For all the Monty Python fans on this list: I went to see Spamalot last weekend, and wound up making my Broadway stage debut.
First, I loved the play. It is extremely well done, and very, very funny. I expected it to be a rehash of the movie (Monty Python and the Holy Grail), but it was much more than that. They do follow the basic plot of the movie. They include all the bits that real Python fans want to see, including, Bring out your Dead/ I'm not dead yet, the knight who gets all his limbs cut off but still wants to keep fighting, the killer rabbit, the Knights who say Ni, the French Knights who taunt the British, the Trojan rabbit, the catapulted cow, etc. There is also, however, a lot of new material. They parody a number of Broadway hits, including Phantom, Les Mis, Chorus Line, and, especially, Fiddler on the Roof. The knights doing the dance from Fiddler is just hilarious. They also take on the gay marriage issue in the play. At the end of the play, they find the clue to the location of the holy grail, but they are not bright enough to figure it out. The hand of god come down from above and points to one of the seats in the first row. Sure enough, the grail is found under the seat. The occupant of that seat (which was me at this performance) gets dragged onstage and is honored as "the Best Peasant." Needless to say, given my heritage, I was proud to be recognized as the peasant that I am. They asked my name, and than sang a musical number to "Dan Matyola." Really, they all actually remembered the name. I got a trophy, a certificate and hugs from the knights (but not from the Lady of the Lake or her dancing girls!) They also took my picture, which is at: http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=3243389 I'm the one not dressed like a knight, Tim Curry is to my left, David Hyde Pierce in front of me, and Hank Azaria to my right in chain mail. It was quite an evening. In any event, the play is spectacular, and everyone should see it if the can, not only Python fanatics. Dan M Daniel J. Matyola Stanley, Powers & Matyola 78 Grove Street Somerville, NJ 08876 (908)725-3322 ________________________________________________________________ Sent via the KillerWebMail system at stanleypmlaw.com
