‘Spamalot’ keeps – In a Broadway in Chicago touring stop at the CIBC Theatre running through May 31, “Monty Python’s Spamalot” proves it still has bite—mixing heavily repurposed “Holy Grail” material with show-specific set pieces like the Lady of the Lake and Broadway in-show jo
When “Monty Python’s Spamalot” walks onto the stage, it doesn’t feel like a museum piece. The production. currently in a Broadway in Chicago touring run at the CIBC Theatre through May 31. carries itself with the same bright insistence as its origins—more than 20 years after the musical arrived. and more than 50 years after the film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” It plays young anyway. Or at least it plays like it refuses to age.
The show’s structure is familiar: it takes the plot of “Holy Grail. ” lifting several bits from the 1975 movie wholesale. and sends King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table on a series of picaresque adventures in search of the holy grail. “Spamalot” then overlays that framework with a scene-stealing Lady of the Lake, chorus girls, and new songs. It also borrows the anthem “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” from another Python movie. “Life of Brian.” If you were the kid in junior high who already knew what completes the line “Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of ___. ” you’ll recognize much of the material. The missing word is “elderberries.”.
What stands out most is how the cast treats the familiar material—not as a relic to be performed faithfully. but as punchlines to be remixed live. Several actors land even verbatim lines with their own inflection and sense of humor. Chris Collins-Pisano. playing many of the roles John Cleese played in “Holy Grail. ” is particularly effective at making those lines his own as the French taunter and the enchanter Tim.
Still, not everything the musical adds feels equally inevitable. The Lady of the Lake—played by Amanda Robles as an attention-stealing. applause-milking stage creature—is a high-energy addition that really does steal attention. Her “Diva’s Lament” includes lyrics complaining about her lack of second-act stage time. and the character’s stage presence makes the complaint feel purposeful rather than incidental. The musical’s other unique storyline beat. where King Arthur and his knights must put on a Broadway show. connects smoothly to the instructive song “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway. ” and the whole idea fits the winky ethos of the original.
But the musical theater overlay doesn’t land cleanly in every instance. King Arthur’s solo “I’m All Alone. ” sung by Major Attaway when he is in fact not alone but with his squire/ersatz horse Patsy. is singled out as having only one joke that doesn’t merit the prolongation it gets. And while the show borrows plenty from “Holy Grail. ” it also leans hard on Python’s hyperverbal. humor-dense style—less consistently suited to the realities of a live room when everything has to land fast.
Some of that may be deliberate, because “Spamalot” is musical theater and “Holy Grail” is a movie. The differences and additions underscore that. “The Song That Goes Like This” sends up Andrew Lloyd Webber-type building ballads through self-referential lyrics and three key changes. And “Spamalot”-only jokes come with that musical-theater cadence—like when to introduce “Find Your Grail.” King Arthur’s line about having the goal to strive for being what’s important. and the grail itself being treated as a symbol while a pit musician plays a cymbal. leans straight into vaudeville-style showmanship.
The live production does reveal its weaknesses too. Rapid lyrics and lines that veer from erudition to profanity are better served by screen-size sound presentation. where articulation isn’t as easily swallowed by the space. The sound mixing at press night didn’t help; many times the actors’ voices were covered by the orchestra.
Yet the show makes no bones about what it’s there for. It’s built to entertain the audience, and it commits to that bargain with unapologetic volume. There’s plenty of mugging. randomness. toilet humor. and kicklines—enough to convince you the performers are having a great time. and enough to invite the audience into it. Literally, the sing-along reprise of “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” wraps around the final applause.
By the end of the performance, Sir Robin—played by Sean Bell—says he has found his grail in the form of musical theater. For a production that makes room for both careful line delivery and goofy excess, it’s hard not to believe him.
Spamalot Monty Python CIBC Theatre Broadway in Chicago Chris Collins-Pisano Amanda Robles Sean Bell Major Attaway musical theater