And now for something completely . . .
It is difficult to decide who might be most disappointed by Monty Python’s Spamalot. Certainly fans of Eric Idle or the Holy Grail who will go expecting to see something raucous and silly and madcap – something that harks back to golden years of the Flying Circus – or at the very least pays a fitting homage to the film it scrapes from and scratches at. Fans of musical theatre too will be disappointed by its lack of pizazz and its underwhelming score. And even fans of Joe Pasquale (and there are some) are bound to thrown off by his charmless, wooden performance as he farts around the stage with barely enough will left to even do his funny voice.
The show is about as flat and funless as it ever has been. It has all the trappings of a good panto (but without any of the naughty jokes) Cheap audience interaction, a minor celebrity and a camp, safe and self-referential nature. But at least a panto is just for Christmas, and occasionally the jokes get updated. This has been running for ten years, and it’s clear to see that the company are listless and unmotivated by a tedious script. Even the modern pop-culture references seem ancient, as Susan Boyle is shot dead onstage and Ant and Dec make a brief appearance.
Some of it is very funny. Jamie Tyler’s French Taunter, for example, is one of the saving graces of the show, and almost as good as the original, and Brave Sir Robin is the funniest song. But even the numbers which are too big to fail like The Song That Goes Like This, were lacking in oomph, and the old favourite of the Monty Python dame (here played by Josh Wilmott) was far too over-the-top and crass. The cast are doing their upmost at times, but they seem to be a mismatch of direction. Sarah Earnshaw brings a lot of humour to the role of The Lady off the Lake, which is no mean feat. Though it’s a shame to see that Pasquale, playing King Aurthur, has lost his usual charm and zest. He is awkward and lacklustre, with no regard for timing or delivery. And there’s a strong smell of nepotism as his son (Joe Tracini) takes the role of the Baldrick-like Patsy, and brings absolutely nothing to the role.
The plot is drawn-out and meandering, with long discourses that stray from the tedious narrative and leave no room for character development. The stage is set with purposely crude-looking 2D trees and a castle, and even though it’s supposed to be naff, even the set falls just short of funny. For a show so heavily reliant on slapstick it’s amazing just how visually uninteresting it is. The set hardly changes, the characters barely interact with the set or the space, and though some of the dancing is fun, it soon becomes dull.
The thing about Monty Python is that, yes, sometimes it was crude and absurd, but they didn’t always play for laughs. There is something infinitely stranger, often darker and more complex at work in The Holy Grail than this glitzy Pantomime reimagining, which continually slaps you round the face with its endless fart-jokes whilst desperately winking at you with its cloying parodies and self-referencing. It takes the best parts from The Holy Grail and covers them in glitter, and repackages them as a musical, with a couple of credible songs thrown in, but without any of the original charm or wackiness. Eric Idle has sold out, but thankfully Spamalot doesn’t any more, as fewer and fewer people seem to be impressed by his cheap rip-off of a classic comedy. Christopher Luscombe couldn’t save it, and nor could Pasquale. Never before has anybody looked so dead behind the eyes whilst singing Always Look on the Bright Side.
This show is pure spam – irritating, unwanted and unnecessary – hopefully we’ll see it moved to trash before it does another tour. The trouble is, people keep buying tickets. Don’t. You will be disappointed. No matter who you are. ★☆☆☆☆ Chris White 25/05/15
