MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT Returns to Broadway - Opening Night Reviews

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 11/16/23 at 9:23am

SPAMALOT, the musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the film classic, MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, returns to Broadway for the first time ever, following a record-breaking sold-out run at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

Peter Marks of The Washington Post exclaims, “It’s UNFAIR to make me laugh this much! SPAMALOT is a tightly packed clown car speeding to musical theater nirvana!”

Everything that makes a great knight in the theatre is here, from flying cows to killer rabbits, British royalty to French taunters, dancing girls, rubbery shrubbery, and of course, the Lady of the Lake.

Seated at the round table are a royal court of jesters, filled with Tony winners, nominees, and Broadway favorites. Christopher Fitzgerald is Patsy, James Monroe Iglehart is King Arthur, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer is the Lady of the Lake, Ethan Slater is Prince Herbert, Jimmy Smagula is Bedevere, Michael Urie is Brave Sir Robin, and Nik Walker is Sir Galahad. The role of Lancelot will be played by Taran Killam through January 7th. Alex Brightman rejoins the cast as Lancelot on January 9th.

The show opens on Thursday, November 16, 2023 at the St. James Theatre!

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/16/23 at 8:15pm

NYT: Critic's Pick from Jesse Green:

‘Spamalot’ Review: You’ll Laugh in Its General Direction

In the first Broadway revival of the Monty Python musical, the old bits are verbatim but the clowns are running the circus.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/16/theater/spamalot-review-broadway.html

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/16/23 at 8:16pm

4 stars from Time Out:

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/spamalot-review-broadway-musical-revival-monty-python

"So while I enjoyed the original Spamalot, which was a hit and won a Tony for Best Musical, I didn’t love it the way some others did. My reaction to its new and updated—if still slightly dated—Broadway revival, directed and choreographed with flair by Josh Rhodes, is more affectionate. True, this production lacks the outsider pedigree of Mike Nichols’s 2005 version, whose faintly above-it-all attitude (which extended to the expert performances of top-billed stars Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce and Hank Azaria) was part of its appeal to audiences that were tentatively rediscovering the pleasure of musicals in a post-Producers world. But Rhodes’s cast of show-tune pros is highly capable, and the show’s laughter now seems more like it’s coming from inside the Broadway house. It’s a true ensemble effort"

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/16/23 at 8:18pm

Theatrely is mixed?

The SPAMALOT You Know And Love Is Back On Broadway — Review

https://www.theatrely.com/post/the-spamalot-you-know-and-love-is-back-on-broadway-review

"So, fine, it’s not for me. The cast is clearly having a good time – though only Ethan Slater, swapping through multiple characters, as well as Kritzer, Walker, and especially Killam tap into the all-out comedy the work requires. And the audience? Well, their holy grail was promised and delivered, without much work to obtain it."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/16/23 at 8:20pm

NY Daily News/Chicago Tribune:

BROADWAY REVIEW: ‘Spamalot’ revival still hits the high notes even as it ages

https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/11/16/broadway-review-spamalot-revival-still-hits-the-high-notes-even-as-it-ages/

"Frankly, I wish the revival, directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes, had more of an explicit and distinct point of view, put itself in more interesting conversation with the original production and offered a deeper dive into the Python aesthetic, maybe as a bit of a necessary history lesson. There are times when the cast’s exuberance adds too much moisture to the sandpaper-dry humor and even gets in the way of Du Prez and Idle’s lyrics. As one example, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, fun as she is, would get more laughs if her Lady of the Lake focused first and foremost on the character, rather than the vocal pyrotechnics."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/16/23 at 8:22pm

The Daily Beast:

Broadway Review: ‘Monty Python’s Spamalot’ Is Back—Deliciously Silly, Slightly Dated

GOOD KNIGHT!

“Spamalot” returns to Broadway, and the Python-faithful will love it, even it feels a little lost in comedy time.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/broadway-review-monty-pythons-spamalot-is-backdeliciously-silly-slightly-dated

"Spamalot’s expertly written and performed silliness is endless, beguiling, and winning, and so well-done that—despite the gay and Jewish clunkers of songs—the musical remains a daffy, rollicking night out. The final confetti canon—a Broadway staple, and often a last desperate roll of the dice in any show—here feels absolutely perfect."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/16/23 at 8:23pm

The Wrap:

‘Spamalot’ Broadway Review: Monty Python Shows Its Age A revival of the musical skewers a bunch of shows that your grandparents adored Spamalot on Broadway

https://www.thewrap.com/spamalot-broadway-review-monty-python-revival/

 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/16/23 at 8:24pm

Deadline: ‘Spamalot’ Broadway Review: The Once And Future Python Classic Returns To Taunt Another Day

https://deadline.com/2023/11/spamalot-broadway-review-1235612888/

"Perfectly cast and splendidly performed, with Josh Rhodes’ deceptively no-frills direction (and choreography) placing the irresistible goings-on front and center, the revival has lost none of the smart-dumb charm of either the original musical or its great source of inspiration – the beloved 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/16/23 at 8:25pm

Theatremania: Review: Monty Python’s Spamalot Returns to Broadway in a Test of Expiration Dates The first Broadway revival of Eric Idle and John du Prez’s musical is at the St. James Theatre.

https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-monty-pythons-spamalot-returns-to-broadway-in-a-test-of-expiration-dates_1721545/

"I was curious to see if Monty Python’s Spamalot, a musical comedy that debuted on Broadway during the second Bush administration, based on a beloved movie released during the incidental reign of Gerald Ford, has a shelf life longer than its namesake canned pork product.

The answer is yes, thanks largely to an excellent cast of consummate comedians and a script that derives its humor from the timelessly absurd. It’s still safe to eat, even if certain bites might taste a little off."

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/16/23 at 9:33pm

DTLI Consensus: It might seem slightly dated, but Spamalot is the self-aware, silly, lighthearted musical comedy Broadway “Ni”ds right now.

7 positive (including the NYT), 2 mixed, 1 negative. 

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/spamalot/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/16/23 at 10:52pm

Variety: ‘Spamalot’ Review: An Overdone Broadway Revival Opts for Excess Over Ingenuity

https://variety.com/2023/legit/reviews/spamalot-review-broadway-2023-1235792687/

 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/16/23 at 10:53pm

NY Stage Review:

Spamalot: Lightheaded, Lighthearted Fun

By Melissa Rose Bernardo

★★★★☆ Grab your shrubbery! The Monty Python movie-turned-musical returns to Broadway.

https://nystagereview.com/2023/11/16/spamalot-lightheaded-lighthearted-fun/

 

Spamalot: Spamalot: Trumpeting the Return of a Raunchy Musical Comedy for the Ages

By Sandy MacDonald

★★★★☆ A crack cast reinvigorates Eric Idle’s irreverent slice of highly improbable history.

https://nystagereview.com/2023/11/16/spamalot-spamalot-trumpeting-the-return-of-a-raunchy-musical-comedy-for-the-ages/

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 11/17/23 at 2:38am

Will be interesting to see if they can build sales off these reviews

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/17/23 at 7:13am

Holdren in Vulture is positive (and well-written as usual):

Spamalot Returns, and It’s Not Dead Yet

https://www.vulture.com/2023/11/theater-review-spamalot-broadway-revival.html

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 11/17/23 at 7:16am

Rather surprised at such a positive reception for what I ultimately found to be a lifeless and cheap-looking production.

[OhHiii]

Posted: 11/17/23 at 7:51am

Truly laughable that THIS gets a critics pick from Jesse Green. The man’s taste makes zero sense.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/17/23 at 10:31am

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "Will be interesting to see if they can build sales off these reviews"

There must be some happy producers this morning. But now it's a matter of spending to get the word out.

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 11/19/23 at 12:14am

what a fun night. look, this can't and doesn't match the frenetic cutting edge energy of the original, and there are swaths of silliness that felt a little stale. but i lead with that nitpick because once you accept this is The Movie which became The Musical which is now The Revival, man are they doing a great job with it. 

The theater was sold out and very enthusiastic, which in and of itself is fun. Michael Urie and Taran Killam and Nik Walker are simply hilarious at every turn, and are having a blast. If the Tony's were in a few months, I'd bet they'd all be nominated. Kudos to Ethan Slater who is totally committed and hilarious in his very many small roles here. And yes Kritzer walks away with her scenes, having been born to play this role (though I did miss Sara Ramirez's warmer voice, Kritzer shrieks a bunch, albeit quite impressively). She and Killam are ad-libbing, or at least updating the book for modern references, to great effect. And Inglehart sings really well-- I was totally disappointed by his Thomas Jefferson but found him more at ease here. Hes no Tim Curry, but neither were the various actors who replaced him, and Inglehart acquits himself nicely.

I still can't see this selling well through the winter, but its irresistibly fun, and our front row balcony seats were perfect. So thats a strong recommend here. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/28/23 at 5:46pm

The company will perform on the Today Show this Friday. 

[kdogg36]

Posted: 11/28/23 at 9:57pm

This seemed like the dumbest, stalest thing I've ever seen when I saw it at the Kennedy Center, but Green made it a critic's pick. Is it so much better on Broadway that I should buy a ticket, or should I just chalk it up to different strokes for different folks?

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 12/1/23 at 6:10pm

James Monroe Iglehart, Leslie Kritzer, and the company performing "Knights of the Round Table":

 

 

Christopher Fitzgerald, James Monroe Iglehart, and the company performing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life":

 

 

Updated On: 12/1/23 at 06:10 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 12/2/23 at 12:21pm

Graham Stevens is playing Arthur today and tomorrow. 

[mshalo18]

Posted: 12/2/23 at 9:27pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "Graham Stevens is playing Arthur today and tomorrow."

And he was fabulous- never would have known this was his debut in the role.

[djoko84]

Posted: 12/4/23 at 1:34am

I saw it today with Graham Stevens. Didn't miss James Monroe Iglehart at all. Did not like the first act, but the second act was fantastic. If this was much like the original production, which I didn't get to see, I don't know how it beat Spelling Bee for the Best Musical Tony.

[inception]

Posted: 12/4/23 at 7:59am

djoko84 said: "I saw it today with Graham Stevens. Didn't missJames Monroe Iglehart at all. Did not like the first act, but the second act was fantastic. If this was much like the original production, which I didn't get to see, I don't know how it beat Spelling Beefor the Best Musical Tony."

That is a question people will be asking for all eternity.