Reviews

There were two firsts for me last weekend when I took my husband to the West End's Palace Theatre. 

The first first (ahem) was sitting in the front row. The second first (yes, I know it's confusing but keep up) was the whole Monty Python thing.

In our vantage point at the front we could actually see the orchestra, a nice smiley bunch who teased each other whenever they were made reference to (which was quite a lot).

They returned the compliment backstage later, admitting that they could hear my husband's laughter after each joke. (Thank goodness it wasn't his snoring!)

As expected with any musical, the show opened with a rip-roaring song. The fish-slapping, Finland made the show an instant success for me and set the tone of hilarity for what was to come.

And there were lots of highlights.

testing the boundaries

For hardened Python fans like my husband, there were expected scenes such as Bring out your Dead, with various flying cows and vicious rabbits the sort of daft notions which have made Monty Python so memorable.

But even for me, a newcomer, the whole musical was fresh and entertaining. There are a few scenes and ideas that test the boundaries but, somehow, they get away with it!

Tim Curry in the original Spamalot cast

Performances by Andrew Spillet as Patsy (who reminded me of comedian Lee Evans all evening), Robert Hands as Sir Robin and the marvellous Peter Davidson in the lead as King Arthur, looking utterly handsome with a beard (another advantage of being in the front row!), were all hilarious.

My husband and I were both in agreement that the actors portrayed the characters so well that in many scenes they could almost have been a young Palin, Cleese or Gilliam.

And then there was Marin Mazzie, who added a touch of glamour to the show and gave a stunning performance as the Lady of the Lake.

I spoke to them all after the performance and asked them if they had any comments for me.

Robert Hands said the audience had been "exceptional" and "fantastic" and they all agreed that it had been a special night which they had all enjoyed.

It's not often I leave a performance feeling I want to see it again immediately. But with Spamalot I did.

And while I'm not dead yet, I'll keep on singing the songs too!

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