Spamalot

Zodiac Theatre Company opened their 2019 season this week with their production of Eric Idle’s Spamalot.  Following on from their successive production of Legally Blonde, Zodiac have produced another enjoyable musical that had the audiences laughing out loud and tapping their feet.  Set traditionally, with traditional set and costumes, this production was well attended and well supported by their audiences.

The director for this production was Neil Silcock.  It’s not really hard to go wrong with a script like this.  The laughs are set up and the dialogue flows from scene to scene.  I had no issues with direction other than a few of the actors who blocked others from time to time. There were also a few people speaking upstage in scenes but overall, it seemed very well rehearsed.  The scene changes were very slick.  Some of the cloths used were great.  They helped establish location.  I also really enjoyed the updated script to include modern jokes such as Brexit, Halton and Frodsham.  This helped make the show feel a little more updated and unique than the original.

The musical director for this production was Craig Price.  I felt that the band were very strong.  I loved all of the added bits that was included – even during the overture.  Again, this helped make the production unique and added to the overall comedy.  I normally single out my favourite part(s) of the band but I have to say that each area was as strong as the rest.  There were further opportunities to explore harmonies and the obvious vocal talent but nevertheless, the vocals were still great.

Jennifer Deakin was the choreographer for this production.  I have seen this show many times and there are various songs within the show that you can really ‘ham up’ and play around with the comedy.  Although the choreography was apt and suited each song, I felt that there were missed opportunities to explore the comedy further.  I also felt that some of the dancers were far better dancers than they showed due to the limited choreographic elements.  I am of course, being very picky.  There were no problems with choreography – I just felt there were times when the roof could’ve been lifted off the house.

The Set was used well throughout and gave opportunities to establish locations as well as levels.  Although it looked slightly ‘carboardy’, it was appropriate.  The props were used well to aid the plot and the humour also.

Costumes were great.  They helped establish character and style.  Lighting was strong and used well.  I liked how the lighting reflected some of the colours used for each Knight’s song.  All lighting cues were brilliantly on time.  Follow spots were particularly strong in this production.  I loved the use of the follow spot to add humour during the Diva’s Lament.

The most negative thing about this production was the quality of the sound.  I felt that the levels of the band were excellent, and I could hear every area of the band very clearly.  However, some of the mic levels of some cast members wasn’t great.  Some sounded quite ‘tinny’ and some actors had moved the mics a little too close to their mouths which meant that the audience could hear the plosive sounds very loudly.  Not all mics were like this.  I could hear various leading characters very well.  There was also a slight buzzing sound from the speakers which was a little distracting.

King Arthur was brilliantly played by Mike Kelsall.  Mike was very well cast for this role.  He had the right amount of gravitas as the King and commanded each scene he was in.  Mike had great comic timing and was very enjoyable to watch.  He also showed a lovely singing ability.  Well done Mike!

Lady of the Lake was played by Gabrielle Stanfield.  Gabrielle displayed some excellent vocals throughout this show.  Her renditions of ‘Come with Me’ and ‘The Song That Goes Like This’ were brilliantly funny and very well sung.  Gabrielle was very well cast and very entertaining throughout.  Every note was pitch perfect – well done Gabrielle!

Patsy was played by Kapil Roy.  Kapil was perfect for this role.  Even though Patsy has limited dialogue, he is in nearly every scene.  Kapil stayed in character throughout and I loved his dry wit and comic timing.  He used his brilliant facial expressions to aid the comedy.

Sir Robin was played by Tayler Spruce.  Taylor had brilliant diction during ‘The Star Song’.  He was funny and entertaining during this number.  Taylor was enjoyable when speaking dialogue but was not always reacting when others had dialogue.  Perhaps I’m being overly picky as the audience enjoyed his performance. 

Sir Galahad was played by Seb Farrell.  For me, Seb was the strongest of all of the knights.  He brought a great energy and commitment to his role.  He also stayed fully in character throughout and had great diction and projection.  Seb also had great comic timing.  He was also great to watch during the scenes when others were talking.  He also used his hair and costume well to create and convey character and comedy.

Sir Lancelot was played by Tom Buckler.  Tom was funny and had some great facial expressions.  He worked well with Aaron who played Herbert.  I also found ‘His Name is Lancelot’ entertaining, although I would’ve preferred if Tom had ‘hammed it up’ more during this to make it even funnier.

Matt Weaver played the role of Sir Bedevere.  Matt had some really funny facial expressions which I found very watchable.  At times Matt kept going wrong in the dances.  I don’t know if this was on purpose or not.  If so, it was very funny.

Aaron Cawley as Prince Herbert was funny and entertaining.  Aaron displayed some lovely vocals during ‘Where Are You?’

The ensemble numbers were bright, energetic and entertaining.  I could tell that the actors were enjoying every minute being onstage and it showed.  Although the dancers were great, I felt there were more opportunities to explore their obvious talent.  Especially in numbers such as ‘The Star Song’ and ‘His Name is Lancelot’.  Visually, this show was great.  Vocally it was good.  I have seen this show a few times before that had more harmonies and more opportunities for vocal gymnastics.  Despite this, the vocals were good in this production.  This show is great for any society as there are lots of smaller roles for ensemble members.  I felt that the ensemble did very well and added to the overall vision and humour.  The audience were treated to a great (K)night at the theatre – well done!

I thank Zodiac for their hospitality and wish them all the best for their next production of 42nd Street!  I also wish them well for the upcoming NODA Regional Awards in May.

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