Spamalot

[lupestripe]

Wolfie and I have had an excellent evening at the theatre watching Spamalot. The tickets may have been a tad expensive but the show was hilarious, bringing together all the best bits of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and adding a satirical twist. Marcus Brigstock as Arthur was excellent, and the laid back almost nonchalent way he performed the part symbolised his fine acting skills. However, the show was stolen by Hayley Tamaddon (maybe Jodie Prenger as TR has pointed out, programme pictures aren't the greatest and I am crap at recognising faces), as The Lady of the Lake. Her singing voice sent shivers down my spine it was so good - she owned the stage with the power of her voice. All of the cast did an excellent job (including Todd Carty out of Grange Hill, remember him?) and it was a fantastic fun laugh-out loud affair, with plenty of local references too. The show only improved as it went along and we gave the cast a standing ovation at the end, after the obligatory singalong to Bright Side of Life. A thoroughly excellent evening all told, a great two hour yarn and some delicious pots of creamy ice-cream (I had strawberry). Top stuff :-)

Didn't get to eat any spam though, which is a shame.

Comments

[silent-o.livejournal.com]

Saw it on Broadway a few years back.

Excellent.

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

It debuted in Broadway I believe. It has come to my city for a week-long run. They are clearly touring the provinces with it hehe. I loved it, it was fantastic. Glad you enjoyed it too :)

[slinkat.livejournal.com]

You mean you got to bask in the glory of Todd Carty? I'm jealous. Not Lee McDonald jealous, but still...Todd Carty.

Top use of the word "Yarn", by the way :-)

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I didn't recognise who it was at first but it suddenly clicked. I thought he was familiar. A very good actor to be fair. The word 'yarn' is not used enough in popular parlance. I aim to change that :)

[tr-wolf.livejournal.com]

Todd Carty from Grange Hill? How old are you? Most people think of him from Eastenders, lol. Also I thought Jodie Prenger was the Lady of the Lake for the tour?

As for the show, I'm told that the touring production of Spamalot is actually very poor compared to the original London and Broadway shows, that it's been shortened a fair bit, and the once impressive sets are now not so.

But having said that, you had only seen this production, yet enjoyed it... and thats all that matters :)

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I am 27, so born in the last year he appeared in Grange Hill. I don't watch Eastenders but had an inkling he had performed in that too. You may be right about Prenger, I am really crap recognising faces.

I guess provincial theatres aren't as big as their London equivalents so less can be done regarding sets. It was about 1 hour 45 minutes long if you take out the intermission. It felt just about right in terms of time, but perhaps it could have been a tad longer.

It wouldn't surprise me if the show was not as good as London/Broadway but other factors probably play a role - in London/Broadway you tend to stay in the same theatre for months on end, which is not the case when you are touring. I guess the London crowd may be more discerning too. Having said that, it was great to see and the acting was top-notch, which is the main thing :)