of London's St George's Day
St George's Day
St George's Day is celebrated by the several nations, kingdoms, countries, and cities of which Saint George is the patron saint. St George's Day is celebrated on 23 April, the traditionally accepted date of Saint George's death in AD 303...
celebrations that year and was followed by a screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Other
In 2006, the London cast of Spamalot performed excerpts at the Royal Variety PerformanceRoyal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
.
On 10 March 2007, Spamalot partnered with HP Sauce
HP Sauce
HP Sauce is a popular brown sauce originally produced by HP Foods in the UK, now produced by H.J. Heinz in the Netherlands.It is the best-known brand of brown sauce in the United Kingdom and Canada as well as the best selling, with 71% of the UK market....
(the classic British brown sauce
Brown sauce
Brown sauce may refer to:* Brown sauce , in French and Scandinavian cuisines* Steak sauce, a spiced condiment containing fruits and vinegar** A1 Steak Sauce, an American brand of steak sauce** HP Sauce, a British brand of sauce...
, now made in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
following a contentious decision to close its factory in Britain) to produce 1,075 limited edition bottles featuring a unique Spamalot take on the classic HP design. The bottles were available exclusively via Selfridges
Selfridges
Selfridges, AKA Selfridges & Co, is a chain of high end department stores in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge. The flagship store in London's Oxford Street is the second largest shop in the UK and was opened on 15 March 1909.More recently, three other stores have been...
, London and came in a presentation box with a numbered certificate
Certificate of Authenticity
A certificate of authenticity is a seal or small sticker on a proprietary computer program, t-shirt, jersey, or any other memorabilia or art work, especially in the world of computers and sports, it is commonly a seal on paper authenticating a specific art work which and is made to demonstrate...
. 1,075 was chosen to celebrate, absurdly, "1,075 years of the show running in London".
In July 2007 it was announced that the London production would solve the problem of replacing Hannah Waddingham as the Lady of the Lake through a TV talent show in Sweden. The programme, called West End Star, which began airing on TV3
TV3 (Sweden)
TV3 is a television channel targeted at a Swedish language audience owned by Viasat . It was founded on 31 December 1987 by entrepreneur Jan Stenbeck as joint Scandinavian channel, but Denmark and Norway soon got their own versions of TV3...
on 8 December 2007, announced Nina Söderquist
Nina Söderquist
- Career :Nina started her career on Wallmans Salonger and as a choir girl behind many of Sweden's most popular singers. On February 2, 2008 Söderquist won the Swedish talent show West End Star on TV3. She won the prize of getting the leading role as "Lady of the Lake" in the London West End...
as the winner on 2 February 2008.
On 15 December 2007, the 10 finalists were announced. These were:
- Sandra Caménisch - 35-year-old full-time mother of three from Stockholm with an eight-week-old son
- Karin Funk - 25-year-old checkout girl at Seven Eleven from Gothenburg
- Jenny Holmgren - 25-year-old student from Stockholm
- Linda Holmgren - 27-year-old cruise ship entertainer from Stockholm, sister of Jenny
- Petra Jablonski - 38-year-old opera singer from Västerås married to renowned concert pianist Patrick Jablonski
- Viktoria Krantz - 31-year-old show jumper from Stockholm
- Divina Sarkany - 34-year-old actress from Gothenburg
- Nina SöderquistNina Söderquist- Career :Nina started her career on Wallmans Salonger and as a choir girl behind many of Sweden's most popular singers. On February 2, 2008 Söderquist won the Swedish talent show West End Star on TV3. She won the prize of getting the leading role as "Lady of the Lake" in the London West End...
- 35-year-old singing waitress from Stockholm (the eventual winner) - Susanne Petersson - 28-year-old cabaret artist from Malmo
- Josefine Wassler - 19-year-old student at Rock School from Stockholm
Nina took up the role of The Lady of the Lake, with a standing ovation, on Monday 11 February 2008.
DVD
Portions of the Spamalot original cast recordingCast recording
A cast recording is a recording of a musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording, as the name implies, features the voices of the show's original cast...
were featured (with accompanying Flash animation
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
) as a special feature in the 2006 "Extraordinarily Deluxe Two-Disc Edition" DVD re-release of Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1974 British comedy film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python , and directed by Gilliam and Jones...
.
Awards and honors
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nominations, more than any other show in the 2004–2005 season. It won three of them:
- Best MusicalTony Award for Best MusicalThis is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Musical, first awarded in 1949. This award is presented to the producers of the musical.-1940s:* 1949: Kiss Me, Kate – Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Samuel and Bella Spewack...
- Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Sara RamirezSara RamírezSara Ramírez is a Mexican-American singer/songwriter and actress. She is known for her role as Callie Torres in Grey's Anatomy and as the original Lady of the Lake in the 2005 Broadway musical Spamalot, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.-Early life:Ramírez...
) - Best Direction of a Musical (Mike NicholsMike NicholsMike Nichols is a German-born American television, stage and film director, writer, producer and comedian. He began his career in the 1950s as one half of the comedy duo Nichols and May, along with Elaine May. In 1968 he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film The Graduate...
)
The 11 other nominations were:
- Best Book of a MusicalTony Award for Best Book of a MusicalThe Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligible...
(Eric IdleEric IdleEric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
) - Best Original ScoreTony Award for Best Original ScoreThe Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. The score consists of music and lyrics...
(Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre (John Du PrezJohn Du PrezJohn Du Prez is a musician, conductor, and composer. Du Prez was a member of the 1980s multi-hit Salsa-driven pop band Modern Romance and has since written several Film scores including Oxford Blues and the final Carry On film, Carry On Columbus...
and Eric IdleEric IdleEric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
(Music); Eric IdleEric IdleEric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
(Lyrics)) - Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Hank AzariaHank AzariaHenry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...
) - Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Tim CurryTim CurryTimothy James "Tim" Curry is a British actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California....
) - Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Michael McGrathMichael McGrath (actor)Michael McGrath is an American stage actor. He is best known for his role as Patsy in Spamalot, for which he received a nomination for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He has been an ensemble member and understudy for many shows, including My Favorite Year, Swinging on a Star and...
) - Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Christopher SieberChristopher SieberChristopher Sieber is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Kevin Burke in Two of a Kind starring Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen and Lord Farquaad in Shrek the Musical. Christopher studied acting and musical comedy at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City...
) - Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Tim HatleyTim HatleyTim Hatley is a British set and costume designer for theater and film. He is the winner of the Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design, and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Set Design.Hatley was educated at Bearwood...
) - Best Costume Design of a Musical (Tim HatleyTim HatleyTim Hatley is a British set and costume designer for theater and film. He is the winner of the Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design, and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Set Design.Hatley was educated at Bearwood...
) - Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Hugh Vanstone)
- Best Choreography (Casey NicholawCasey NicholawCasey Nicholaw is an American theatre director, choreographer and performer. He has been nominated for Tony Awards for directing and choreographing The Drowsy Chaperone , for choreographing Monty Python's Spamalot , and choreographing The Book of Mormon , as well as winning for his co-direction...
) - Best Orchestrations (Larry HochmanLarry HochmanLarry Hochman is an American orchestrator and composer. He has won four Emmy Awards for his original music on the TV series The Wonder Pets, and a Tony Award for his orchestrations for The Book of Mormon....
)
The Awards led to a minor change to the song "The Diva's Lament." Initially, the line "I've no Grammy, no reward/I've no Tony Award" became "My Tony Award/won't keep me out of Betty Ford's
Betty Ford Center
The Betty Ford Center , is a non-profit, separately licensed residential chemical dependency recovery hospital in Rancho Mirage, California, that offers inpatient, outpatient, and day treatment for alcohol and other drug addictions as well as prevention and education programs for family and children...
." When Kennedy took over for Ramirez, it became "My predecessor won awards/and now she’s in Betty Ford’s" but was later changed to, "All our Tony Awards/won't keep me out of Betty Ford's." In the touring production, Glenn sings "All our goddamn awards/won't keep me out of Betty Ford's." For a change, Hannah Waddingham in the London production sings "I'm as depressed as I can be/ I've got constant PMT".
The touring production has garnered Boston's Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Visiting Production.
Television
A special edition of The South Bank ShowThe South Bank Show
The South Bank Show was a television arts magazine show, originally made by London Weekend Television , presented by Melvyn Bragg, broadcast on ITV and seen in over 60 countries worldwide — including Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States...
was a television documentary
Television documentary
Documentary television is a genre of television programming that broadcasts documentaries.* Documentary television series, a television series which is made up of documentary episodes....
on the history of Spamalot. It features numerous segments with Eric Idle and John Du Prez explaining the process of writing the songs, plus interviews with US and UK cast members. It included scenes from the rehearsal of the West End show, and first aired on 15 October 2006.