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Monty Python's Spamalot
by Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts  THE SHOW: Book and Lyrics by
Eric Idle, Music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, lovingly ripped off from the
motion picture “Monty Python and the Holy King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table embark on
the glorious quest for the Holy Grail. Complete with coconuts, shrubberies,
flesh wounds, Holy Hand Grenades, and a Trojan Rabbit. Adapted from the classic,
irreverent comedy film Monty Python and
the Holy Grail, the musical garnered fourteen Tony nominations and earned
the 2005 Tony Award for Best Musical. The show includes songs like I
am Not Dead Yet, Run Away, and The Song That
Goes Like This. And The Song That Goes
Like This (Reprise). As well as songs that Monty Python fans will already be
familiar with including Brave Sir Robin
and Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.
Along the way, King Arthur, his not-so-brave Sir Robin, his very gay Sir
Lancelot, taunting French knights, and the diva-ish Lady of the Lake (along with
her Laker Girls) will encourage all of us to Find
Your Grail. THE PRODUCTION: The Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts
delivers a big, fun, and splashy production directed by Tim Nelson. Student Scenic Designer Stephen Stanec’s castle walls and darkened, very expensive forest
set look great, and student Costume Designers Tawni Bridenball and Aaren
Kisner bring color and style ranging from Middle Ages to Late Disco. The
student orchestra is flawless. And the student cast is impressive from dancing
royalty to plagued peasant. Shiloh Orr leads
the way as King Arthur whether rallying his knights in All For One or bravely riding about all alone (with his loyal and
comedic coconuts companion Tovi Wayne).
Kelsey Kato is hilarious as Sir Robin
who joins the knights of Camelot for the singing and dancing, but not so much
the fighting, danger part. Alex Jean
is a rip as the macho-turned-flamboyant Sir Lancelot who is drawn to all manly
forms, mortal and immortal (one of his fellow knights slaps him on the head for
checking out the latter). But it
takes a gay maraca disco band to break him out of the closet in His
Name is Lancelot led by Cole Wachman
as Prince Herbert who could well be described as fabulous. But what happened to
The Lady of the Lake? The leading lady doesn’t appreciate being ignored most
of the show, Just a few of the other highlights include comedy duo Garrett
Engle as Sir Galahad and mother Mrs. Galahad (Devon
Matthews with fantastic facial expressions and use of voice), Asher Ehrenberg as Sir Bedevere, Chase Slovak as a dance-happy and very lively Not Dead Fred, and Daniel
Cox on stilts as the obnoxious Knight of Ni. The Laker Girls shine cheering
King Arthur on in Come With Me, the
French Taunters and Knights of Ni are experts at psychological warfare, and the
whole talented cast shines brightly in Find
Your Grail nicely choreographed by Diane
Makas and the big, infectiously happy Always
Look on the Bright Side of Life. Performed October 18 - 27, 2013 Rob Hopper ~ Cast ~
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Grail”
with a screenplay by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle,
Terry Jones, and Michael Palin.
but
Shelby Rawlinson (also played by Kristen
Daniels in double-cast role) is very amusing with her musical romantic
parody The Song That Goes Like This with King Arthur and her Diva’s
Lament bemoaning her smaller part.
Lilly Buonocore