| Spamalot | |
|---|---|
 Broadway promotional poster | |
| Music | |
| Lyrics | Eric Idle |
| Book | Eric Idle |
| Basis | Monty Python and the Holy Grail byMonty Python |
| Premiere | 21 December 2004:Shubert Theatre,Chicago |
| Productions | 2004Chicago 2005Broadway 2006West End 2008 1st North American tour 2009 2nd North American tour 2010 1st UK tour 2012 West Endrevival 2013 3rd North American tour 2015 2nd UK tour 2017 Third UK tour 2023 Broadway revival |
| Awards | Tony Award for Best Musical Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album |
Spamalot (also known asMonty Python's Spamalot: A Musical (Lovingly) Ripped Off from the Motion PictureMonty Python and the Holy Grail) is amusical with music byJohn Du Prez andEric Idle, and lyrics and a book by Idle. Based on the 1975 filmMonty Python and the Holy Grail, the musical offers a highly irreverent parody ofArthurian legend, with the title being aportmanteau ofSpam andCamelot.
The original 2005Broadway production directed byMike Nichols received 14Tony Award nominations, winning in three categories, includingBest Musical. During its initial run of 1,575 performances, the production was seen by more than two million people and grossed over $168 million.[1]Tim Curry starred asKing Arthur in the original Broadway andWest End productions. It was one of eight UK musicals commemorated onRoyal Mail stamps, issued in February 2011.[2]
A film adaptation, directed byCasey Nicholaw from a script by Idle, was announced.[3] Idle later stated onTwitter that the film would not be made due to his former Monty Python colleagues vetoing the project.[4]
A recording encourages members of the audience to "let your cell phones 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 byEric Idle.[5]
A historian narrates a brief overview ofmedieval England. In a miscommunication between the actors and the narrator, the actors sing an introductory song aboutFinland ("Fisch Schlapping Song"). The Historian returns, irritated, and tells the frolicking Finns that he was talking about England, not Finland. The scene immediately changes to a dreary, dark village with penitentmonks in hooded robes chantingLatin and hitting themselves with wooden boards ("Monk's Chant").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. Arthur aims to recruitKnights of the Round Table to join him inCamelot ("King Arthur's Song"). Arthur and Patsy encounter a pair of sentries who begin debating the probability of finding a coconut in a non-tropical climate.
Robin, a collector ofplague victims, andLancelot, a handsome and hot-tempered man, meet as Lancelot attempts to dispose of the sickly Not Dead Fred. Although a plague victim, the man insists that he is not dead yet and he can dance and sing. He begins performing a dance number, but is soon knocked unconscious with a shovel by an impatient Lancelot ("He Is Not Dead Yet"). Lancelot and Robin agree to become Knights together; Lancelot wants to fight in battles, and Robin wants to sing and dance professionally. Not Dead Fred revives, declaring he will serve as Robin's musician, only to be promptly killed by Lancelot.
While attempting to recruit a peasant named Dennis Galahad, Arthur explains that he became King of England because theLady of the Lake gave himExcalibur, the sword given only to the man fit to rule England. However, Dennis and his mother, Mrs. Galahad, arepolitical radicals and say that any king who has not been elected by the people has no legitimate right to rule over them. To settle the issue, Arthur asks the Lady of the Lake and her Laker Girls (named after thecheerleading squad) to appear before Dennis, which they promptly do ("Come with Me"). Cheered on by the girls ("Laker Girls Cheer"), the Lady of the Lake turns Dennis intoSir Galahad and together, they sing a generic Broadway love song ("The Song That Goes Like This"). Arthur knights Galahad, and subsequently Robin and Lancelot. Together withSir Bedevere and the "aptly named" Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Show, a knight resemblingDon Quixote who promptly apologises and leaves, they become the Knights of the Round Table ("All for One").
Arthur and the four knights gather in Camelot, a deliberately anachronistic place resemblingLas Vegas's Camelot-inspiredExcalibur resort, complete with showgirls, oversized dice and the Lady of the Lake as a lounge singer reminiscent ofLiza Minnelli ("Knights of the Round Table"/"The Song That Goes Like This (Reprise)"). In the midst of their revelry, they are contacted byGod (a recording voiced byJohn Cleese in the original Broadway production, Eric Idle in the version that toured the UK, andSteve Martin in the Broadway revival), who tells them to locate theHoly 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 lewdFrench soldiers. Bedevere comes up with the idea to retaliate by sending them a large wooden rabbit in the style of theTrojan horse; however, the knights realize after the fact that they forgot to hide inside the rabbit before the French soldiers took it. Defeated, they leave in a hurry when the French soldiers begin taunting them again, sendingcancan dancers after them and throwing barnyard animals at them ("Run Away!"). Arthur and his followers manage to run into the safety of the wings before the French soldiers catapult the Trojan rabbit at them.
The knights are separated after the French soldiers' attack. In a forest, Arthur and Patsy meet the terrifying but sillyKnights Who Say Ni, who demand ashrubbery. Arthur has no idea where to find a shrubbery, but Patsy cheers him up ("Always Look on the Bright Side of Life") and they find a shrubbery shortly after. Sir Robin wanders the forest with his minstrels ("Brave Sir Robin"), and they encounter theBlack Knight, who scares Robin away. Arthur then encounters the Black Knight and defeats him by cutting off both his arms and legs, impaling his still-alive torso on a door, and leaving to give the shrubbery to the Knights Who Say Ni.
Arthur and Robin reunite. The Knights Who Say Ni accept the shrubbery and then demand that Arthur put on a musical and bring it to Broadway, on the condition it is not a production byAndrew Lloyd Webber, as the mere mention of his name causes everyone to cover their ears and scream in pain (in theUnited Kingdom, this is written as aWest End musical; on the tour, they must put on a "Broadway musical"). Robin insists that it would be impossible to accomplish this next task, since a successful Broadway (or West End) musical requires the involvement ofJewish people ("You Won't Succeed on Broadway"). Robin proves his point in a wild production number filled withAshkenazi Jewish cultural references, a list of Jewish celebrities known for their work on Broadway (includingBette Midler,Barbra Streisand,Stephen Sondheim, and as a joke in the 2023 revival,George Santos), and aFiddler on the Roof parody involving a bottle dance with Grails instead of bottles. Arthur and Patsy promptly set off in search of Jews.
(In countries that don't have a tradition of Jews in the theatre, the lyrics of "You Won't Succeed on Broadway" are sometimes changed to instead describe the high production standards and acting talent needed to stage a successful musical in that country. For example, in theSouth Korean version, Sir Robin sings about recent successful musicals that were staged inSeoul during the previous decade. Meanwhile, members of the ensemble appear onstage dressed as various characters from those musicals. Among these characters are a cat fromCats, Kenickie fromGrease, Kim fromMiss Saigon,the Phantom fromThe Phantom of the Opera, andVelma Kelly fromChicago.)
While the Lady of the Lake laments her lack of stage time ("Diva's Lament (What Ever Happened to My Part?)"), Sir Lancelot receives a letter of distress from someone who is being forced into anarranged marriage. He is very surprised to find that the supposed "damsel in distress" is actually an effeminate young man named Prince Herbert ("Where Are You?"). Herbert asks Lancelot to help him escape. Herbert's music-hating father, the King of Swamp Castle, cuts the rope that Herbert is using to climb out of the window, and Herbert falls to his apparent death. Lancelot is a bit puzzled at the king's actions, but discovers that his squire Concorde saved Herbert at the last minute. When Herbert begins to explain, in song, how he was saved, the king charges at Herbert with a spear, preparing to kill him. Lancelot steps in to save Herbert, then gives a tearful, heartfelt speech to the king about sensitivity on Herbert's behalf. The king correctly guesses that Lancelot ishomosexual, and Herbert helps Lancelot accept his sexuality in a disco number ("His Name Is Lancelot").
Arthur begins to give up hope of ever putting on a Broadway musical and laments that he is alone, ignoring Patsy ("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 (in some productions she also points out Patsy's presence, to which Arthur claims that he sees Patsy as family and thus does not always consider him a separate person). Patsy reveals he is half Jewish, but did not previously disclose this because Arthur is aChristian. The Lady of the Lake tells Arthur that to end the musical, he must find the Grail and marry someone. Arthur proposes to the Lady of the Lake, and she happily accepts. They plan to marry after Arthur finds the Grail ("Twice in Every Show").
The knights reunite and meet Tim the Enchanter, apyromancer who warns them of the danger of akiller 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 are based on the seat numbering system used by each theatre. They are changed from performance to performance to discourage audience members from intentionally booking any of the possible seats. The seat is typically on the aisle in one of the first few rows nearest the orchestra. In the Broadway production and on the tour it is either A101, B101, C101 or D101; i.e., Seat 101 – which ishouse right of the center aisle – of Rows A, B, C, or D.[6] 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, a confused Arthur asks God for help. A large hand points to the audience and Arthur realises that the letters and numbers refer to a seat number in the audience. The grail is "found" (with somesleight of hand) under the seat, and the person sitting in the seat is rewarded with a small trophy and apolaroid photo ("The Holy Grail"). Arthur marries the Lady of the Lake, who reveals that her name is Guinevere, and Lancelot marries Herbert, who finally gets a chance to sing without interruption from his father. Sir Robin decides to pursue a career inmusical theatre. The King of Swamp Castle attempts to interrupt the finale and stop the singing, but Lancelot knocks him unconscious with a shovel. The company then invites the audience to partake in a sing-along of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". ("Act 2 Finale / Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Company Bow)").
Eric Idle wrote the musical'sbook and lyrics and collaborated withJohn Du Prez on the music, except for "Finland", which was written byMichael Palin forMonty Python's Contractual Obligation Album; "Knights of the Round Table" and "Brave Sir Robin", which were composed byNeil Innes forMonty Python and the Holy Grail; and "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", which was originally written by Idle for the filmMonty Python's Life of Brian.[citation needed]
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**Does not appear on theoriginal cast album.
The song "You Won't Succeed on Broadway" was changed to "You Won't Succeed in Showbiz" for the London production and later replaced with the "Star Song" on the UK tour.
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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 doubled as a witch and a cow in the Chicago previews, but both parts were cut during the pre-Broadway run.[7] 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). In the 2023 production, the actor playing the Historian does not portray the French Taunter's best friend, but instead plays a mime, as well as a baby and a nun.
| Role | Broadway | West End | West End Revival | Broadway Revival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2006 | 2012 | 2023 | |
| King Arthur | Tim Curry | Marcus Brigstocke | James Monroe Iglehart | |
| The Lady of the Lake | Sara Ramirez | Hannah Waddingham | Bonnie Langford | Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer |
| Sir Lancelot | Hank Azaria | Tom Goodman-Hill | Kit Orton | Taran Killam |
| Patsy | Michael McGrath | David Birrell | Todd Carty | Christopher Fitzgerald |
| Sir Robin | David Hyde Pierce | Robert Hands | Rob Delaney | Michael Urie |
| Sir Galahad | Christopher Sieber | Jon Robyns | Nik Walker | |
| Sir Bedevere | Steve Rosen | Tony Timberlake | Robin Armstrong | Jimmy Smagula |
| Prince Herbert | Christian Borle | Darren Southworth | Adam Ellis | Ethan Slater |
| The Historian | ||||
Previews of the show began inChicago's Shubert Theatre (now theCIBC 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.[7] During the scene set in the "Witch Village", thetorch song "Burn Her!" was originally performed bySir Bedevere, The Witch, Sir Robin,Lancelot and Villagers. At the French Castle, "The Cow Song", in a parody of a stereotypicalfilm 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 bySara Ramirez. This gave the Lady of the Lake six songs in Act One, but no further appearances until scene five in Act Two, for "The Diva's Lament".
The musical previewed onBroadway, atNew York'sShubert Theatre, beginning 14 February 2005, ahead of an official opening on 17 March.Mike Nichols directed, andCasey Nicholaw choreographed. The production won theTony Award for Best Musical and was nominated for 14 Tony Awards at the59th Tony Awards. The show played its final performance on 11 January 2009 after 35 previews and 1,575 performances; it was seen by more than two million people and grossed over $168 million, recouping its initial production costs in under six months.[1]
The original Broadway cast includedTim Curry asKing Arthur,Michael McGrath as Patsy and other roles (e.g., the lazy Castle Guard and the Mayor of Finland),David Hyde Pierce as Sir Robin and other roles (e.g., Brother Maynard and the daft Castle Guard),Hank Azaria as Sir Lancelot and other roles (e.g., the French Taunter,Knight of Ni, and Tim the Enchanter),Christopher Sieber asSir Galahad and other roles (e.g., the Black Knight and Prince Herbert's Father), and Sara Ramirez as theLady of the Lake.[10] It also includedChristian 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) andJohn Cleese as the (recorded) Voice ofGod.[11]
ALondon production opened at thePalace Theatre onShaftesbury Avenue in theWest End, commencing 30 September 2006 (London premiere 16 October). Tim Curry and Christopher Sieber reprised their roles from the Broadway production. They were joined byHannah Waddingham as the Lady of the Lake,Tom Goodman-Hill as Sir Lancelot,Robert Hands as Sir Robin, David Birrell as Patsy, Tony Timberlake as Sir Bedevere and Darren Southworth as Prince Herbert. The London production closed on 3 January 2009.
ANorth American tour commenced in spring 2006, and the cast includedMichael Siberry as King Arthur (replaced byGary Beach in 2008), Jeff Dumas as Patsy,Richard Holmes as Lancelot,Bradley Dean as Galahad (replaced byBen Davis in 2008), andTom Deckman as The Historian.[12]Richard Chamberlain later joined the tour as King Arthur.[13][14] The tour continued through the summer 2009, and played its final performances at the Segerstrom Hall inCosta Mesa where it closed on 18 October 2009.[15]
A production of the musical began inLas Vegas, Nevada, previewed on 8 March 2007 and opened on 31 March 2007 at theWynn Las Vegas in the newly renamed Grail Theater. As with other Las Vegas transfers of Broadway musicals, includingThe 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", theKnights of Ni receiving their shrubbery, and the "Make sure he doesn't leave" scene with Prince Herbert's guards.[16]
ActorJohn O'Hurley starred as King Arthur, withJ Anthony Crane playing Lancelot.[17] Due to the Las Vegas production, the North American touring company would not perform inCalifornia,Arizona, orNevada.[18] Although initially contracted to run for up to ten years[18] its final performance was on 18 July 2008.
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",[19] but eventually started at theNew Wimbledon Theatre on 29 May – 5 June 2010.[20]Phill Jupitus[21] played King Arthur in the UK tour.Todd Carty played Patsy, assistant to King Arthur for the duration of the tour.[22]Marcus Brigstocke made his musical theatre debut as King Arthur following Jupitus' departure.Jodie Prenger,Hayley Tamaddon,Amy Nuttall andJessica Martin shared the role of The Lady of the Lake.[23][24][25]
The UK tour also featured for the first time a re-working of the song "You Won't Succeed on Broadway" which has been renamed "You Won't Succeed in Showbiz". The theme of the song has been changed from poking fun at the need forJewish input into Broadway productions and instead mocks the cross over of celebrities in musicals and reality television competitions such asThe X Factor. It notably pokes fun at reality TV celebrities includingSimon Cowell,Cheryl Cole andSusan Boyle (who is shot by Sir Robin when she begins to sing).[26]
After the West End revival (2012-14), the production toured again from April 2015 starringJoe Pasquale,Todd Carty andSarah Earnshaw.
A second North American tour launched on 24 September 2010 fromWaterbury, Connecticut, and ended 26 June 2011 inDallas, Texas.[27] This tour featured a non-Equity cast that includedCaroline Bowman as the Lady of the Lake.[28] Another non-Equity North American tour was undertaken in 2013.[29]
The touring production played a limited seven-week run in the West End during the summer of 2012 at theHarold Pinter Theatre.[30]Marcus Brigstocke shared the role of King Arthur withJon Culshaw for those seven weeks, withBonnie Langford playing Lady of the Lake. The production moved to thePlayhouse Theatre on 14 November 2012, and ran until 12 April 2014.[31][32] During 2013 a number of celebrities each played the part of God for a week in aid of charity, includingProfessor Brian Cox,Gary Lineker,Barbara Windsor,Brian May andMichael Palin.[33]
Other notable cast members during the run of the West End revival includedStephen Tompkinson,Joe Pasquale,Les Dennis andRichard McCourt as King Arthur,Anna-Jane Casey andCarley Stenson[34] as Lady of the Lake,Warwick Davis andDominic Wood as Patsy,Daniel Boys as Sir Lancelot,Jon Robyns as Sir Galahad andRob Delaney as Sir Robin.[35]
A three evening performance at theHollywood Bowl was undertaken in 2015, with Eric Idle appearing in the role of The Historian, and other cast members includingChristian Slater,Jesse Tyler Ferguson,Craig Robinson,Merle Dandridge,Warwick Davis,Kevin Chamberlin and Rick Holmes. The script was updated and included manyLos Angeles specific jokes.
TheKennedy Center for Performing Arts staged Spamalot in the Eisenhower Theater as part of their Broadway Center Stage series from May 12-23, 2023. Directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes, the production starredJames Monroe Iglehart as King Arthur,Alex Brightman as Sir Lancelot,Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as the Lady of the Lake,Rob McClure as The Historian/Prince Herbert,Michael Urie as Sir Robin,Nik Walker as Sir Galahad, Matthew Saldivar as Patsy, andJimmy Smagula as Sir Bedevere. The production featured the original script with new jokes, such as a reference to then-CongressmanGeorge Santos in "You Won't Succeed on Broadway," aFiddler on the Roof reference replacing Robin's piano playing in the same song, andDC-related ad libs.
It was announced on August 2, 2023, that the Kennedy Center production would transfer to Broadway at theSt. James Theatre, with previews scheduled to begin October 31 before a November 16 opening. Iglehart, Kritzer, Urie, Smagula, and Walker reprised their roles from the Kennedy Center, joined byChristopher Fitzgerald as Patsy andEthan Slater as The Historian/Prince Herbert. The production opened withTaran Killam playing Lancelot; Brightman reprised his role after Killam left the production in January 2024.[36][37][38] Urie played his final performance as Sir Robin on January 21, 2024. On January 23,Jonathan Bennett made his Broadway debut as Sir Robin.[9] The production closed on April 7, 2024. A national tour is planned to begin performances in the autumn of 2025.[39]
A newAustralian production started inMelbourne in November 2007 atHer Majesty's Theatre, with the official premiere on 1 December. The cast featuredBille Brown as King Arthur,Ben Lewis as Sir Galahad,Stephen Hall as Sir Lancelot and Mark Conaghan as Prince Herbert[40] The Australian production closed on 5 April 2008, due to lack of ticket sales and no tour followed. In October 2014,Harvest Rain Theatre Company under the direction of producerTim O'Connor staged a production ofSpamalot with a cast list includingJon English as King Arthur,Simon Gallaher as Patsy,Julie Anthony as the Lady of the Lake,Frank Woodley as Sir Robin, Chris Kellett as Sir Lancelot, Stephen Hirst as Galahad and Shaun McCallum as Sir Bedevere. The production was presented at theQueensland Performing Arts Centre inBrisbane.
The first translated production, inSpanish, ran atTeatre Victòria,Barcelona from 9 September 2008 to 10 May 2009. Directed by Catalan Comedy GroupTricicle and choreographed by Francesc Abós, the cast includedJordi Bosch as King Arthur andMarta Ribera as the Lady of the Lake. The production moved toMadrid in September 2009[41] AGerman production premiered in January 2009 at theMusical Dome inCologne.[42] The Hungarian production in Madach Theatre,Budapest premiered on 29 September 2009 with three casts, each actor taking up multiple roles. The Swedish production opened at the Malmö Nöjesteater inMalmö on 24 September 2010, with a cast includingJohan Wester as King Arthur andJohan Glans as Sir Robin. The production moved toOscarsteatern inStockholm on 15 September 2011 where it played through 29 April 2012.Nina Söderquist, who starred as Lady of the Lake in the West End production was intended to reprise her role, but became pregnant. She joined the show when it moved to Stockholm, along withHenrik Hjelt as Sir Belvedere. In May 2011, the original UK touring production played atPoliteama Rossetti inTrieste. Eric Idle attended the opening night on 24 May.
The Mexican premiere of the show was in July 2011 inMexico City. The show ran for over 500 performances across the country.[43] The Japanese production ran from 9 to 22 January 2012 at theAkasaka Blitz theater inTokyo before playing Morinomiya Piloti Hall inOsaka from 2 February to February to 6 February. The production featuredYūsuke Santamaria as King Arthur,Aya Hirano as the Lady of the Lake,Magy as Patsy,Yuya Matsushita as Sir Galahad andTsuyoshi Muro as Prince Herbert.[44] The South Korean production was presented by OD Musical Company, and CJ Entertainment's Performing Arts division (now a part ofCJ E&M);[45] incidentally,CJ CheilJedang, the sister company ofCJ Group's entertainment business, manufacturesSpam products under license since 1987.[46] It played from 1 October to 28 December 2010, withYesung ofSuper Junior and Park In-bae rotating as Sir Galahad.[47] ANorwegian production ran from September to December 2012, with a cast featuringAtle Antonsen as King Arthur,Trond Espen Seim as Sir Lancelot,Anders Baasmo Christiansen as Sir Robin,Espen Beranek Holm as Sir Belvedere andTrond Fausa Aurvåg as Prince Herbert. ASerbian production atSava Centar inBelgrade had a cast includingNikola Kojo as King Arthur,Nikola Đuričko as Sir Lancelot andGordan Kičić as Sir Robin.
A production of the show was included in the 2023 season of theStratford Festival inStratford, Ontario, Canada with a cast featuring Jonathan Goad as King Arthur,Eddie Glen as Patsy, Aaron Krohn as Sir Lancelot, Trevor Patt as Sir Robin, Liam Tobin as Sir Galahad and Jennifer Rider-Shaw as the Lady of the Lake.[48][49][50] This production was directed by Lezlie Wade.[51][52]
Book-writer and lyricist Eric Idle explained the title in a February 2004 press release:[53]
I like the titleSpamalot a lot. We tested it with audiences on my recent US tour and they liked it as much as I did, which is gratifying. After all, they are the ones who will be paying Broadway prices to see the show. It comes from a line in the movie which goes: "we eat ham, and jam, andSpam a lot."
I'm making them money, and the ungrateful bastards never thank me. Who gave them a million dollars each for 'Spamalot'?
— Eric Idle[54]
The show has had mixed reactions from Idle's former colleagues in Monty Python.
Terry Gilliam, in an audio interview,[55] describes it as "Python-lite". He later told theBBC News, "It helps with the pension fund, and it helps keep Python alive. As much as we'd like to pull the plug on the whole thing it carries on – it's got a life of its own."[56]
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."[57] However, when asked whether he likedSpamalot during an interview withDennis Daniel on 98.5WBON-FMThe Bone 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."[58]
In an October 2006 interview,Michael Palin said, "We’re all hugely delighted thatSpamalot 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."[59]
When asked by aLas 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 thinkSpamalot 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."[60]
The last verse of the "Finland"/"Fisch Slapping Dance" was incorporated into Spam sketch for the 2014 reunion showMonty Python Live (Mostly).
The original production was a financial success.Variety reported advance ticket sales of $18 million, with ticket prices ranging from $36 to $179.[citation needed]
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.[61]The play makes many references to the film and other material in the Pythoncanon, including a line from "The Lumberjack Song", nods to "Ministry of Silly Walks", the "Election Night Special" and "Dead Parrot sketch" routines, abar from "Spam" worked into "Knights of the Round Table", a rendition of the song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" from the filmMonty 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 thePlaybill 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 thefaux-Swedish subtitles in the credits of the originalGrail Python film.
Spamalot makes various references to other musicals and musical theatre in general, such as: "The Song That Goes Like This" (a spoof ofAndrew Lloyd Webber productions and many other Broadwaypower ballads); "Whatever Happened To My Part" reminiscent of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" fromDreamgirls, the knights doing a dance reminiscent ofFiddler on the Roof, and another reminiscent ofWest Side Story (including the music); Sir Lancelot's mimicking ofPeter Allen in "His Name Is Lancelot"; the character of Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Show beingMan of La Mancha'sDon Quixote; a member of the French "army" dressed asÉponine fromLes Misérables; and a line pulled from "Another Hundred People" fromStephen Sondheim'sCompany by the "damsel" Herbert.[citation needed]
The show has not escaped criticism. InSlate,Sam Anderson wrote,"Python was formed in reaction to exactly the kind of lazy comedy represented bySpamalot — 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."[62]
About the West End version,Charles Spencer wrote in theDaily Telegraph that "It's a wonderful night, and I fart in the general direction of anyone who says otherwise" (echoing a joke from the show).[63] According to Paul Taylor in theIndependent, "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".[64]Michael Billington in theGuardian 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 theAtlantic." Billington adds, "With hand on heart, I'd much rather watchLerner and Loewe'sCamelot than Eric Idle's smart-arsedSpamalot."[65]
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 inShubert Alley, outside the theatre. The claim was officially recognised by theGuinness Book of World Records. This record was broken by 5,877 people inTrafalgar Square at 7 pm on 23 April 2007,[66] 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'sSt George's Day celebrations that year and was followed by a screening ofMonty Python and the Holy Grail.[67]
In 2006, the London cast ofSpamalot performed excerpts at theRoyal Variety Performance.
On 10 March 2007,Spamalot partnered withHP Sauce (the classic Britishbrown sauce, now made in theNetherlands following a contentious decision to close its factory inBirmingham, England) to produce 1,075 limited edition bottles featuring a uniqueSpamalot take on the classic HP design. The bottles were available exclusively viaSelfridges, London and came in a presentation box with a numberedcertificate. 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, calledWest End Star, which began airing onTV3 on 8 December 2007, announcedNina Söderquist as the winner on 2 February 2008. Söderquist took up the role of the Lady of the Lake, with a standing ovation, on 11 February 2008.[68]
Portions of theSpamalotoriginal cast recording were featured (with accompanyingFlash animation) as a special feature in the 2006 "Extraordinarily Deluxe Two-Disc Edition" DVD re-release ofMonty Python and the Holy Grail.
In the original Broadway production, in the song "The Diva's Lament", Sara Ramirez sang the line, "I've noGrammy, no reward/I've noTony Award." Ironically, the show's original cast album won theGrammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album at the48th Annual Grammy Awards in 2006 and Ramirez won theTony for Best Featured Actress at the59th Tony Awards in 2005. The two awards led to a minor change to the song. Initially, the line became "My Tony Award/won't keep me out ofBetty Ford's". WhenLauren Kennedy took over for Sara 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."[69] In the touring production, Pia Glenn sings "All our goddamn awards/won't keep me out of Betty Ford's." For a change,Hannah Waddingham in the West End production sang "I'm as depressed as I can be/I've got constantPMT".
The touring production has garnered Boston'sElliot Norton Award for Outstanding Visiting Production.
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best New Musical | Nominated | |
| Best Actor in a Musical | Tim Curry | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress in a Musical | Hannah Waddingham | Nominated | ||
| Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Tom Goodman-Hill | Nominated | ||
| Best Set Design | Tim Hatley | Nominated | ||
| Best Costume Design | Nominated | |||
| Best Lighting Design | Hugh Vanstone | Nominated | ||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Helen Hayes Award[70][71] | Outstanding Production - Musical | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Choreography in a Musical | John Rhodes | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Musical Direction | John Bell | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Director of a Musical | Josh Rhodes | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical | Michael Urie | Nominated | ||
| Rob McClure | Nominated | |||
| Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer | Nominated | |||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer | Nominated |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical | Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer | Nominated | |
| Drama League Award | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Distinguished Performance | Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer | Nominated | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical | Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer | Nominated | ||
A special edition ofThe South Bank Show was atelevision documentary on the history ofSpamalot. It features numerous segments with Eric Idle and John Du Prez explaining the process of writing the songs, plus interviews with UK and US cast members. It included scenes from the rehearsal of the West End show, and was first broadcast on 15 October 2006.
In May 2018,20th Century Fox announced a film adaptation was in the works with Idle writing the script andCasey Nicholaw attached to direct. The film was reportedly fast-tracked with casting announced soon and shooting to begin in early 2019.[72] The next month it was reported that the studio was looking to castBenedict Cumberbatch as King Arthur,Peter Dinklage as his servant Patsy andTiffany Haddish as the Lady of the Lake.[73] Cumberbatch was taken out of consideration due to his involvement inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.[74]
At the time of the release of his memoirAlways Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography in December 2019, Idle said in an interview with theLos Angeles Times that "(the movie is) all ready to go" and that it "is not very expensive".[75] He cited theacquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney as a factor to the film's delay, saying it caused "everything (to come) to a grinding halt". He also stated in an interview around the same time withWBUR-FM that Haddish is still being offered the role of the Lady of the Lake, and that the script has "mostly been solved".[76]
On 6 January 2021, it was announced that the project would move toParamount Pictures and that it was set to begin pre-production, with Nicholaw officially confirmed to direct from Idle's script.[3] On 28 February 2023, Idle said onTwitter that the film would not be happening due to the veto of his former Monty Python colleagues.[4]
In 2013, the Pythons lost a legal case toMark Forstater, the producer ofMonty Python and the Holy Grail, over royalties forSpamalot. He was paid 1/14 of the portion of the profits paid to the Pythons. The court ruled that he was a full Python partner and was to be paid 1/7 of the portion paid to the Pythons. They owed a combined £800,000 in legal fees and back royalties to Forstater, prompting them to produceMonty Python Live (Mostly).[77][78][79]
Last July, the Pythons lost a royalties case to Mark Forstater, who produced 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. ...
Mr Forstater claimed he was entitled to one-seventh of this figure, the same share enjoyed by each of the other Pythons - but was told he was only entitled to one-fourteenth, and has been paid accordingly since 2005. ...
Mark Forstater, who produced the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, claimed he was underpaid royalties since the musical's launch in 2005. ...
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