Monty Python's "Spamalot"

Today, we attended the performance of Monty Python's "Spamalot" at the National Theatre, a birthday present for me and my husband from a friend of ours. Being a fan of the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," I was really looking forward to the performance. I had already blogged before about the play when it was nominated last year for 14 Tonys, and won 3 of them. It was great--in the Monty Python style of humor. :)

Some of the scenes they kept intact, essentially verbatim, like the European/African-laden swallow carrying a coconut debate, the French taunting, the "Bring out your Dead," the Black Knight, the Knights who say "Ni," the saving of Prince Herbert, and the Killer Rabbit scenes; other scenes were omitted entirely, like the Castle Anthrax, the Bridge of Death, and "Burn the Witch!" scenes. However, they did expand on and add some completely new things, like having the Lady of the Lake as a diva character, creating a "relationship" between Lancelot and Prince Herbert, showing more of Camelot, and making the story into a Broadway play.

The actors, though not the original Broadway cast, did a superb job with their acting and singing, some even looking and sounding like the characters right out of the movie (Herbert, his Father, the French Taunter, and Tim the Enchanter particularly come to mind). Everything was outrageous, but that's what one would expect from a creation of a Monty Pythoner (Eric Idle).

If you are a Monty Python fan...don't miss "Spamalot" if it comes to your city.