Spamalot

Spamalot is a very 'Monty Python-esque' take on the legend of King Arthur and his search for the Holy Grail. As a great supporter of Monty Python humour this was a treat to see a supremely funny story sang and played by a talented group such as Teesside MTC.

Lady of the Lake, all round diva, and great actress and singer was Andrea Atkinson who swapped the role of managing the sound amplification to the role of making a big noise on-stage - and boy did she make opportunity to make a great volume and impact. Her solo "Whatever happened to my Part" brought the house down whilst her duet of "The Song that Goes like this" with Simon Dale as ‘Dennis’ (aka Sir Galahad) was also a show stopper. Simon’s character 'Sir Galahad’ was played in superbly plummy enunciation befitting his no longer being a ‘peasant.’ Simon also doubled (or should it be tripled) as the Black Knight and also father of Prince Herbert (Patrick Berry – also the narrator) – a very feminine prince who just wished to sing as well as get his knight in shining armour – or in this case Sir Lancelot (Matthew Taylor) the suitably butch (yet gay) round table knight. Other knights on the quest for the grail was Sir’s Bevedere and Bors (Stuart Hall and Alex Cook-Smith) – each knight had their own characters but especially funny was that of Sir Robin (Daniel Matuszak) the somewhat ‘scaredy-cat’ knight and adviser of the King. Daniel had the iconic song ‘You won’t succeed in Showbiz’ which was suitably revised to give a ‘nod’ to all things ‘Boro’ – a great touch.

Ken Horsley as King Arthur was imperious in manner and voice and held the stage and audience with his demeanour. He was aided on his travels by his faithful factotum Allan Iveson as ‘Patsy’ and it was good to see the chemistry between the two especially in the ‘I’m all alone’ number.

There were multitudes of minor roles often doubled up, a splendid chorus comprising of ‘Laker Girls’ (whose choreography was superb), knights that say ‘Ni’, French taunters and even the voice of God himself – all contributed to a magnificent production.

A special mention to two minor principals that added significantly to the ‘laugh out loud’ moments – Matthew Beck as ‘Not Dead Fred’ whose infectious spirit and animation was a joy to behold and also Mike Harbisher as the ‘Minstrel’ – Mike also contributed as Chorus Master for the music – and it showed. This was not simply just a laugh a minute comedy but a fine example of harmonies in the singing and a credit to Mike and the Musical Director Stephen Sild. Stage choreography under the direction of Nic Jenkins was excellent and appropriate to scene (also assisted by Philip Barewell and Adele McNally as dance captains). The superb animated back projections, lighting, and sound enhanced the production. Costumes and set were very good. Congratulations to Alison Dale in overall control of direction and to TMTC as a whole for a great evening’s entertainment.

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