Stage Review - Monty Python’s Spamalot (WWCA)
Stage Review - Monty Python’s Spamalot
Presented By: Western Washington Center for the Arts (WWCA) - Port Orchard, WA
Date Reviewed: Sunday, May 21, 2023
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
If I’m being completely honest here, when I see what I consider to be a large show on the schedule at the Western Washington Center for the Arts (WWCA), I enter with a certain amount of trepidation. Usually it goes one of two ways. Either the show feels bloated, way too big for the space, or whomever is directing it finds creative ways to tell a big story in a small space. WWCA clocks in at just about 80 seats, and it’s unique shape creates a secondary set of challenges. So, when I saw Monty Python’s Spamalot, which I consider to be on the larger end of the spectrum, on the schedule for this season, I was of two minds. First, I love Spamalot so it’s something I was definitely looking forward to as a fan, and second, I wondered how directors Rebecca Ewen and Dan Estes were going to pull this off. With this all in mind, I walked into WWCA for Sunday’s matinee performance with an open mind, and what I realized very quickly is that they’ve done it right. From casting, to creative scenic design, Rebecca and Dan have captured all of the magic and humor that is Spamalot and produced a winner of a show.
The humor of Monty Python is not for everyone, it’s characteristically English, it’s satire mixed with a dash of farce, it’s extremely dry and absolutely absurd. The musical premiered on Broadway in 2005 and was quickly nominated for 14 Tony Awards, winning three, including Best Musical. Spamalot itself isn’t what you’d call plot heavy, it’s more of a mashup of scenes tied loosely together by a simple premise. It is loosely based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but it’s more of a Monty Python greatest hits package, including many of the familiar Holy Grail moments, but also pulling extensively from the troupe’s Flying Circus library of sketches, or other films including Life of Brian. In a nutshell, the musical tells the story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, all on a mission from God to find the Holy Grail, the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper. Their quest takes them through all of the places a Monty Python fan would hope for, through France where they’re heckled by a group of angry Frenchmen, the Vegas-like Camelot, and a dark and very expensive forest where, yes, the group goes to find a shrubbery. Along the way, it’s one crazy and chaotic adventure after another, bouncing from Monty Python skit to Monty Python skit, each one sillier than the last.
The group of merry men is led, of course, by King Arthur, played in the WWCA production by Jonathan Bill. If there’s anyone around Kitsap that seems more perfect to play this role than Jonathan, I haven’t seen him. Tall in stature, he wears the King Arthur character like a well-tailored suit, with his booming baritone and full command of the stage. His counterpart, Patsy, is handled easily by Gary Fetterplace. It’s not just that Gary has a knack for this type of oddball role, he’s clearly extremely comfortable with both the subject matter and with his liege and its actor. Gary and Jonathan have a wonderful chemistry together, evidenced especially in “I’m All Alone” in Act 2. Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table are just as well cast. Michael Drake’s Lancelot, Alex Clark’s Sir Galahad, and Courtney Turnley’s Sir Bedevere are each uniquely suited for their parts. Lancelot is maybe not the same Lancelot from the legend, and Michael nails the reveal while Alex’s Galahad does a wonderful riff explaining the various forms of government. They’re all more than capable singers and execute Rebecca Ewen’s choreography, which is perfectly Python, superbly. Rounding out the merry men is Abby Dickson as Sir Robin. Sir Robin, who wishes he were maybe a bit braver, is in good hands with Abby. She’s funny without playing it funny, the way good comedy should be. It’s been nice to see Abby progress through her roles over the past few years, gaining more confidence on stage and showing more facets to her ability with every show, both vocally and through her acting. Similarly, it’s fun to see Erik Lawrence, who is in the ensemble in this production of Spamalot, break out into more varied characters, as he has done in this last few roles. His projection is among the best in the group, along with Abby, Michael Drake, and Lady of the Lake Lesley Niemi, and his Prince Herbert is hilarious.
Speaking of the Lady of the Lake, it is indeed Lesley Niemi who plays the watery tart, on whose handing out of a sword is what Arthur’s form of government is based. Whether in “The Song That Goes Like This” (and its many reprises) or “Find Your Grail”, Lesley nails the enchantress wonderfully, with a voice that soars and mannerisms that define satire. Every performance by the entire group is excellent and kudos as well to the rest of the ensemble. Spamalot has accents a-plenty, the cast is more than up to each of them, and their ability to jump from one role to another through each part of the quest shows their agility, but it also keeps the show moving swiftly. And it wouldn’t be a Monty Python musical without a little tap dancing, choreographed here by the excellent Elizabeth Dangelo. There are two tap numbers in the show, the second act dance in “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”, set in that very expensive forest, is top shelf.
Spamalot is a show that knows its space and uses it well. There are plenty of times that Rebecca and Dan could have gone too big, but their direction and Gary Fetterplace’s set design keep the show well within its guardrails. From the “trojan rabbit”, to the cave containing the killer rabbit (noticing a theme here?), the set pieces are sized right. The use of trap doors within castle walls as well as the use of space behind said walls is very creative, and is right inline with what you’d expect from a Python show. Set on a bigger stage, Spamalot has room to get a lot heftier, but kudos to the creative team for understanding the limitations of the space and working within them. I also get the feeling that both the creative team, as well as the actors, get Monty Python, since it’s not just that not everyone will like, or get, this brand of humor, but the actors performing it need to be able to deliver it. Through dialogue and song, mannerisms and movement, it’s all there.
Monty Python’s Spamalot at WWCA captures all of the magic and silliness of the Flying Circus, delivering on a show that could skew big, but doesn’t. It’s cast delivers the humor, the music, the dancing, and the joy that this show is intended to produce. It’s such a fun show and the perfect example that when a creative cast and crew love and appreciation of source material, the care they take in producing something wonderful is evident.
Spamalot runs on stage at Western Washington Center for the Arts in Port Orchard through June 4. For more information and tickets, visit https://www.wwca.us/.
Photo credit: Forty Foot Photography