Spamalot at the Paramount
On Saturday night Jana and I headed downtown to the Paramount to see Spamalot. When we were in New York a couple years ago Spamalot was the big buzz show, but it had sold out long before we tried to get tickets. After missing out on the show in New York, we were happy that the touring company came to Seattle and that we were finally able to go.
And that's what Spamalot is, one big happy time. Lots of goofiness, lots of looking on the bright side, lots of what you'd expect from a Monty Python musical. As advertised, Spamalot "loving" rips off classic Monty Python movies, mostly The Holy Grail and The Life of Brian. The most effective bits ("It's only a flesh wound," "I'm not dead yet," Knights who say "ni," Taunting French castle guards) are taken directly from the movies, and are still completely hilarious. Sometimes even more hilarious because they are even more over the top. The less effective bits parody other musicals, but they are still a good time.
You might notice, though, that I'm writing about bits instead of the whole musical. That's because Spamalot doesn't really hold together as a story with characters that you really care about. It's just a bunch of stuff that happens. Funny and charming stuff, but more like a comedic variety show than a classic musical.
So, there you have it. Spamalot is definitely a fun time out, especially for Monty Python fans, but it is far from the greatest musical of all time. Just lots and lots of fun.
In case you're wondering, here are my five favorite musicals:
- Avenue Q
- Les Miserables
- Rent
- Wicked
- Fiddler on the Roof
1 comment:
"but more like a comedic variety show than a classic musical"
That's probably a good thing to know before going to a show like this. If you're expecting a classic musical, you'll be disappointed.
I'm glad it's more of a comedic variety show, since that's really what the shows were all about.
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