Alrighty.....back to the topic... (By the way, I grew up a Python fan and I don't agree with NY magazine when it said that Spamalot's "..humour sinks from visual and aural obesity".)
Clay Aiken is fine in Spamalot. His strength is, of course, his voice and he's a decent dancer. He just needs to relax more during his big number (I think someone on another thread said he had a "constipated" look. Perhaps a more accurate description is that he looks like he's counting his steps.) He also needs to put his hands down by his sides once in a while. He doesn't seem to know what to do with them when he's not holding something (always seems to have at least one of them chest high) and for some reason he likes to hold them up like he's praying during the Camelot scene. However, all in all, I was pleasantly surprised on how good he was considering he was among such solid actors like Jonathan Hadary and David Hibbard. Rick Holmes and Chris Sieber were absolutely brilliant. It's probably not fair to compare them to Aiken because they are seasoned actors and had the funniest lines/characters to work with, but their performances ARE really the ones to watch. The understudy was the Lady of the Lake when I was there. Unfortunately, I don't think she quite pulled it off.
Thank you Gagnier! I would so love to see this show. My favorite part of your review - he's a decent dancer. That's something I NEVER thought I'd be hearing about Clay. Many of Clay's fans have fallen in love with the cast of this show. Jonathan, David, Rick, and Chris are amazing actors. So glad Clay has a chance to learn from them. And the thing you said about him not putting his hands down, I totally understand that. He is very expressive with his hands, when he sings, in concert. Must be a tough habit to break. So sorry you missed LOTL Hannah W. I hear she's fantastic.
gilliane - Yes, I think it got poofed.
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