SPAMALOT 2023 Previews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/30/23 at 12:00am

For this is the previews thread that goes like this…

The first Broadway revival of Monty Python’s Spamalot begins previews tomorrow (October 31) at the St. James Theatre before a November 16 opening (k)night. Holding court for this highly anticipated musical comedy straight from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. are a slew of Broadway veterans, led by Christopher Fitzgerald, James Monroe Iglehart, Taran Killam, Leslie Kritzer, Ethan Slater, Jimmy Smagula, Michael Urie, and Nik Walker. Spamalot features music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, lyrics and book by Idle, and direction and choreography by Josh Rhodes. 

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

Who’s finding the grail?

[BETTY22]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 1:25pm

Who is going tonight? I have such warm memories of this show from decades ago.

With all the horror in the world - we could all do with laughter 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 2:02pm

Lots of available seats for tonight's first preview.

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 4:26pm

I’m going tonight! TDF gave me Orchestra Right D16

[OhHiii]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 4:49pm

This one baffles me. The sales look abysmal. 

I hope for all involved it's a success, but I'd be willing to bet the St. James will be open come January.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 4:53pm

I'll be there as well - for those wondering, I won the LuckySeat lottery and got last row balcony (which is a little surprising considering I only got one ticket, and there are MANY unsold seats in other sections)... Still looking forward to this, though!

[amiyagi]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 4:57pm

quizking101 said: "I’m going tonight! TDF gave me Orchestra Right D16"

Let us know what you think? Considering seeing this in January but saw it in Stratford this summer and was underwhelmed. Felt dated. Trying to decide if it's worth seeing on Broadway or go with something else. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 5:03pm

bwayphreak234 said: "I'll be there as well - for those wondering, I won the LuckySeat lottery and got last row balcony (which is a little surprising considering I only got one ticket, and there are MANY unsold seats in other sections)... Still looking forward to this, though!"

Move closer at intermission — an easy choice with plenty of unsold seats. 

Updated On: 10/31/23 at 05:03 PM

[stlrod]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 6:00pm

bwayphreak234 said: "I'll be there as well - for those wondering, I won the LuckySeat lottery and got last row balcony (which is a little surprising considering I only got one ticket, and there are MANY unsold seats in other sections)... Still looking forward to this, though!"

That kind of money grab on a show that is clearly not selling well makes me want to see it that much less.

[Alex M]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 6:09pm

Have comps tonight. Excited to go, loved seeing this as a kid! 

[Fosse76]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 8:38pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "this highly anticipated musical comedy straight from the Kennedy Center"

Highly anticipated by whom?

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 9:09pm

Act I Impressions (FYI: I have no point of reference for SPAMALOT as a stage production):

- Ethan Slater is a ridiculously gifted and limber physical comedian and it’s a conversation surely to rise again with this production.

- Christopher Fitzgerald fits PERFECTLY that second banana, Marty Feldman-esque niche he has carved out for himself and it elevates Iglehart.

- Iglehart is in fine voice, but needs some more ease at being commanding

- The set looks, unfortunately, cheap.

- Taran Killam seems most at home in his French Taunter role.

- Kritzer is mopping the floor with most of the others, but the orchestra is overpowering her at times.

- There are some PRIME updated references, as well as a crafty joke around a racial slur that had us HOWLING,

That’s all for now - full review later 

 

Updated On: 10/31/23 at 09:09 PM

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 9:28pm

Is the sets and costumes the same as Kennedy Center or has any of it been redesigned?

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 9:58pm

Ariana Grande is in the audience tonight.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 10:01pm

TaffyDavenport said: "Ariana Grande is in the audience tonight."

Ethan 
& Ariana 

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 10:41pm

I’ll post my full review later - but quick report is that stage dooring did not happen tonight because of a shooting right on 44th and 8th near the Hayes.

https://abc7ny.com/nyc-midtown-shooting-man-shot/13996749/

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 11:00pm

Updated On: 10/31/23 at 11:00 PM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 11:19pm

I was there tonight and thought this felt like regional theatre on Broadway. The production is extremely bare bones which just doesn’t really work for a show like Spamalot in my opinion. The castle structure/facade that had the onstage orchestra perched atop it in DC remains, but the orchestra is in the pit. So the top of the castle is just a giant black hole, and it looks really bad (at least from the balcony). Cast was fine, but no one really stood out to me. This is essentially a strange half-baked “hybrid” between the original production and an Encores! production.

Updated On: 11/1/23 at 11:19 PM

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 11:25pm

bwayphreak234 said: "This is essentially a strange half-baked “hybrid” between the original production and an Encores! production."

Just what I imagined. We’re getting more regional-feel, bus & truck-ish revivals, like they’ve been getting in the West End for a while.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 11:28pm

This didn’t seem too “regional” to me. I’d seen clips and things so I wasnt expecting anything close to the original production design which I only semi remember. And funny thing this is, this is a show I don’t even LIKE - so i was surprised I had as much fun as I did. 

Updated On: 10/31/23 at 11:28 PM

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/31/23 at 11:30pm

Okay: Breaking it down

THE EXCELLENT:

 

• Ethan Slater: Once again, we need to have the conversation about what a ridiculously gifted physical comedian this man is and deserves to have a long theatre career so long as he is able to do so. He brought range, physicality, and versatility. A true Jack of all trades.
• Leslie Kritzer: Aside from Slater, she came on stage and mopped the floor with EVERYONE. The crowning moment of the night was her “Diva’s Lament” that got a 90 second standing ovation and contained plenty of hilarious riffing and fourth wall breaking with the audience. I haven’t jumped out of my seat mid show for anything in a LONG time.

 

The Good:

• This show could live or die based on cultural references and updates to fit the era the show is in. And boy did those references spice things up. I’ve never involuntarily cackled so many times to a point where the boomers in front of me were looking peeved. To hint a few - Ozempic, George Santos, Aaron Tveit, and the very clever wordplay of a racial slur created some hilarious moments.
• Taran Killam isn’t the best Lancelot, but he shines most with his broader comedic characters like the French Taunter and the Lead Knight of Ni.
• As I said before, Christopher Fitzgerald fits PERFECTLY that second banana, Marty Feldman-esque niche he has carved out for himself and it elevates Iglehart.

The OK

• Iglehart and Walker needs to find their rhythms and pick an accent. Walker got much better as the night went on, but Iglehart seemed a little jittery.
• Urie is funny, but he’s up against people who are joking circles around him and he needs to project a bit more (I was in Orchestra D and it was hard at times). His “You Won’t Succeed On Broadway” (Semitic references and all) was an uncomfortably fun highlight.

The Not OK

• The book. Yeah, I get it’s supposed to be a shell for which the jokes live and evolve, but it felt rather hollow to me and could probably use a little tightening as opposed to just joke updates.
• The set: A few flats and some roll-out standalone pieces is for a community theatre, not the St. James. It relied waaaaayyyy to heavily on their back screen for a good chunk of the effects.
• The choreography gap - what I mean here is that the dancers are DANCING and the choreography is on point and tap-heavy…but therein lies markedly observable deficiencies if you’re watching their feet at all. The knights all seemed a little unsure of their footwork more often than not, but I hope this will adjust in time with previews.

 

TL;DR - Wait until it’s frozen after previews, but go and have a dumb and fun time. It’s not brain surgery, it’s Monty Python

 

 

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 11/1/23 at 12:10am

I'm not going to see this because I'm not a fan of Spamalot. But I'm not too excited about the growing trend of these bare bones productions. It's fine when it's something super acclaimed like Into the Woods at Encores or a piece that benefits from a stripped down approach. But a show like Spamalot? That feels like it needs to be big so it's disappointing to hear the production design looks cheap even if the talent is strong.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 11/1/23 at 8:44am

I LOVED the original production. Saw it 5 or 6 times with multiple casts. Last night was excruciating to watch. Most everyone was trying WAY too hard, and Leslie Kritzer, in particular, was just painful to watch. Haven’t seen that much mugging going on since Times Square pre~Disney!  

[Alex M]

Posted: 11/1/23 at 9:09am

I saw the show last night, and it was a lot of fun. I was actually seated two rows in front of Ariana Grande. While it has nothing to do with the show, I was kind of surprised how very few people went up to talk or get a picture with her. But from when people approached, she was very friendly and courteous when taking pictures, which gave me a lot of respect.

Now, back to the show, once again, it was a lot of fun. I genuinely laughed a lot at the more updated jokes that were included. Unfortunately, some of the more dated jokes haven't aged as well and seemed overly long at times. The cast was all stellar, with Christopher Fitzgerald, Michael Urie, and Leslie Kritzer standing out for me. I could see all three receiving Tony nominations, especially Kritzer, whose improvisational moment during Camelot had me catching my breath from laughing so much. It was also genuinely nice to see actors actually breaking character from laughing, as opposed to the planned breaking we've been seeing recently.

I think it's very clear they are planning to tour this production, as the set already looks like a tour set. I wouldn't say to spend a ton on this, but I really did enjoy myself and will definitely be returning just to see new ad-libs and such.

[DannyZuko1972]

Posted: 11/1/23 at 10:04am

I'll be seeing this at the end of the month - it'll be my first Broadway show! Love all things Monty Python, love this show (saw it at Stratford this past summer), and am excited to check out this production.