SPAMALOT (?) - Alright guys let's hear it!

[Jamie Hat]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 9:23am

Anyone see it? Tell all! Tell all!
Book? Music? Performances? Smell of the theatre?
Sweeping the Tony's this year?


::Counts to five (three) and throws holy hand grenade::

[Glebb]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 9:25am

Saw final dress rehearsal in Chicago.
Had a ball.
Wonder how different it is by now.

[broadway betty]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 9:31am

Calm down Jamie! But I thought that someone would've posted a review by now. I should be studying for the quiz I have in an hour but I wanted to see if all this Spamalot hype is true. I guess we'll just have to wait. Happy waiting, Jamie. I gotta go and fail a quiz!

Smell of the theater? Haha!

[Jamie Hat]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 9:40am

Needless to say I am quite excited about it.

::tucks away nasty-big-pointy teeth::

[Matt_G]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 9:51am

I saw this show last night. First let me say that the last time I saw THE HOLY GRAIL was years ago when I was in 8th grade so I didn't remember ANYTHING about it. Sadly though, it seems that if you don't know the film there are many many references you won't get throughout the show. The audience was packed with die hard Monty Python fans who yelled and screamed and like the girl next to me, repeated the dialogue throught the entire show which yes, got quite annoying.

It took a while for me to get into SPAMALOT, around 25 minutes I would say. At times it seemed that I was at a dinner party with people I didn't know who were only talking in inside jokes that I wasn't privy to so I just kind of looked around at times and twiddled my thumbs waiting for that scene to end. And I wasn't the only one. I'm not saying I didn't laugh. There were times I laughed quite hard, but those scenes and songs could be lifted from this show and put into a cabaret act completely out of context and they would have been just as funny because when you get down to it, SPAMALOT has no plot. It's like theatre of the absurd. But not very good theatre of the absurd. A lot of the jokes, to me, fell flat and were extremely repetitive and were told too many different ways throughout the shows 2 hours.

The majority of the cast, besides Tim Curry, is completely underused in this show. Hank Azaria who is one of the most talented men alive was maybe onstage for 40 minutes which is a real shame. David Hyde Pierce was allowed more time but besides a few of those very funny songs and some fun lines didn't have much to do. Sara Ramierez, as the Lady of the Lake had a few times to showcase that incredible voice of hers. But all of her songs are songs that mock songs and her character really has no business in the show anyways, so I'm left wondering "What's the point to this song or this character" which to be completely honest was my thought about most songs and characters.

I'd be very interested to hear what others thought of this show. I'm hoping that some changes are made before it opens because it does have a lot of potential and that cast is truly a dream cast.

[Reckless]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 9:58am

saw the invited dress yesterday afternoon. it's gonna be a big fat hit. i've never seen the film, but still got it. it drags a bit in the second act, but apart from that it's lots of fun. hilarious spoofs on phantom, wicked, les miz and fiddler. all the principals are great, yet replaceable in the future. but sara ramirez should be a shoo-in for the tony (if they don't put her up as a lead actress). amazing voice and great comic timing.

[Jon]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 11:05am

The point of Ramirez' character is, you gotta have a girl in the show. Int he original PRODUCERS film, Ulla the secretary had about 8 lines of dialogue - she barely spoke a word of English. There was no romance with her and Leo. For the musical, Brooks realized he had to build up her role. In the original HOPLY GRAIL, there is no "Lady of the Lake". There is a short scene with a witch (which may or may not have ben cut - it was in the musical when I saw it, but cut later), one scene at the "Castle Anthrax" with a group of young girls (definitely not in the musical), and that's about it. Idle and Nichols clearly felt there needed to be a featured female in the show.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 11:06am

No, I understod that but the joke about "you need me in this show and I need more to do" was the entire point to her character and the joke got old, in my opinion.

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 11:26am

WOW thats the first bad thing I have heard abotu spamalot and wow its a really bad review. Wonder how others like it? Esp non monty python fans.

[Ragtime322]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 11:39am

As a person who has only ever glanced at a MP film, I really did not enjoy the show. I had fun yes, but it was just potty humor and half naked women parading around on stage. I think it was VERY well staged, the set was brillant, and the lighting and costumes were also top notch (much better than anything on Broadway this year) however, it got very old for me and I felt very left out. I am not sure the audience was laughing at what was on the stage or their memory of the film which they know to be funny. Regardless it looked stunning, Sara Ramirez has a voice from the Gods and it was entertaining.

[AbzugFan]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 11:40am

I felt the same as Matt, although he was able to express it much more articulately than me. I am sure the show will be a hit, and I don't intend to put forth my (negative) opinion of the show to dissuade others from seeing it (unlike with, say, Brooklyn, where I warned everyone who would listen to STAY AWAY), because I think more than most Broadway musicals, this one is a matter of taste. It wasn't my taste, but its clearly the taste of lots of other people.

[QueenMuppet]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 11:42am

Um, I don't think Matt's review is a 'very bad review', I guess it's was just not his kind of thing.

A few friends saw it yesterday too and they thought it was the best thing ever. When they started telling me about they started crying with laughter again.

Having read Matt's review I wonder if I should watch Holy Grail before I see this. I haven't seen it for decades and can't remember one thing about it.
For me personally there is nothing worse then 'inside jokes' in a show and I don't get them because I don't have the background.

QM

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 11:47am

QM to me you should not have to have "background knowledge" going into a broadway show. Thats the point of a show to me. I walked into little women knowing NOTHING of the story and got tons out of it. I have never enjoyed a show that I had to have seen the movie first. I actually prefer seeing the movie after the show otherwise I am always comparing back to the movie.

That's why personally I think matt's review is not a great one. I didn't say it was a terrible review I said it a very bad review, because personally that is what I got out of it. Someone like me who has never seen a monty python movie would probably not like the musical.

[QueenMuppet]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 11:54am

Unfortunately, Spamalot is not going to be your show then. If you have never seen a Monty Python movie (what's wrong with you ) then I personally wouldn't risk spending $100 on this show. MP is very different and their sense of humour is not for everyone.

The writers of Spamalot have obviously chosen to bring in a lot of 'inside jokes' ... we have yet to see if that's going to hurt them.
They were obviously quite positive that the majority of theatre goers are familiar with MP.

By the way, to me there is not a big difference between 'terrible' and 'very bad'... that's just me.

QM

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 11:57am

nah a terrible review was brooklyns where it got panned. very bad is just a bad show that i wont enjoy but wont be running for the door at the same time.

I have never seen a MP because of all the hype. Everytime a movie gets hyped I end up hating it. (ie. austin powers, the matrix, wicked the musical). SO i am very hesitant with things like that.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 1:03pm

Saw the show back in Chicago early in the run-- I had seen "Grail" but honestly didn't remember anything but the "Knights who say Ni!" I was with three people who had never seen the movie-- one of them had never seen any Python shows. They all loved it and had no trouble following the plot.

Personally, I'd say that knowledge of MP isn't as useful as knowledge of Broadway shows. The "Inside Jokes" I thought were far more likely to be about Broadway shows & traditions.

I'd guess that Spamalot's problem at this point might be too much buzz. People might be going in expecting more than a show can possibly deliver, based on the hype, the reviews, the advance sale. I am glad I saw it with no expectations, because I loved it!

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 1:11pm

Hmmm...I never saw a Monty Python film but I got tickets for May because one of my friends who saw it in Chicago thought I would really like it because of all the jokes about broadway, that's why I got tickets. Do you guys think it might be more enjoyable if I try giving the movie a watch?

[Matt_G]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 1:12pm

Joe, the Broadway references (for the most part) were quite funny, especially the Les Mis. I think I had one of my biggest laughs in that scene.

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 3:27pm

It just sounds so stupid!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 3:37pm

ljay88 - How so? The idea of musicalizing the film or the style of humor from the original film itself? Have you seen the film? The humor is actually quite intelligent and witty. What makes it seem more stupid than any other idea for a musical comedy?

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 3:42pm

It's just not my cup of tea. I will NOT pay 100 dollars for a show that barely has a plot and is just about jokes. Sorry, Spamalot isn't on my list for shows to see this season.

[worrell4077]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 4:39pm

I don't know how anyone could hate Monty Python. I mean the movies and tv show are just so funny, but what probably is the reason that many people don't like it is because it's odd humor, and not that many people have been exposed to that kind of humor like Monty Python so they don't understand what really is going on.

I personally think that this will be a big hit, but probably won't top but be on the same level as The Producers because I think that the only thing to top a Mel Brooks musical is a Mel Brooks musical and that will probably happen with Young Frankenstein.
________________________________________________________________
" I seek the means to fight injustice. To turn fear against those who prey on the fearful."
-Batman Begins-06-17-05

[Matt_G]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 7:43pm

worrell, I love odd humor. For me, personally, this show just did not work.

[Mimi Imfurst]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 7:51pm

". It's like theatre of the absurd. But not very good theatre of the absurd. A lot of the jokes, to me, fell flat and were extremely repetitive and were told too many different ways throughout the shows 2 hours. "

Thats british humor. Thats Monty Python.

[Bal]

Posted: 2/15/05 at 9:14pm

A101 still there? Anyone? *is fevered*

Anyways...wow, I'm so excited to see this show. These are the first truly negative reviews I've heard, but selfishly...I think I'll still like the show. I mean, I adore the original movie. Well, we shall see...