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

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!

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"

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."

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/

 

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."

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

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

 

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

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

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.

The company will perform on the Today Show this Friday. 

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 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 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.