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February 10, 2011 Culture » Entertainment Picks

Monty Python’s Spamalot 

Friday Feb. 11-Sunday Feb. 13 @ Kingsbury Hall

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When Monty Python’s Spamalot first visited Salt Lake City in 2007, it was a chance for recovering nerds of a certain age to revisit one of the most quotable films ever—and for others to learn about the twisted brilliance of 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail for the first time.

At first glance, it’s a bizarre conceit, as Monty Python alum Eric Idle turns the satirical tale of King Arthur into a musical, thereby attempting to appeal to audiences who would seem to be matter and anti-matter. But the show proved to be equal parts loving celebration of the Python legacy and loving celebration of musical-theater conventions—silly and smart, acid and affectionate.

Idle wastes no time demonstrating his goal of combining the familiar with the fresh, turning the film’s absurdist opening credits into the Finnish “Fisch Schlapping Dance.” Verbatim re-creations of memorable scenes are juxtaposed with witty, catchy new songs like the bombastic, Lloyd Weber-esque ballad “The Song That Goes Like This.” While some of the references may be dated in 10 years, most are timeless musical-theater touchstones.

Like Mel Brooks’ The Producers, this is a comedy-turned-musical from a creative mind that loves both comedy and musicals. When Spamalot’s joyous finale invites the audience to sing along with the Python classic “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” it’s a bridge between those who will hum the tunes after the show and those who knew all the words a generation ago.

Monty Python’s Spamalot @ Kingsbury Hall, 1395 E. Presidents Circle, University of Utah, 801-581-7100, Feb. 11-13, $25-$57.50, $15 for University of Utah students. KingTix.com

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About The Author

Scott Renshaw

Scott Renshaw
Bio:
 Scott Renshaw has been a City Weekly staff member since 1999, including assuming the role of primary film critic in 2001 and Arts & Entertainment Editor in 2003. Scott has covered the Sundance Film Festival for 25 years, and provided coverage of local arts including theater, pop-culture conventions, comedy, literature,... more

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