Playhouse Square’s touring production of ‘Spamalot’ is ‘a silly place to visit’ and worth it

“I’m not dead yet”. “Just a flesh wound”, “I fart in your general direction”, “First shalt thou take out the holy pin.”“We are the knights that say “Ni”” and “Death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointed teeth.” are just a few of the many quotable lines from Monty Python’s “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” later to become the Broadway musical “Spamalot”. The title is a portmanteau (go ahead, look it up...I’ll wait…...you’re back? Good!) combining the words Spam and Camelot.

It is said by many (well maybe not many but at least a few...OK! It was just me!) that Monty Python has more quotable lines than the Bard of Avon himself (you know…“To Be Or not To Be” and all that) except Monty Python is quite a bit funnier.

With the rousing success of the “Holy Grail” movie and a shameless ploy to make more money from a single idea (maintaining a castle in England is expensive) Eric Idle (lyrics and book) teamed up with John Du Prez (music) to turn the classic comedy film into a West End and Broadway worthy show.

We follow the exploits of King Arthur (Major Attaway) as he roams the countryside with his faithful sidekick Patsy (Blake Segal) gathering up worthy knights or knightabees to become members of his round table. After a slight mix up with the cast (“Fisch Schlappin Song”)They pass through a dreary plague infested village complete with monks hitting themselves in the head with boards. Being a low budget production and in lieu of horses Patsy bangs together two coconut shells for the sound effect.

Patsy and King Arthur meet up with Robin (Sean Bell), an aspiring singer, writer of songs and collector of plague victims and Lancelot (Chris Collins-Pisano), a disposer of the sickly. They are quickly recruited. They then meet Dennis Galahad (Leo Roberts) and his mum (Ellis C. Dawson III) who debate the legitimacy of Arthur's rule. Galahad joins quickly followed by Bedevere (also Ellis C. Dawson III, in fact 14 actors take on 32 roles) and lastly Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Show (Connor Coughlin) makes a brief but noble appearance.

The troupe gathers at the Vegas themed Camelot once the task of recruiting is signed and sealed. They now need something to keep them busy and out of the hair of the general population. God (voice by either John Cleese, Eric Idle or Steve Martin depending on who you wish to believe) sends them off to find “The Holy Grail”.

As they travel on their quest they encounter a castle full of rude Frenchmen (an oxymoron if ever there was one), the Knights that say “Ni” (who demand shrubbery AND a Broadway show), Tim the Enchanter, the killer rabbit, The Black Knight, some audience participation and etc. all finishing up with a sing-along of “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life”. Be forewarned that portions of the show are definitely adult themed and not suitable for young children.

Standouts include Amanda Robles (Lady of the Lake with her incredible voice), Steven Telsey taking on no less than eight roles (Historian, Not Dead Fred, Baby, Nun, Mime. Mistrel, Prince Herbert and Bunny), Chris Collins-Pisano and his four diverse roles (Sir Lancelot, The French Taunter, Knight of Ni and Tim the Enchanter), Blake Segal (Mayor, Patsy, Guard 2), Leo Roberts (Sir Galahad, The Black Knight and Prince Herbert’s Father), Ellis C. Dawson III (the hilarious Dennis Galahad’s mum, Sir Bedevere and Concorde), Lindsay Lee Alhady (Knights of the Round Table Dancer) and most important Major Attaway (King Arthur).

In period pieces such as these (no matter how ribald) costuming is key and Jen Caprio outfits everyone to the nines. Cory Pattak’s lighting design is sparkling. Kai Harada and Haley Parcher’s sound design is superb (especially in picking up the tap dancing sequences). Tom Watson’s hair and wig design sells the show. Most important is the stage design by Paul Tate and DePoo III literally building a castle in front of our eyes. The nine piece orchestra under the direction of Jonathan W. Gorst (keys 1) includes Shane Ffrench (Associate Music Director and keys 2), Brandon Wond (drums), Diana Pepelea-Vardi (violin and concertmaster), David McHenry (guitars), Chris Vance (bass), Michael McCann (reeds), Will Horner (Trombone) and Joe Miller (trumpet). The show is directed and choreographed superbly by Josh Rhodes.

For adult fans of Monty Python this show is a feast of one liners and quotables well loved since 1975 when the film premiered. The action is lighting fast as the just little over two hours wisk by at a breakneck pace. With this limited run do not delay on getting your tickets.

The Playhouse Square North American Tour Launch of “Spamalot” will be on stage in the Connor Palace Theatre at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio through December 6, 2025. For tickets and more information go to https://www.playhousesquare.org/ or call (216) 241-6000.