Allen Fitzpatrick, Laura Griffith & More to Lead 5th Avenue Theatre's SPAMALOT

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are storming The 5th Avenue Theatre in Monty Python's Spamalot, the perfect musical to fight the winter blues. Based on the blockbuster 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, this hilarious musical comedy lays siege to Seattle featuring a stellar lineup of local talent including Joshua Carter, Allen Fitzpatrick, Richard Gray, Laura Griffith, Louis Hobson, Greg McCormick Allen, Matt Owen, and Dane Stokinger. Called "Fantastic! Gorgeously silly!" by The New York Post, Spamalot blends cerebral audacity with slapstick absurdity in this wacky version of King Arthur's mythical search for the Holy Grail. Bringing to the stage such classic Monty Python shticks as the Knights Who Say Ni, the killer rabbit, flying cows, and "Always Look on the Bright Side of Your Life," Spamalot is side-splitting fun.

"Monty Python's Spamalot requires the cream of the crop when it comes to comedic talent," said 5th Avenue Artistic Director and Executive Producer David Armstrong. "With some of Seattle's funniest musical theater talent in this cast, we know sparks will fly on The 5th Avenue stage this February."

Monty Python's Spamalot plays January 30-March 2, 2014 (press opening February 6) at The 5th Avenue Theatre (1308 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101). Tickets (starting at $39) may be purchased online at www.5thavenue.org, by phone at 206-625-1900, or at the Box Office at 1308 5th Avenue in downtown Seattle.

Broadway alum Allen Fitzpatrick returns to The 5th Avenue stage to play King Arthur. Fitzpatrick was most recently seen as Mr. Sowerberry and MR. Brownlow in The 5th's holiday show Oliver! His Broadway appearances include LES MISERABLES, Memphis, 42nd Street, Driving Miss Daisy, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, among many others. At The 5th, Fitzpatrick was a hit as Sweeney in Sweeney Todd (Footlight Award), and has appeared in numerous 5th Avenue productions including Hairspray in Concert, Grey Gardens, and ELF - The Musical, to name a few. He is artistic director of Icicle Creek Theatre Festival.

Laura Griffith will light up The 5th Avenue stage yet again as the glamorous Lady of the Lake. Seattle audiences will recall her from previous performances at The 5th in The Music Man and Candide, among others. A recent Broadway-to-Seattle transplant, Griffith has appeared on Broadway in several critically acclaimed and innovative productions, including the Lincoln Center revival of South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, and Sweet Smell of Success. She toured the country in The Light in the Piazza, and was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for her performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

Recently returned from Broadway where he played featured roles in shows such as Next to Normal, Leap of Faith and Bonnie and Clyde, Puyallup native Louis Hobson will be transformed from a common bloke into a dashing Knight of the Roundtable, Sir Galahad. A 5th Avenue favorite, Hobson has starred in previous productions including West Side Story, Miss Saigon, Claude, and The Rocky Horror Show. After his recent return to Seattle, Hobson made headlines when he accepted the position of Artistic Director of Balagan Theatre. He has been seen as Jean Valjean in Balagan's production of LES MISERABLES and Corny Collins in The 5th's Hairspray in Concert, and he recently made his directorial debut at the helm of Balagan's Carrie, the Musical starring Tony Award-winner Alice Ripley.

Dane Stokinger will play the brave Sir Lancelot. He returns to The 5th where he has appeared previously in productions including Pirates of Penzance, Damn Yankees, and Guys and Dolls, among others. Stokinger has performed most recently in the hit production of Xanadu and the world premiere of Trails at Village Theatre, as well as The Wizard of Oz at Seattle Children's Theatre. He has toured nationally and internationally with productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and Miss Saigon and regionally with East LA Classic Theatre, Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company and The Ordway.

The talented triple threat Matt Owen plays Sir Robin, the not-quite-so-brave-as-Sir-Lancelot. No stranger to The 5th Avenue stage, the Edmonds native has performed at the theater previously in roles including ELF - The Musical, Grey Gardens (a co-production with ACT - A Contemporary Theatre) Oklahoma!, and others. Other regional credits include Yankee Doodle Dandy at TUTS Houston, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at North Shore. As a playwright, Owen's new work titled The Girl in the Park premiered in the 2010 New York Fringe Festival to great acclaim.

Greg McCormick Allen joins the quest for the Holy Grail as Arthur's trusted page, Patsy. A mainstay of Seattle theater, this marks his 22nd production at The 5th Avenue Theatre, and the 100th production of his career. His 5th Avenue credits include (most recently) ELF - The Musical, the world premiere of First Date (a co-production with ACT), and Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. He was most recently seen delighting children of all ages as the Grasshopper in the premiere of James and the Giant Peach at Seattle Children's Theatre.

Richard Gray has performed in 18 productions with The 5th Avenue Theatre including last season's ELF - the Musical, The Music Man, and the pre-Broadway run of First Date. He joins the cast of Monty Python's Spamalot as Sir Bedevere. He has been seen most recently as Centipede in the premiere of James and the Giant Peach at Seattle Children's Theatre and as Amos Hart in Chicago at Village Theatre. Gray is a mainstay of Seattle's musical theatre scene, with numerous credits at Village, The 5th, ACT - A Contemporary Theatre, Empty Space, and Crepe de Paris, to name a few.

Supporting the all-star cast is an incredibly talented ensemble including Scott Brateng, Eric Lee Brotherson, Gabriel Corey, Taryn Darr, Sarah Rose Davis, Eric Esteb, Charlie Johnson, Trina Mills, Heath Saunders, Sarah Shepler, Katy Tabb, and Pamela Turpen.

For more information about The 5th Avenue Theatre, its season and its programs, please visit www.5thavenue.org.

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