Spamalot
Masqueraders Theatrical Society, Abbey Theatre Nuneaton
7th June 2023
‘Spamalot’ is one of those musicals which lends itself brilliantly to amateur theatre groups, with plenty of irreverent humour, fourth-wall breaking and tongue-in-cheek self awareness. The musical, based on the 1975 film “Monty Python & The Holy Grail”, conquered Broadway back in 2005 when the legendary Tim Curry took on the role of the hapless King Arthur, which he reprised for the West End the following year. Brilliantly bonkers, the show is the latest choice for the Masqueraders Theatrical Society, who are performing it all this week at the Abbey Theatre in Nuneaton.
The show follows King Arthur (played by Sam Asbury) as he travels across the country trying to recruit knights to come and join him to Camelot at his famous round table. He’s accompanied by his loyal manservant Patsy (Richard Yates), who follows behind him making horse hoof sounds with two coconuts as Arthur “rides”. This is just the start of the madness, as the journey sees them meeting plague-victim-corpse-collector Sir Robin (Alex Lewis), closeted swordsman Sir Lancelot (Chad Fletcher), political radical Sir Galahad (Andy Ward), and divine diva The Lady Of The Lake (Fern O’Brien), who helps keep Arthur on track in his quest as he deals with peasants who aren’t quite dead yet, obnoxious French soldiers, killer rabbits, and the infamous Knights Who Say Ni.
Retaining all of the best jokes from its cinematic source material and throwing even more new ones in for good measure, ‘Spamalot’ is an absolute hoot. Eric Idle’s timeless sense of British humour hasn’t aged, and rarely a minute goes by without genuine laughter coming from the audience. The show ramps the silliness up to 11 and runs with it until the wheels fall off, and is an absolute delight. The songs (by John Du Prez with lyrics by Idle) are equally daft, with clever and witty lyrics and full of references to other musicals which theatre fans will love, along with the all-time crowd-pleaser “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life”.
The Masqueraders have done themselves proud here, and delivered a brilliantly enjoyable night out, fully embracing the nutty nature of the show and giving the audience a great time. Director Angela Adams ensures that nothing is ever taken seriously for a moment, and keeps it flowing with a good sense of pace. The sets are endearing simple which adds to the charm, and even a few inevitable staging mishaps at the first performance felt in-keeping with the musical’s off-kilter sensibilities. The songs are staged well and sound great, led by musical director David Adams. Choreography (Gemma Eales) is well thought out and uses the space well. Some of the ensemble could perhaps give the numbers a touch more energy to appear a bit livelier, but it’s a small niggle and generally it’s performed well.
The Masqueraders are fortunate to have some really strong performers in their midst who really buy into the endearing stupidity of the piece and do a great job here. The leads are all fantastic, but particular standouts are Alex Lewis as Sir Robin and Andy Ward as Sir Galahad with their brilliant comedic timing, and also Fern O’Brien who has a fantastic voice and delivers a great “leading diva” performance which feels not far from professional quality.
If you’re a Python fan, or just in need of a laugh right now, the Masqueraders’ ‘Spamalot’ is just the anarchic tonic for you. It may not be the best musical ever written, but it’s probably the funniest, and this talented bunch do it real justice here. They’re certainly living on the “bright side of life” with this production, and we’re looking forward to seeing what they have in store next.
Photos credit: Eve Swap
