Monty Python’s Spamalot presented by the Brisbane Academy of Musical Theatre
Directed by Shaun McCallum
Hayward Street Studios, Stafford
9-26th June, 2021
Dr Gemma Regan
The spammed-up hilarious BAMT production of Spamalot has it all!
An excited Spamalot audience of all ages were greeted by an elaborate set with a towering castle ingeniously constructed from hundreds of office boxes at the Hayward Street Studios at Stafford. Monty Python’s Spamalot has been performed regularly around the World since it stormed Broadway in 2004-2005 winning three Tony Awards and 14 nominations! It has been “lovingly ripped off” by Python Eric Idle from the iconic 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Over three generations of fans can quote it verbatim with the insult that “your mother was a hamster and your father smells of elderberries,” often coming in handy in times of conflict!
As a product of mother England, the land of the Pythons and King Arthur, I am also a massive fan and a devotee to the craziness that is Monty Python. Everyone in the audience also seemed to be a Python fan quoting along at each stage and often laughing before the delivery. This could have been daunting to the students of BAMT, but instead, the cast seemed to relish it revelling in the silliness, resulting in their performance being even funnier than the original! The energy from the student performers was electric and their exuberance for each number was infectious with the audience participating in every song.
The Fisch schlapping number was hilarious and a tribute to the Flying Circus act in 1972. It has no relevance to Arthur gathering his knights to find the Holy Grail and so is typically Pythonesque. The multiple glitzy costumes designed by Ella Bordeaux were outstanding and the choreography by Callum Mansfield rivalled that of Busby Barclay.
The French Taunter played by Madeleine Harper was “Magnifique” being even ruder and ‘Frencher’ than Cleese himself, “I’m French why do you think I have this outrageous accent, you silly king!”. There were so many rude lines that she hammed or should I say ‘spammed’ to perfection. “You don’t frighten us, English pig-dogs! Go and boil your bottoms, you sons of a silly person! I blow my nose at you, so-called ‘Arthur King,’ you and all your silly English K-nig-uts”.
King Arthur, played astutely by Jordan Butler was regal and snobby until he shrieked “run away” to his knights after the taunter screamed “Fetché la Vache” to lob over the castle wall at them. Harper was multifaceted as the serious narrator, the rude French taunter and then terrifying with a skilled ear for an accent as the enigmatic Glaswegian, Tim the Enchanter.
Patsy, King Arthur’s servant and pachyderm played by Joshua Sowter, was hilarious. As Arthur bemoaned through song that he was all alone Patsy exclaimed in indignation “So what am I, chopped liver?…I'm here you twat!”
Eleanor Grieve had a powerful vibrant voice which she used to full effect as the Lady in the Lake, especially when she lamented that she wasn’t featured in the show enough. Sir Galahad (Cristian Robba Coley) was eloquent and suave, flicking his long blond hair whilst the girls displayed his name across their bums.
The handsome and until then, masculine Sir Lancelot (Toby Redwood) discovered his more feminine side when he started appreciating the curtains and pretty dress of Prince Herbert (Sam Caruana). Sir Robin (Kelsey Todd) had his embarrassing issues with incontinence, it can’t be Python without some bottom jokes! Fortunately, it was the French Taunter and not the constantly evacuating Sir Robin who exclaimed “I’ll wave my private parts at your aunties!”
Shaun McCallum’s spammed-up hilarious BAMT production of Spamalot has it all and certainly gives the Broadway production and the original movie a run for its money. I urge you all to see it “you cheesy load of secondhand electric donkey bottom biters!”