Spamalot Question

When I saw this show in London, when Patsy and the King sang "Always Look at the Bright Side of Life," I was startled to hear people near me singing along. I thought perhaps it was a one time thing, but when I saw the show again five months later, the same thing happened. Does this happen in New York as well? Also, is the song sung again at the curtain call, where everyone is encouraged to sing along?

ooh, I hate when audiences are encouraged to sing along or clap along. I'm not a puppet!

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Born to reign, "encouraged" doesn't mean you HAVE to do it. Personally I enjoy such sing-alongs.

Dancing thru Life -- that's a bit much -- shame on the teachers with those groups who didn't teach their students theatre ettiquette before getting there.

But you're right about the number of Python fans -- that seemed to be the case both times in London, because not everyone started singing during the show itself.

I never do, and I feel uncomfortable, like I look like a jerk. Especially in lotto seats at Rent. I came to hear them sing Seasons of Love, not to clap along to it.

Actually... SoL is probably the last song I came to see them sing, but it illustrates the point. They're welcome to do it, I just don't care for it.

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"Perhaps it's because the Pythons are based in England, and they perhaps have a larger fan base in England. "

This was my thought as well.

"Just because a song might be bouncy or singable, it doesn't mean people should go ahead and join, as it detracts from the performance. It isn't a concert which encourages audience participation. "

I think it depends on the show. Chitty, for example -- at least in London -- audience "participation" became almost the norm by the time the original cast left. In fact, the cast seemed to "feed" off the reactions, to even greater effect.

Updated On: 6/13/07 at 09:33 AM

I would have told him "no, if you want to sing that badly, get cast in the show!"

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I saw the show twice. The audience didn't sing at either performance. If they did, it wasn't loud enough for me to hear. They did however applaud at the beginning of the song on both occasions.