What is the shelf life of British sketch-company Monty Python? How to keep its bits, catchphrases and characters, now fifty years old, fresh out of the can?
The ongoing Broadway tour of Spamalot (directed by Josh Rhodes) is a revival of a 2005 Tony Award-winning musical, based on the 1975 classic comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, with book and lyrics by Eric Idle and music by John du Prez and Eric Idle. The original production featured a stunning cast including Tim Curry, David Hyde Pearce, Hank Azaria, and the breakout performance of Sara Ramírez as Lady of the Lake. It recreated the plot, dialogue, and gags of the the film closely. Indeed, most of its best jokes are word-for-word reenactments of scenes from The Holy Grail. The musical is a nostalgia trip, an opportunity to relive the former magic of a once revolutionary brand of comedy that brought British music hall kitsch, surrealism, and anarchy to the cinema.
Twenty years later, the touring rendition of the musical feels like a nostalgia trip itself, a throwback to when Spamalot brought something fresh, subversive, and witty to Broadway. With new songs, it parodied musical theatre, writ large, including “The Song that Goes Like This” and “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway.” Now, scores of shows have given Broadway the same treatment (a recent heir to the meta-mockery musical is Titanique, a send up of the movie and Céline Dion). To wit, what was once innovative about Spamalot is at this point traditional.
The touring production offers an opportunity to reminisce rather than to reinvent. All revivals, to varying degrees, face this challenge. It is incumbent on the company to breath new life into the piece, to find ways to surprise, mixing the tried and true with the unique. Spamalot, however, poses additional barriers. So many of the jokes come from one of the greatest comedies ever made. Fans of the film have been quoting iconic lines like “I’m not dead yet” and “I fart in you general direction” ad naseum for decades. How is an actor supposed to deliver these lines without sounding like ersatz versions of the Pythons?
The cast of the touring company manage to sprinkle in a few topical references, such as singing tunes from KPop Demon Hunters and quoting local commercials, but these are modest gags that do little to enliven the entire thing. The result seems like a facsimile that only made me want to rewatch The Holy Grail.
Although energetic and committed, the cast often rushes the jokes or overdoes the accents (which are often hard to understand). An exception is Major Attaway as King Arthur, who strolls through the production confidently, patiently, evoking comfort and grace as he delivers the jokes on just the right key. Amanda Robles as the Lady of the Lake sings with impressive range and bravado, her solos earning applause.
The production design is sumptuous, a medieval banquet for the eyes. The show requires actors to play multiple characters, and Jen Caprio’s vast costuming helps transform them seamlessly. Dynamic screen projections and elaborate scenery by Paul Tate dePoo III transition the stage from country castle to Vegas-style lounge to spooky forest. Spamalot cheerily dazzles as it urges the audience to “Find Your Grail” and “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.” I, however, craved the rebellious irreverence of the classic Monty Python over the safe, feel-good energy of the current touring production, which was, like spam, comforting and bland.
Spamalot at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston, October 8 – 11, 2026.
This post was written by the author in their personal capacity.The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of The Theatre Times, their staff or collaborators.
This post was written by Matthew McMahan.
The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.