These guys are the bright side of life

Spamalot is Great Fun, Even for Non-Musical Types

By J. Gelband, 10-30-07

If you had asked me yesterday whether or not I liked Broadway musicals, I would have answered with a thumbs down and a “ptthhhbt.”

Ask me tonight and I will tell you that there is at least one I like: Spamalot.

Musicals are a difficult genre to embrace because they are campy – the singing, the melodrama, the chorus, the lipstick visible from back of the house. Interestingly, all that festive, giddy overacting is probably what musical buffs appreciate.  But a biting comedy like Spamalot might be creative and humorous enough to overlook the corniness and turn even eyebrow raisers into fans of the Broadway musical. 

Spamalot, which is “lovingly ripped off” from the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” opened in Boise today as part of the production’s first national tour.

The Velma V. Morrison Performing Arts Center was full – apparently of Monty Python fans who whooped and came alive during the first nanoseconds of each song. Many even sang along.

The play is the ridiculously comical adaptation of King Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail. He collects a handful of zany knights and sets off on his journey, only to be met by the Lady of the Lake, some French pervs, a homosexual he-damsel, a killer rabbit, and a black knight and his troops in the Very Expensive Forest.

The set was top notch – bright, dynamic and ever-changing. The actors were aces in submitting their precise comedic lines. And the songs, which, even to those unfamiliar with the Monty Python TV shows and films, are catchy, recognizable numbers that I overheard people humming when piling out of the theater after the show (eg. “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” and “The Song That Goes Like This.”)

The best part about Spamalot is the dialogue, even in the songs. It is sharp as nails, irreverent and bursting with pop culture references as current as Britney Spears’ turmoil.

I’m not going to run out to see Phantom of the Opera or Sweet Charity anytime soon, but thanks to Spamalot, I can no longer make blanket statements that I dislike musicals.

The show runs through Saturday, Nov. 3. Tickets are $45-$68, and worth it. Especially if you are sitting in seat D1.

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