The Hollywood Bowl's upcoming production of Monty Python'sSpamalot, the parody of the Arthurian Legend which won the Tony for Best Musical in 2005, will star Merle Dandridge as The Lady of the Lake, Warwick Davis as Patsy,Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Sir Robin, Eric Idle as the Historian and Craig Robinson as King Arthur. BT McNicholl will direct. Spamalot will be conducted by Todd Ellison and choreographed by Scott Taylor. Additional casting is to be announced.
Eric Idle, who wrote the book and lyrics and is co-composer of Spamalot - and who is a member of Monty Python - said, "To celebrate ten years since Monty Python's Spamalotopened on Broadway and won the Tony for Best Musical of the Year I am proud to join a hand-picked cast of seriously funny people for three nights of fun at my favorite venue: The Bollywood Hole."
Merle Dandridge has appeared on Broadway in a variety of roles including Kala in Tarzan, The Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, Joanne in Rent and the title role in Aida. Her TV roles include NBC's The Night Shift and FX's Sons of Anarchy. Last fall, Dandrige starred as Kate in Kiss Me, Kate with Wayne Brady at The Pasadena Playhouse.
Warwick Davis portrayed Professor Filius Flitwick in the Harry Potter film series and starred in the HBO series Life's Too Short, created by himself, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Davis played the role of Patsy in the West End production of Spamalot. He will be appearing in the highly anticipated Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson is a five-time Emmy nominee, best known playing Mitchell Pritchett on ABC's Modern Family. His Broadway credits include Leaf Coneybear in the original cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Chip in the 1998 revival of On the Town. Ferguson starred in the Hollywood Bowl's production of The Producers in 2012.
Eric Idle is a member of the groundbreaking comedy troupe Monty Python, whose iconic films include Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life. He is an accomplished songwriter and wrote many of Monty Python's best-known songs, including "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." In addition to writing the book and lyrics for Spamalot, as well as co-writing the music with John Du Prez, Idle has also written novels, a play, and a children's book. His lyrics for Spamalot won him the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics in 2005.
Craig Robinson portrayed the beloved character, Darryl Philbin, on all nine seasons of NBC's hit show The Office. His film roles include This is the End, Get On Up, Hot Tub Time Machine, and Hot Tub Time Machine 2. His new show, Mr. Robinson, will premiere later this summer on NBC.
Director BT McNicholl was recently named the Producing Artistic Director of the Palace Theatre in Stamford, Connecticut. He has been on the creative teams of a dozen Broadway plays and musicals including Billy Elliott: The Musical, Cabaret and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, with mentor directors Sam Mendes, Rob Marshall, Stephen Daldry, Jerry Zaks, James Lapine, and Mike Nichols. He wrote the book and lyrics for the successful musical The It Girl and is a BMI-Award winning lyricist. Regionally, his production of West Side Story won the 2014 Moss Hart Award. Internationally, he won the Helpmann Award (the Australian "Tony") for Best Direction and staged the European premiere of The Producers for Stage Entertainment.
Todd Ellison, conductor, is currently the music supervisor/conductor for the new Broadway musical, An American in Paris. His other Broadway credits include Annie, Spamalot, La Cage aux Folles and 42nd Street. He was also the musical director of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular for several seasons and worked as Marvin Hamlisch's musical director on Ballroom and The Nutty Professor.
Scott Taylor, choreographer, was on the creative teams of several Broadway musicals including Aladdin, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, A Little Night Music andSpamalot. He was also the dance captain for the original Broadway production ofSpamalot.
Monty Python's Spamalot tells the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and their quest for the Holy Grail. The show features lusty maidens, dancing divas, a killer rabbit and a legless knight. It has been honored with dozens of awards, including the Grammy for Best Original Cast Recording and three Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Monty Python's Spamalot will have three performances at the Hollywood Bowl this summer - Friday, July 31, at 8 PM, Saturday, August 1, at 8 PM and Sunday, August 2, at 7:30 PM.
Single tickets for the 2015 Hollywood Bowl season go on sale Sunday, May 3, at 10 AM. Tickets can be purchased in-person at the Hollywood Bowl box office. Five hundred wristbands will be distributed, starting at 8 AM. (The first 300 will be drawn randomly. Patrons in line will pick a wristband and then will be placed in line based on the number on their wristband. Wristbands will be distributed beginning at 8 AM with the random draw concluding by 9:45. The remaining 200 wristbands will be handed out in sequential order.) The Hollywood Bowl parking lot will open at 7 AM. Single tickets for the 2015 Hollywood Bowl season may also be purchased online at HollywoodBowl.com, Ticketmaster.com or via phone at 323.850.2000 or 800.745.3000 starting on May 3 at 10 AM. After May 3, the box office hours are Tuesday - Sunday, 12 PM - 6 PM.
Monty Python's Spamalot has book and lyrics by Eric Idle and music by John Du Prez & Eric Idle. Lovingly ripped off from the motion picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail, by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin,Spamalot had its Broadway debut in 2005, directed by Mike Nichols.
The recent history of Broadway musicals at the Hollywood Bowl is nothing short of spectacular, including Hair starring Kristen Bell, Hunter Parrish, Beverly D'Angelo, Benjamin Walker and Amber Riley, directed by Adam Shankman; Chicago starring Ashlee Simpson, Drew Carey, Lucy Lawless and Stephen Moyer, directed by Brooke Shields;The Producers starring Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Richard Kind, Rebecca Romijn and Dane Cook, directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman; Hairspray starring Harvey Fierstein, Drew Carey, John Stamos and Nick Jonas, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell; and Rent starring Vanessa Hudgens, Nicole Scherzinger and Wayne Brady, directed by Neil Patrick Harris.
One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and plays host to the finest artists from all genres of music. It remains one of the best deals anywhere in Los Angeles; to this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many classical and jazz offerings. The venue offers something for everyone, from its sizzling summer evening concerts to the daytime arts festival for children, "SummerSounds: World Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," now in its 48th season. In February 2015, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the eleventh year in a row at the 26th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards. For millions of music lovers across Southern California, the Hollywood Bowl is synonymous with summer. http://www.HollywoodBowl.com
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