BWW Reviews: SPAMALOT, A Delightful Antidote

In these heady days of austerity and bank bailouts, it's no surprise Dubliners are looking for a bit of escapist entertainment. And, no, I'm not talking about the Eurovision song contest. Only slightly less campy is the UK tour of Spamalot, playing through May 14th at Dublin's Grand Canal Theatre, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more delightful antidote to the recession blues. Too often such productions are fluffy, mindless, and quickly forgotten, but happily Spamalot isn't one of them. Is it wacky? Yes. Absurd? Absolutely. But more importantly, it's utterly hilarious. And as silly as the humour sometimes is, it's surprisingly astute and accessible.

The plot is set during the 10th century reign of King Arthur in his majestic Cam - ehm, make that Spamalot. Arthur (comic Phill Jupitus) trots through Britain on an invisible steed, to the tune of coconuts clopping together. (How did coconuts get to medieval England in the first place? Well, that's a whole different scene.) Our King, accompanied by his manservant Patsy (Eastenders' Todd Carty), is hoping to amass a group of knights to join his Round Table and unite a divided Britain. Along the way he picks up the likes of Sirs Galahad and Lancelot as well as the mystical Lady of the Lake, all just in time for a gaggle of ridiculous misadventures encompassing everything from mock cheesy love songs to killer rabbits. But the knights' main mission comes from on-high when a decidedly testy God (Eric Idle in a recorded cameo) challenges the group to recover the Holy Grail--and that's no mere "misplaced mug", by the way. Such punchy dialogue and witty lyrics form the show's backbone, and both flow freely in a series of interconnected vignettes as the knights face a series of challenges. Tears of laughter were flowing as the lonesome King Arthur lamented his solitude in "I'm All Alone", oblivious to the entire cast and crew backing him up. And then there's Sir Lancelot's dashing rescue of the fey Prince Herbert from a castle tower. Let's just say the heroic knight reveals a little secret of his own, wearing gold lamé spandex and quipping: "In 1,000 years time, this will still be controversial!" Those familiar with the Monty Python franchise will recognize many of the gags from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Indeed both the book and music were penned by Python vet Eric Idle. Luckily the uninitiated Pythons, myself included, need not worry. Spamalot's jokes and plotline are accessible even to the Monty Python novice.

The cast's performances are spot on, from Jupitus' dry wit to the rubber-limbed David Langham, aka Not Dead Fred. Spamalot is the kind of show that requires true triple-threats; actors that can sing, dance, and perhaps most importantly, exhibit brilliant comic timing. The largely male cast captures the trifecta, nailing that particularly silly brand of British humour while hoofing it in even more ridiculous musical numbers like "All for One"; and they look like they're having a heck of a lot of fun doing it. They also must be able to play a multitude of roles over the course of the show, changing costumes, wigs, and accents from scene to scene. Standouts are Simon Lipkin as Sir "Dennis" Galahad and Samuel Holmes as Sir Robin, who delivers a brilliant number in Act II.

The sole female lead is portrayed by Jodie Prenger, who some may recognize from the BBC's reality casting show I'd Do Anything. On that programme Prenger won the role of Nancy in Cameron Mackintosh's West End revival of Oliver!, but here proves she can do more than just belt out love ballads. Prenger has comic chops to go with her powerful singing voice which, for the diva-ish Lady of the Lake, it is the perfect combination.

Spamalot manages to poke fun at medieval history, musical theatre, and, of course, the French. The script has also accommodated plenty of ad-libbed bits of Irish pop culture which were much appreciated by the vocal crowd. It's a testament to the adaptability of both the script and the actors that the comedy remains sharp more than thirty years after Monty Python's creation, and even adapts to the culture of a city it is spending only one week in. There is also a fair bit of audience participation and sing-a-longs to more than one familiar tune. The only noticeable issue was the number of empty seats in the audience. If you can get to the Grand Canal by Saturday, 14th May, you may just find yourself looking a little more "on the bright side on life" for a nigh

 

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