Spamalot Review - from a Monty Python (and Holy Grail) Fan

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 4:32pm

Sunday, May 22, 2005

Matinée

"Spamalot, Scamalot"

What happens when you mix a hilarious movie, a bunch of "named" actors, and the rudest audience ever? Well, in one word, Spamalot. But don't be fooled. Somehow the equation also causes a long, drawn out show which makes you read to fall off your seat asleep! Does Spamalot live up to the hype? No. Does it live up to its movie counterpart. No.

This season, we have had a lot of comedies open on Broadway. You know things have gone terribly wrong with Spamalot when you walk out of the theatre saying, "Well, All Shook Up was a lot funnier." Yet somehow, this is what I did. Spamalot is mindless fun that leaves empty.

Somewhere in Spamalot, in the second act, the show suddenly became downright stupid and made me very uncomfortable. Not in a good, Cabaret way. But in a, "Dear G-d (or John Cleese as it were), when will this theatre-mocking trite end?"

The score is passable, even a lot of fun. The lyrics are funny and witty, but get old quickly. In the movie, there was no character called "Lady of the Lake" (in fact, there was no female lead in the movie). I don't know what I would have done if Eric Idle did not create this female character. Sara Ramirez stole the show right out from under the "British knights dancing around in wooley tights." She was a sparkling gem in a pile of cow dung, most likely created by the flying cow. Hank Azaria also stood out as the belligerent knight Lancelot and the tauning French Taunter. This, the French castle, scene along with all of Sara Ramirez's bits, most notably the Phantom of the Opera (aka "Song That Goes Like This") and "Diva's Lament" scenes, David Hype Pierce Pierce's "How to Succeed on Broadway," and Michael McGrath's Patsy were just about the only enjoyable moments of the show.

Now that the Tony nominations have come out, I must say I feel horrible for David Hyde Pierce, whose performance was infinitely better than Tim Curry's. Curry could have fallen off the stage through the Lady of the Lake's trap door fall I could care - he added nothing to the show. In fact, he was more bloody annoying then anything. Sure he made me laugh, rather smile, but that was mainly because I couldn't understand how he was nominated. He did almost nothing to be outstanding and even less to impress. Of the actors nominated, only Azaria and McGrath are deserving of the nomination and Sara Ramirez is deserving of the win.

The sets were all very well done and very predictable. There was nothing overly special about them (as is the case with the whole show). Mike Nichols' direction was funny, but again, just funny. The most of the show was staged well, I was waiting for something extravagent to happen. The only thing of extravagence to occur was my loss of $100.

As I said before, the score and lyrics were good, not great. Fun and enjoyable, but that's it. I laughed, but wasn't floored, as in such a show as, well, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

When Spamalot was first announced, many people sad that this will attract non-theatergoers to Broadway. Perhaps this was the worst thing that could have happened. The audience of Spamalot was obnoxious, rude, and lacked any ounce of theatre-etiquette. More than 5 times I was forced to turn around and tell people behind us to be quiet. Their children were arguing, the little kid in front of me kept standing on the chair and his mother did not seem to care.

When I leave a show I usually can tell how much I liked it by whether or not I would see it again. Maybe it's because I cannot stomach sitting in a crowd of inconsiderate pricks, but I will not return to Spamalot (at least not at fall price).

Congratulations to Sara, Hank, David, Michael for standing out in an over-produced, undeserving-of-any-recognition, show.

-------

As far as the Tony's go: DRS is far more deserving of the Tony than Spamalot. As for which is funnier, the answer is simple. DRS floored me with laughed. I could feel my gut about to explode. Spamalot made me laugh, but that's all. It had no feeling or emotion like DRS.

Updated On: 5/23/05 at 04:32 PM

[zepka102]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 4:46pm

wow, thanks for the honest review... i am still deciding if i wanna see it or not

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 5:06pm

You should if you are a Python fan.

Also, it will be an experience.

Re-reading the review, it came out a little harsh, which is what it deserves.

As for it being compared to The Producers, TP is much better...

[Hanna from Hamburg]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 5:20pm

Sorry you didn't enjoy Spamalot. I agree that Hank Azaria and Sara Ramirez are the standouts in the show. I had a good time when I went to Spamalot, but I went in expecting silly fun. DEFINITELY, it's no competition for the brilliance of The Producers. I also feel that DRS is more deserving of best musical than Spamalot.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 5:21pm

I guess I had fun, while it lasted but didn't leave me happy.

When I left DRS and ASU, I was smiling for days.

It was more exciting for me to meet Alix Korey!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 5:29pm

To each his own. It's one of the funniest shows I've seen. But then, I saw it before most of the hype and before any reviews. But then, I don't really pay much attention to hype. Otherwise, I'd probably have enjoyed Aida and All Shook Up more than I did and would have more interest in seeing Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, of which I've had none (other than finally getting to see Joanna Gleason perform). I saw all three tryouts of Spamalot, Sweet Charity and All Shook Up and both Spam and Charity were better than the mildly pleasant, yet baffling mess that was ASU. ASU had some fun songs and one great scene and that was about it. Spamalot had me laughing from beginning to end and walking out humming the tunes.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 5:32pm

Go see DRS.

If you don't like it, well, I don't know what to say....

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 5:36pm

I hope I will like it. I wasn't impressed with the CD, but maybe it's one of those you need to see to appreciate.

Like SPAMALOT!

YAY!!!

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 5:38pm

Yeah, I love the score of DRS - but I am a fan of Yazbek's.

But it is a lot funnier when you see the show.

[Ladyofthe Lake]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 5:43pm

Sorry you didn't like it. I didn't know if I would, but I adored it (and thank goodness for that, as it was the main reason for my trip to NYC, which entailed airfare, hotel and myriad other travel-related charges, in addition to a full priced orchestra seat ticket). As for your opinion of Tim Curry's performance...well, I won't even go there. Suffice it to say we disagree.

Also sorry you apparently saw it with an ill-behaved audience. Fortunately I didn't have that experience, so all I can say is it isn't that way all the time.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 5:48pm

Yeah, I will say that the audience took a little of my appreciaition out of it. It sort of put me in a bad mood.

But I didn't think it was as funny as it should have/could have been.

Also, compared to David and Hank, I don't think Tim impressed me much!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 5:51pm

And the rude audience thing isn't just a Spamalot thing. I'm sure there are the noisy Python fans, but I've encountered the same behavior at many other shows on Broadway and the West End. The Lion King audience is by far one of the worst. Assassins closing night was pretty bad, too. And I had a...what would you call a group of teenage girls? a catastrophe?...a catastrophe of teen Wicked fan females behind me at Wicked who would erupt with the most insanely shrill long and loud bouts of laughter at every Chenoweth moment, whether it was actually funny or not.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 5:55pm

I agree, and am not surprised about TLK (children) and Wicked (children too).

But I am talking about adults.

One time I saw Fiddler and there were Russian people behind us talking a lot. But this is a Russian custom, so I was upset but I guess it's different.

[Ladyofthe Lake]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 5:57pm

"Also, compared to David and Hank, I don't think Tim impressed me much!"

Yeah, when you said he could have fallen through the Lady of the Lake's trap door for all you cared, I kinda got that impression. I felt bad reading it, but opinions are what they are - and since it's all subjective, it's not like anyone can be proven "wrong". To me, his performance was exactly what it needed to be. For your sake, more than for his, I'm sorry you didn't feel that way. That being said, I very much enjoyed all the other performers as well - no exceptions.

Also for what it's worth, I enjoyed DRS very much...but didn't take it to my heart the way I did "Spamalot" (maybe part of it was resentment that the CD giveaway/signing was to take place three days *after* I left the city. Bah.). Still ordered the OCR, though. I don't like to hold grudges.

[ShuQ]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 6:00pm

Okay, I have to disagree with you that ASU was funnier. I loved both shows, but ASU has such a weak book...and it's so predictable.

[Prettylittlepicture2]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 6:06pm

I'd have to say, as crazy as this sounds, that I agree about Tim Curry. The supporting actors seemed to really wash him away. I also thought there was a very versatile ensemble.

I also would like to add that Christian Borle soon became my favorite part of the show. (He played 400,000 characters. The Historian, the minstrel, Prince Herbert, and many more.) It was miscellanious people like he who made the show worth it, and on the other hand, seemingly overshadowed Tim Curry.

I haven't heard a voice like Sara Ramirez's ever, I think. And her unique voice and perfect comedic skills really made her stand out. However, her voice sounds different on the OBCR than live, though not much. I prefered the 'live.'

To sum it all up neatly, I believe Tim Curry's performance was everything he was expected to bring. And he brought it head on. But it was people like Hank Azaria and Christian Borle who seemed to overshadow him at times, because they were so versatile.

[ShuQ]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 6:08pm

I agree plp2. and the thing about sara that blew me away is that she was so incredibly versatile...I don't feel like there is a part on Broadway she couldn't play. When I was playing it for a friend he didn't believe me that all the songs were the same girl.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 6:15pm

I agree plp2.

I think that Tim Curry didn't have a chance to be as wild and crazy, so to speak, as the other characters. However, to me, it didn't seem like he tried to go over the top. It was almost like he did what he did and that was that.

(I want to add I in now way wish for Tim to fall through the trap door. It was just an expression.)

Sara performed differently in the show. I think it would be annoying to listen to some things she did in the show on the CD because you had to see her facial expressions.

"ASU has such a weak book...and it's so predictable."

Call me crazy, but the book of ASU wasn't that bad. I mean, it was no great piece of theatre and wasn't original. But a lot of the jokes were funny.

Spamalot was also very predictable - not because of the movie, just because. Which is another thing. I know that MP has a lot of fans, so Eric Idle had to make the show resemble the movie - but I think David Yazbek made both DRS and TFM much funnier than their repsective movies.

[Ladyofthe Lake]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 6:17pm

As far as Tim Curry's performance was concerned...despite the fact he had the "lead" role, he was at a disadvantage when compared with virtually everyone else. He played one character, and not a character who got very much in the way of funny dialogue or songs. Being the straight man in a cast full of overtly comic performances is not a great way to stand out. He reacted to the lunacy around him, rather than being the source of the lunacy itself. No, he wasn't OTT, but I'm sure that was a deliberate creative choice. The man has built his career on being OTT; if Mike Nichols had wanted that from him, he could have delivered it in spades. I'd bet money (if I still *had* money after my NYC trip) that an OTT King Arthur was not what Mike or Eric Idle wanted. His function was to be the glue for this rather loosely plotted pseudo-revue, and that he was.

He's a lot more versatile than he got the opportunity to demonstrate. Anyone who doubts his ability to do multiple characters should just listen to one of his audiobook performances - he's brilliant, and his voice is the only tool at his disposal.

Updated On: 5/23/05 at 06:17 PM

[ShuQ]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 6:18pm

I just found the book for ASU to be totally boring...I was constantly looking forward to the next song.

And I also thought that Sara's vocal expressions would be hard to understand on CD...but you have to realize...she's singing about a grail, and knights, I don't think people are going to take her seriously. And I'm speaking from experience, after playing the CD for a friend who didn't see the show.

And in case you were wondering...I was a Spamalot fan before I even saw the MP movies...which was about a month ago.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 6:23pm

"And I also thought that Sara's vocal expressions would be hard to understand on CD...but you have to realize...she's singing about a grail, and knights, I don't think people are going to take her seriously. And I'm speaking from experience, after playing the CD for a friend who didn't see the show."

Exactly.

I guess it's not that I'm upset with Tim as upset that he was nominated for the mere fact that he's Tim curry, the lead of Spamalot. It wouldn't be so bad if David Hyde Pierce was nominated as well. I mean, I still thank no one in Spamalot holds a candle to Norbert Leo Butz - but it's principle.

[QuiteSo]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 6:43pm

(Warning: Major Python and Musical Theatre Geek Responding. Watch yourselves.)

I was extremely disappointed that DHP didn't get nominated - especially after he stopped the second act cold with "You Won't Succeed On Broadway..."! Ditto to Christian Borle - but then, I loved the entire cast of the show, and I suppose it's not possible for them all to get nominated. *sigh*

The thing about Tim Curry is, well, he's Tim Curry. I, personally, was elated to see him in such a role in a musical(!) based off of one of my favorite movies(!!!). He's a giant, the role is basically not his fit. That's my take on it - he's a fabulous, FABULOUS performer in a part that just isn't quite him. King Arthur is basically a straight-man role in the show - not much of an opportunity for silly voices or camp performances. I still absolutely loved him and thought he did quite admirably with what he had.

*Runs away from impending doom in the shape of a Trojan Bunny*

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 6:46pm

No, I guess he was OK...but just OK...

[Up In Lost]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 6:53pm

Yay you went and met Alix! And, good to know about Spamalot.

[JenD512]

Posted: 5/23/05 at 7:13pm

"All Shook Up" was FUNNIER than "Spamalot"?? What show were you people watching? I saw ASU last weekend and spend half the show trying to figure out at what point Elvis began rolling over in his grave. That show was awful.

I am a Monty Python fan, and a fan of musical theater. This means I know how behave at a show (despite knowing at least half the jokes beforehand), and so did the audience I saw it with.

And I thought Spamalot was unbelievably HILARIOUS. Between the Python humor and the musical theater spoofs, it was just flat-out funny. Tim Curry did not give a wasted performance--the man said more with a facial expression than any of his dialogue.

This is a funny show...and if you're worried that it's suddenly going to start attracting the wrong sort of audience, then maybe you were just at the wrong show. Sorry you didn't like it.

Ni!