‘Spamalot’: A Crowd-Pleasing Romp That Struggles To Spark

Stacked with a lively ensemble, Spamalot packs plenty of laughs, but stale gags and uninspired staging leave this dutiful revival short of the anarchic spirit it promises.

Directed by Drew Anthony and starring Aussie icon Stephen Curry as King Arthur, the once-upon-a-time Broadway hit musical gleefully rips off Monty Python, following a motley band of knights on an increasingly ridiculous quest for the Holy Grail.

While occasionally inspired and far too content to let old gags do the heavy lifting, the comedy, and show itself, works best when the characters bounce off one another and flashes of original flavour suggest how the material could speak to a contemporary audience.

Yet the production rarely ventures far beyond the familiar, as too many bits linger past their punchlines, and a sluggish first act makes the nonsensical feel repetitive rather than mischievous.

Spamalot is ultimately saved by its rousing ensemble. Curry plays Arthur as a pompous, exhasperated king who seems personally offended by the inconvenience of his own subjects, giving the character a pleasingly lazy comic streak.

Similarly faring better, Ethan Jones, shifting from peasant Dennis to the impossibly posh Sir Galahad, while Jesse Vasiliadis brings a smouldering swagger to Lancelot, serve as a riotously entertaining pair of himbo knights, one preening while the other pouts.

Gareth Isaac also gets plenty of comic mileage in the cowardice of Sir Robin, wearing an oblivious grin as he shows off his song and dance talents, while Nick White delights with increasingly absurd personas as the ‘Man of Many Characters’.

Marney McQueen‘s Lady of the Lake, is undoubtedly the show’s all too brief highlight, pairing powerhouse vocals with unabashed theatricality, particularly in Diva’s Lament.

Unfortunately, the production rarely matches the casts enthusiasm.

Despite big bold musical numbers bringing welcome bursts of movement, the show is bogged down by its technicalities. With a giant projection screen dominating the sparse set, its cheap looking imagery does little to bring the fantastical world to life. Especially with bits like the Trojan rabbit and the Black Knight setting ripe opportunities for invention, it all lands as underwhelming.

The choreography, accompanied by impressively athletic women in skimpy costumes, is serviceable but too often appears to occupy otherwise empty space rather than contribute to the action.

At two hours, Spamalot is a mostly enjoyable night out with friends or family. For Monty Python fans and newbies alike, there’s plenty of fun to be had, as the cast delivers enough genuine laughs to keep the quest moving.

For a production built around gleeful nonsense, Spamalot is too content to coast and thus never quite captures what should be enduring.

Monty Python’s Spamalot ran from 15 to 18 October at the Sydney Event Centre.