Spamalot!!!-aka Christian Borle kicks ass.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 12:54am

Let me start off by saying that this show is going to make Christian Borle a star. And I couldn't be happier for him. Sure, I'm a bit partial, I've loved him to death ever since I first met him when I said, "you are way better than the other guy" to which his responce was, "now, that's not what's important". But really, he's one of the nicest folks you will ever meet, and adorable to boot. So anyways, I was expecting him to be in the chorus, but the truth of the matter is, he is the real star of this show. He plays about five different chartacters. He is a chameleon. He's the first actor to step foot on stage. When he came out, I was the only person to applaud him. At the curtain call, he recieved massive cheers. AND when he exited the stage door, the crowd went nuts for him. EVERYONE knew who he was. Seeing him so happy, grinning ear to ear, was like this strange fuel of pride and excitement I have for him. And I've got to tell you, I saw him a hundred times in Millie. And no one ever stopped him once. So yay for Christian. It will be nice to hear people say "Oh that's Christian Borle" instead of "Oh, that's Sutton Foster's boyfriend."

Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce, and Hank Azaria were all great. Their characters were funny. The thing that bothered me, was none of them seemed to venture out. They all three played characters that they usually play. It was all same old same old, with nothing unusual. They have played those same character types a billion times.

Sara Ramirez was something else. She had the absolute best number in the whole show- "The Diva's Lament". I don't think I've ever seen her on stage before today, but I am a new devoted fan of hers for life now. She blew me away.

Chris Sieber was one of the other highlights of the show for me. He has great comedic timing, and his facial expressions are priceless. His diva Glinda/Chenoweth-esque hair flicks got a little old, and annoying after a while, but the way he is on stage made all forgivable. The stage absolutely loves him. And he seems to outshine most everyone when he's on it.

There are FANTASTIC moments in this show, but some times it seems to drag. If I told you about some of the scenes, you probably wouldn't even believe me. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but there are some definate tributes to the musical theatre world. Go see this show! It's really cute.

I can see how everyone says it's going to be the next "Producers". There are quite a few similarities. I still think it is going to be pretty hard for it to compete with DRS.

Updated On: 2/20/05 at 12:54 AM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 12:55am

Christian Borle is in Spamalot?!?!
YAY!!!!

[ShuQ]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 12:57am

Great review...I think the show will do good things for more than one person...

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 12:58am

Not only is he in it, but he's got the best parts.

I'm not sure what the Tony nominee qualifications are, but I certainly hope he gets some recognition for this show. I don't really see why he couldn't get a nod for Best Featured actor.

[Joshua488]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 12:58am

Right? I had no idea that Christian Borle is in SPAMALOT! That's great!

He's an amazing talent. I absolutely ADORE him on the PRODIGAL cast recording.

[CJR]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 12:58am

Were you there at the matinee today? I was there.... though I was far away from the crowd, waiting for a friend from the theatre to get off work. I was standing in the alley, leaning against the wall by the Booth Stage Door.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 1:00am

i've heard such great things about christian in this. yay for him and sutton doing so well right now! so here's the real question though, will the show only appeal to monty python fans? that's what i'm really worried about. is the score anything good?

[little_sally]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 1:00am

Everyone I know got all excited when it was announced Tim Curry, Hank Azaria, and David Hyde Pierce were doing this show. I on the other hand, was excited to hear about Christian Borle and Chris Sieber. It's nice to hear they're so well received in this show.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 1:05am

I completely agree, Christian Borle is a BIG standout in Spamalot. He deserves a Tony nomination for his portrayals.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 1:05am

CJR-Yes, I did see the matinee!
Damn it, I wish I would have seen you.

I do think this show will appeal to everyone, apdarcey. There are references to musicals that you would absolutely get.

Joshua-I'm a big fan of Prodigal as well!!!

[commasplice]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 2:05am

YAY for Christian Borle! I didn't find out he was in it until maybe a couple days before I went, so I was excited to see him because I'd only heard him in recordings before. And I was not at all disappointed. He's so great in this show. Every part he did was great, but he killed me as Prince Herbert. I want him to get a Tony nod, but I'm afraid he's going to get overshadowed by the big names. Gah, I hope not. And I'm so glad the crowd is showing him so much love :)

(hee, I'm so geeky and giddy.)

[Razz77]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 2:42am

Christian Borle is playing the roles that Jesse Tyler Ferguson was originailly cast in, I believe. (Ferguson is doing Spelling Bee now, instead --- so I guess they have both found their success)

[Jon]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 7:53am

Will SPAMALOT only appeal to Monty Python fans? Does THE PRODUCERS only appeal to Mel Brooks fans? Did The Full Monty and Thoroughly Modern Millie only appeal to fans of the original movies?

If you saw the movie and HATED it, you probably won't care for the musical. If you never saw the movie, but like really really funny shows, you'll probably love it.

Unless you're one of those people who says, "I just don't GET British humor", which, I've discovered, really means, "They talk with funny accents, and you have to actually LISTEN to what they are sayng!"

[playbill_signer_05]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 10:04am

Christian Borle is AWESOME! He is soooooo funny, especially as Prince Herbert.

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 10:07am

Christian Borle is amazing! I really want to see Spamalot! And yeah, he's also extremely nice.

[playbill_signer_05]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 10:15am

And don't forget Micheal McGrath [Patsy]! He is awesome too!

[CJR]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 11:28am

Chrysanthemum, I didn't actually see the show.. I was just there waiting for a friend from the theatre to get off work.... you probably saw *him* though lol (cute guy, big, came out the stage door every once in a while with one of the stars.... wearing a black leather jacket and a Spamalot hat)

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 1:42pm

Oh man, Prince Herbert is one of the best characters in the whole of Monty Python. Who else does he play?

"Mother?"
"It's father."
"Err Father...but I don't want LAND..I just want to, sing!"

[Jon]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 1:45pm

He plays:
The Historian/Narrator
The old man who's "Not Dead Yet!" (has a song)
The minstrel who sings of "Brave Sir Robin"
One of the French Guards (not the main one)
and Prince Herbert (who, of course, sings a lot)

He was originally also one of the villagers in the witch burning scene, but that was cut. Updated On: 2/20/05 at 01:45 PM

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 1:51pm

Yeah, and the minstrel has a great song too!

CJR- I left after talking to Christian so I think I did miss him. But I will be sure to look for him next time!!!

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 2:47pm

Haha!

Who does each person play? Is there an actual list somewhere or would someone be willing to type one up quickly. Like what Jon did with Christian's parts.

[commasplice]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 3:02pm

I typed it up when I first saw the show.. here you go :) (this is from the Chicago Playbill; other than Sara's parts, I don't know if anything changed)

Tim Curry - King Arthur
Christopher Sieber - Sir Dennis Galahad, The Black Knight, Prince Herbert’s Father
David Hyde Pierce - Sir Robin, Villager 1, Guard 1, Brother Maynard
Hank Azaria - Sir Lancelot, Villager 3, French Taunter, Knight of Ni, Tim the Enchanter
Sara Ramirez - The Lady of the Lake (formerly also the Witch and the Cow)
Christian Borle - the Historian, Dad/Old Man, Villager 2, French Guard, Minstrel, Prince Herbert
Michael McGrath - Mayor, Patsy, 2nd Guard
Steve Rosen - Sir Bedevere, Galahad's Mother, Concorde
Kevin Covert - Sir Not Appearing
Greg Reuter - French Guard, Minstrel
Brad Bradley - Sir Bors, Minstrel
Emily Hsu - Minstrel, Ensemble
Thomas Cannizzaro - French Guard, Ensemble
Ensemble: Jennifer Frankel, Lisa Gadja, Jenny Hill, Abbey O'Brien, Ariel Reid, Brian Shepard, Scott Taylor

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 3:11pm

Thanks comma :)

[LittleFish8386]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 5:09pm

It says on IBDB that Jesse Tyler Ferguson is in the cast, but he is in Spelling Bee right now, so I was just wondering what the story was with that, esp since Bee is moving to Broadway....





Christian is adorable.

[loudasthehelliwant]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 5:10pm

Before seeing Spamalot, I had no idea who the heck Christian Borle was. After the show, I basically looked him up in the playbill b/c I was so impressed. He was AWESOME in this show. He seriously deserves recognition, and its really a shame that DHP, Tim Curry, Hank Azaria, and Sara Ramirez (though also very, very good) are overshadowing him so.