Broadway hit ‘Spamalot’ leaves crowd in laughter and song

The touring Broadway musical of Monty Python's "Spamalot" evoked laughter, audience participation and even a singalong as it made its stop at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center on Jan. 15.

Based on the 1974 British film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," the musical follows the medieval legend of King Arthur and his knights of the "very, very, very round table" as they embark on a quest from God to find the cup used at the Last Supper, the Holy Grail.

Abbey Doering, a senior elementary education major, arrived at "Spamalot" with a knowledge of the shenanigans that might take place from previously seeing the film.

"I was expecting like the main highlights (of the movie), but I wasn't really sure how they would fit all the songs into it," she said.

The show featured approximately 21 songs and several geographical locations. These set changes were accomplished by moving smaller set pieces within an outline of a towering castle on the outer edge of the stage.

Solid-colored objects, such as large clouds or trees, provided a background for projections of images or words that were occasionally used to further enhance the set. Two large feet representing God were also used in a scene. The feet shot out jets of haze that made them look like rockets as they were lifted off the stage.

Several actors played more than one role in the show, so the costumes in "Spamalot" were used to help distinguish these different characters.

Occasionally, the dialogue featured in the production was directed toward the audience. Sometimes, references were made to televisions or modern day inventions that would not have been a part of medieval life in England.

Some of the songs included in the show were "He is Not Dead Yet," "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" and "Knights of the Round Table."

"One thing is, I haven't been able to catch all of the words in the songs, because they are a little fast," Doering said.

However, some students were impressed with the musical quality of the actors.

"I really like the woman singer," senior interpersonal communication major Mariah Lockie said of Brittany Woodrow, who played the Lady of the Lake. "Her voice is incredible."

A story featured on the University of Northern Iowa's homepage informed students that cast member Jacob Smith graduated with a degree in communication from UNI. His relation to the university was mentioned in the show during a scene with some improvised dialogue. Smith was given a loud round of applause in comparison with some of the other actors at the end of the show.

The show concluded with a scene of the frustrated knights asking God to provide them with a sign that would lead them to the Holy Grail. God's sign said that the key to finding the Holy Grail was in seat D101. A woman from the audience who was sitting seat D101 was called to the stage, given a certificate and had her picture taken with members of the cast. King Arthur said the woman's name would go down in Cedar Falls history like "Kurt Warner and T.C.," which led to copious amounts of applause from the UNI students in attendance.

During the curtain call, a canon shot confetti into the audience and lyrics to one of the songs was projected on clouds. Audience members were encouraged to sing along with the cast to the song.

Jennifer Messer, a junior English major, chose to attend "Spamalot" as part of an assignment for her Visual Perceptions class. She had never seen the film or been exposed to "Monty Python" before.

"It was kind of what I was expecting, but it's so random and interesting," she said.

Lockie said the musical lived up to what she expected, but was performed at a fast pace.

"In between the switching of songs and actors, it's so smooth that they keep you intrigued the entire time and I always keep wondering what's going to be next," Lockie said. "Even though I've seen parts of it before, I'm still questioning ‘oh my goodness, what's going to happen?' It keeps me on the edge of my seat."