Friday, November 28, 2008
'Spamalot' tour an irreverent, endearing mess
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "As a meat product, Spam is meant to be reheated. So why not take some leftovers from the 1975 film 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail,' add some new songs, a liberal portion of ham, mix it together and throw it up onstage?"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Ouch. Shame about the backdrop. I cant really tell if the writer was angry or just trying to be funny, but there were some pretty harsh descriptions used here. The show is meant to be funny, and perhaps mess is a work that accurately describes Monty Python as a whole. Regardless, sometimes you just need to laugh, and even if your not laughing at something with a whole lot of depth, you're still laughing, which just makes you feel good.
I've seen the tour of Spamalot twice now; once in Pittsburgh two years ago and once in Albuquerque. The Albuquerque one was a mess as well, with unchecked sightlines and practically no energy. The Pittsburgh production was wonderful with a plethora of Steelers jokes added in. I hope the falling backdrop isn't a sign of the show going downhill. I love Monty Python and I found Spamalot quite clever, even though I enjoyed the second act much more than the first.
I have seen the tour of this show in Toledo and I found it very clever. I am a fan of the movie and found the musical to be even better. Though to be fair they were able to add a few extra jokes in about Toledo which added to my enjoyment. Its such a shame that this verison of the tour didn't do so well.
Spamalot is another classic example of "what you see on the screen cant necessarily be translated to the stage." And just because you can see it on a television or a cinemaplax doesn't mean that it should be put on the great white way.
Post a Comment