MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT – Book and Lyrics by Eric Idle; Music by John De Prez and Eric Idle, Directed by Robert Michael Sanders; Musical Direction by Trent Hines; Choreography by Ronni Stark. Produced by Town Hall Arts Center (2450 West Main, Littleton) through February 22. Tickets available at 303-794-2787 or TownHallArtCenter.org.
There seems to be a current trend toward revisiting older shows. SHREK (from 2008) just opened in Parker. NINE TO FIVE (also from 2008) is in rehearsal at Vintage after a successful run of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG (debuted in 1981) last year. BONNIE AND CLYDE (Broadway debut in 2011) opens at the People’s Building in March. And SPAMALOT (from 2005) just opened at Town Hall Arts Center. When you haven’t seen these shows in several years, it’s fun to revisit the things that made them popular in the first place. The witty one-liners, the now slightly-familiar music, the updated dialogue or situations that easily slide into contemporary society. So don’t discount these shows just because you think you’ve already seen them. Trust me when I say that these directors and players bring a new point of view to these productions. They have found ways to make them even funnier than the first time you saw them. Humor sometimes has a new meaning in the current social environment.
This theory is proven concretely in Robert Michael Sander’s direction of this new production. He pulled together a cast of mostly new-ish faces who happily followed him down new trails to Camelot. They were brave enough to explore the joy of fart jokes, to improv at costume malfunctions, to find new ways to engage the audience. The tropes that entertained us the first time around are still present and polished to perfection.
One such delightful convention is the way they mimic other traditional Broadway shows. For example, King Arthur’s introduction to the Lady of the Lake, who helped him with his sword, allows them to break into a song called “A Song That Goes Like This.” What would normally be a sweet love song in any other show becomes an homage to every love song by describing how it is sung, how they are to interact and stand, the always-there change of key in the middle, and on and on. The last mimic mocks how long it goes on and on. A later song explains why “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway” without the omnipresent participation of the Jewish community. Because Broadway is filled with “very talented people who sing and dance, often at the same time.” Which initiates a search for supportive Jews while staring at the audience.
In true ensemble mode, cast members change from costume to costume (all beautifully provided by Nikki Harrison and Kamla Presswalla) to become everything from Laker girls to Knights of the Round Table to Monks to Vegas show girls . . . and it all makes sense. The ones who caught my eye with their versatility include Alejandro Gutierrez whose unfortunate gastric distress created humor; the reliable Brian Murray who took on both male and female roles; Chrisnel Akele who goes from a peasant named Dennis to Sir Galahad is one swell foop; Joshua Thomason playing Lancelot who likes to dance-a-lot; Luke Fish who plays the ultra-British historian to introduce the story, then comes back as the mis-gendered Prince Herbert.
The female ensemble members are not to be ignored for their contribution to the fun. The six dancers (Chelly Canales, Alissa Spooner, Chloe Wheeler, Jenny Weiss, Jessica Eckenrod, and Stephanie Hesse-Howard), while light on speaking roles, danced their little booties off in ever-changing costumes. Laker Girls, dancing mermaids, can can dancers, and Broadway characters – they fill the bill, even occasionally stepping into being hooded or masked characters of indeterminate origins. These ladies could dance!
The lead roles were also ably filled. The multi-talented Ben Stansy gave us an athletic King Arthur as he galloped on stage on his trusty steed, danced on Broadway and lead the search to “Find the Grail,” all the while maintaining a Kingly demeanor. He never lets the audience forget what he and his knights are all about. Sherean Samimi comes back to Town Hall to sing the Lady of the Lake and bemoan her unreasonably small part in Act II. Her strong, pure voice brought life to the comic songs she was assigned. I can’t wait to see her next show. Always my favorite character, the faithful Patsy, is ever by King Arthur’s side, even when he is not noticed. His diligence in fulfilling every need and his demeanor in Arthur’s song “I’m All Alone” is my favorite part of the show. It takes a lot of heart to make a good Patsy. Caleb Reed has it.
I also must give kudos to Ronni Stark and Kelly Kates for their choreography for the show. Their combined experience in Broadway dance styles made the show even more fun to watch. From cheer-leading moves to the bottle dance from FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, they incorporated appropriate styles and taught the dancers well. Trent Hines’ hand in the musical direction is also very present. A Hines musical signals precision, harmony, and style.
So, all you would-be fish-schlepping, Grail-seeking, French-taunting, cow-dodging. Broadway-singing Knights Who Say Ni, gallop on down to Littleton and sing along while you look on the bright side. You won’t be alone anymore!!
A WOW Factor of 8.50!!