Spamalot

Lovingly ripped off from the 1975 classic film ‘Monty Python & the Holy Grail’ with a new title ‘Spamalot’ we’ve got a highly irreverent spoof of the quest of King Arthur and his Knights of the roundtable.

Strikingly so, this cast wonderfully captured the style, tone and elated tomfoolery of The Monty Python. MMTG are a group who excel with comedy and, like The Monty Python clan themselves, they are a troupe who evidently adore, respect and value the artistry of humour which was relished and savoured by each and every member of the company - a priceless quality which ultimately provided the perfect solid foundation for this production to be constructed upon.  

Director, Jean Clarke, came at this project from absolutely the right angle with every moment of the presentation executed to the desired extent. The static set worked a treat and although quite a lot had been compensated for the cosy stage at no point did I sense that we were missing something and more importantly, for such a huge production, it never felt as though the performance would have benefited by having more space which compliments how well the cast, crew and designers had utilised the performance space for the best possible results. Everything was neat, clean and seamless.

The choreography was of the usual MMTG high standard, there’s no question about that, the staging of the numbers throughout were well drilled, heightened the characters with engaging sequences which aptly utilised the space. One factor which did strike me was how some moments of the choreography felt a little bit isolated from the rest of the presentation. Should a cast be fortunate enough to have a troupe of strong dancers they’d naturally want to showcase that, something I can appreciate and would normally encourage, however, one or two of the sequences seemed as though they’d been added purely to give the dancers something to do and for no other reason which seemed a little out of place - great for panto but the movement didn’t always appear to be kept in with the nature of this show.   

The start of the Overture did leave me a little puzzled as I wasn’t quite sure what was supposed to be going on with an array of bizarre sound effects coming from the keyboard which I couldn’t quite make out, I think one of them was a dog barking(..?) but once the Overture was in full swing I’m happy to say that, musically, everything seemed to provide fine support for the production and kept things swiftly moving along.

Central to the plot, as we followed him on his quest, was Stephen Clayton’s King Arthur who delivered an understated and composed performance with his taken for granted side kick / squire, Patsy, performed by his off-stage son, Luke Clayton. Luke played the not-quite-in-the-spotlight second fiddle with aplomb.   

The throng of male principals who made up the Knights of the roundtable each excelled as individual highlights as well as working together as an ensemble, each one knowing when it was appropriate to ham a lot.  

Though the real standout for me was Sara Hawley as The Lady of the Lake. To get the desired combination of expert comedic ability as well as astonishing vocal technique is quite rare in any one performer and it’s quite common for one to compensate for the other with such parts but although Sara’s vocal performance was particularly impressive, her knack as a comedienne did not go unnoticed either, undeniably making this portrayal the heart and soul of the production with a powerhouse act which left the majority of the audience, and myself, stunned after each of her renditions.  

Proving he’s an absolute master of the cameo was Alex Bingle who treated us to an assortment of short lived comedic characters, each as hilarious as the last. Although these roles are small, it was absolutely the right choice to have allocated them to whoever was the funniest – and it has to be as straightforward as that if you want to put the standard of the production over and above anything else! Regardless of how mighty your principal players are, should these characters have fallen flat it would have reshaped the overall finish of the production. Kudos will always go to putting the standard of a production at the forefront when choosing who to use for the smaller parts - “Doesn’t everyone?” you may ask! Well… let’s just say it was refreshing to see a show where the entire cast are made up of principal standards.  

Overall, this was a mighty production! I adored it, the house was full with people and full with laughter and merriment, superb! The finest musical I’ve seen from this company to date and one which suited MMTG to a tee! You could sense the joy radiating from the cast which infected the entire audience taking us all with you. Just marvellous! Many congratulations to all involved!

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