Spamalot

I suspect that most of the male cast, and some of the female cast, are Monty Python fans.  This is such a silly show but totally reflecting the fascination that many people have for the genre.  Director Sallie Warrington has brought out all the Python absurdity and the entire cast embraced it.

If you are not a Python fan, like the man sitting next to us, then the show may have been a bit difficult to appreciate.  He seemed quite bewildered.  However, it was clear that the majority of the audience were fans and they responded positively to all the innuendos, gibes and jokes in the script.

The cast were terrific, throwing themselves into the action on stage.  Neil Lands (King Arthur) was very good, giving the part Pythonesque gravitas and making the most of every comedy moment.  He was very ably supported by Paul Ward (Patsy) a delightful characterisation almost stealing the limelight (as required by the script) perfectly.  Helen Sharpe was the Lady of the Lake.  I have never seen Helen perform anything less than terrific, but she scaled new heights with this performance.  Her vocal range was fully revealed (a welcome surprise) and her comedic ability came to the fore.

The Knights were all excellent; Stuart Woolner (Galahad) Lewis Sheldrake (Lancelot) Peter Brown (Robin) and Ian Gilbert (Bedevere).  Singly and as a quartet, they produced great characters.  They are all strong performers and together they were excellent.   David Shipman (Herbert) and Paul Berry (Tim) completed the main characters but all the cast played multiple roles and backstage must have been a bit frenzied!

The band under the direction of conductor Clare Penfold produced a good sound, led by MD Rachael Plunkett.  I suspect that they had a fun time with the score! 

Scenery and costumes were hired in so they were of the standard one would expect from professional suppliers.

I now have to confess that I am not a great Python fan, although I do live with one!   However, this production was terrific and the cast and production team did an excellent job in providing a great evening’s entertainment.  Well done to all.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.