Full to overflowing with feel-good frivolity, Spamalot merrily makes a welcome return to Broadway with a top flight comedy cast and glossy new production.
Hailing from a banner year for Broadway, Spamalot won the 2005 Best Musical Tony Award over a particularly strong and successful set of competitors: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Light in the Piazza, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
Based upon “Lovingly ripped off from” the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, original Python Eric Idle slickly blends the movie with iconic Monty Python skits plus fresh material for a ripping result. Compared to lesser works that have followed, it is uplifting to see just how briskly economical and genuinely funny Spamalot is, more than holding up to the passage of time.
As well as being wickedly funny, Spamalot boasts a beating heart of traditional musical comedy. With cheeky nods to shows from West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof to The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables, Spamalot knows its place in the canon, delivering crowd-pleasing production numbers on par with the best of them. “Knights of the Round Table” is a fabulous Vegas-inspired act one showstopper, “Run Away” is a grand act one finale, and “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway” is just one of the splashy numbers in act two.
Idle’s book maintains a breathless pace and, having also written the lyrics, the neatly integrated songs are as funny as the scenes. Co-written with John du Prez, the toe-tapping score is terrifically catchy.
Making a significant career leap with justifiable confidence, Josh Rhodes performs double duty as director and choreographer, delivering an effortless flow of splashy song and dance, balanced with sharp character comedy work and crisp story telling.
Featuring a striking combination of scenic and projection design by Paul Tate dePoo III, the setting houses a full width battlement at stage level backed by stunning projections for the top half of the set. Jen Capri’s costumes nod to the original production, also delving glamorously into further flights of fancy.
A known quantity, Spamalot has attracted a stellar comic cast for this splashy revival.
James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin) plays it relatively straight as King Arthur, accompanied by Christopher Fitzgerald (Waitress) as the nobly subservient Patsy.
Michael Urie (Ugly Betty) is delightfully fey as fearful Sir Robin. Newcomer Nik Walker breaks out as Sir Galahad. Subbing for Alex Brightman (School of Rock) until January, Taran Killam (Hamilton) steps up as Sir Lancelot.
Fitzgerald, Urie, Walker, and Killam capably demonstrate their range by playing multiple unique featured roles, as does acrobatic comic talent Ethan Slater (Spongebob Squarepants the Musical) in a mind-blowing cavalcade of quirky, distinctive roles.
All this, plus choice Broadway comedienne Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer (Beetlejuice the Musical) as The Lady of the Lake. Bringing the glamour (with thanks, apparently, to Ozempic), Kritzer makes a splash with devilishly expressive vocal stylings.
Pretty much the most fun that can be currently enjoyed on Broadway, Spamalot is set for a bumper return season. A good time is guaranteed for all.
Monty Python’s Spamalot plays at St James Theatre, New York. For tickets, click here.
Character photos: Matthew Murphy