SPAMALOT - October 2025
Presented in association with IMPACT (see below).
Lovingly ripped off from the classic film comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python's Spamalot retells the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
Show Review
It was a busy, bustling, and large audience that sat waiting patiently for the start of what promised to be a theatrical delight. Spamalot: Given as it is based on Monty Python’s, (Monty Python and the Holy Grail) the expectation was high for such classics as the Nights the go Ni, The Black Knight who when hacked down to just a torso, would continue issues challenges to fight, and a plethora of beautifully well drawn and well observed characters. This was classic Python, and the audience was ready to lap it up.
They were waiting for what happens to be a roller coaster of a script, a lot of laughs, a little surreal, and a lot of pathos. One may say that some of the second act might be considered as slightly anachronistic, but humour has changed a little bit, even in the few short years since the show was written. The comedy sometimes had it feet in both camps, humour from a previous decade which can creak and then flashes of brilliant wit, that will raise a laugh shown to any generation, from any time or place. However contextualised, one realises that Python always sailed a bit close to the wind with their anarchic humour. I guess the point is some humour spans generations, some humour rather like some beers has travelled badly on its journey from concept to now and could serve us all a little better if left in the past.
The cast are great, one can’t help but love the way The Lady of The Lake, and King Arthur lead the narrative and their ability and talent shone. One was deeply impressed with Guineverre’s vocals and her long history of stage, screen, and television work on her CV, really paid off and the experience she gained having worked on many famous TV shows in the Seventies and Eighties shone through, and both King Arthur and Guinevere found the right pathos and comedic timing to delight us all. Comedy, especially anarchic is a dish served with real commitment, and they had it in spades.
So did the rest of the cast, there wasn’t any player interloping on that stage tonight and the hours of rehearsals paid off. One is aware that from page to stage is such a challenge especially with such a big show, but the director and choreographer, ( The dancing was in parts sublime) did an incredible and highly professional job in transforming this into the spectacle that Eric Idle had in mind during the creative period when he wrote the show.
Technically the guys did an outstanding job, there is well over three hundred cues either for light changes or sound effects and this reviewer counted not one cue missed well done guys. One might be tempted to try and look at the balance between the singers’ vocals against the orchestra. Sometimes but only seldomly, the orchestra were a little louder than the vocal and words were lost that is what is known as first night jitters and one is aware with a team as highly professional as this group of technicians, getting that balance won’t present too much of a problem.
The intricate set is definitely worth it , complicated it might be, but it works so well.; being the front of a castle, the inside of the same castle, a French Castle, and a plethora of other locations, it works, and works well.
When the Lady of the Lake sings, “What happened to my part?” the audience were delighted, once again!
This is an amateur performance but there were many times when one completely forgets that; as the cast really had the skill of pulling the audience in, holding them there, and inviting one into a complete suspension of disbelief.
The show was dressed beautifully and accurately and the cast looked terrific. However, one is aware that period shoes are hard to find but there is nothing more anachronistic than modern footwear and it can spoil the whole picture. It is unlikely that anyone noticed, but this reviewer did so it’s not a huge issue, more like a little footnote to the crew.
Over all one is delighted to report one saw the same level of commitment and the same level of skill that goes toward making a show in the company of Shrewsbury Musical Theatre Company, the full and fun theatrical experience they always aim for and achieve too.
This is a good fun show: Overall, the humour still stands and as they are here all week until Saturday night there is no reason why you shouldn’t grab this hot ticket and have a look for yourself.
This is a Four-Star Review.
Sofia Lewis
The Story
Act I
The play begins with a historian giving a brief overview of medieval England. An idyllic Scandinavian village appears, with gaily dressed Finnish villagers singing and dancing to the “Fisch Schlapping Song.” The Historian returns, irritated, and tells them he said “England”, not Finland. The villagers disperse and the pastoral forest is immediately replaced by a dreary, dark village with penitent monks in hooded robes chanting Latin prayers and hitting themselves in the face with wooden boards. King Arthur travels the land with his servant Patsy (“King Arthur’s Song”), trying to recruit Knights of the Round Table to join him in Camelot and his quest for the Holy Grail. He encounters various strange people, including a pair of sentries who are more interested in debating whether two swallows could successfully carry a coconut than in guarding their castles. Sir Robin and Sir Lancelot meet as they attempt to dispose of the sickly Not Dead Fred (“He Is Not Dead Yet”). They agree to become Knights of the Round Table together. Meanwhile, Arthur attempts to convince a peasant named Dennis Galahad that he (Arthur) is king of England because the Lady of the Lake gave him Excalibur, the sword given only to the man fit to rule England. However, Dennis and his mother, Mrs. Galahad, are political radicals and deny that any king who has not been elected by the people has any legitimate right to rule over them. To settle the issue, Arthur has the Lady of the Lake and her Laker Girls appear to turn Dennis into a knight (“Come With Me”). Cheered on by the girls (“Laker Girls Cheer”), the Lady of the Lake turns Dennis into Sir Galahad and together, they sing a generic Broadway love song (“The Song That Goes Like This”). Together, with Sir Bedevere and Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Show (a knight resembling Don Quixote who promptly apologizes and then leaves), they make up the Knights of the Round Table (“All for One”). The five knights gather in Camelot, a deliberately anachronistic place resembling Las Vegas’s Camelot-inspired Excalibur resort, complete with showgirls and oversized dice (“Knights of the Round Table” / “The Song That Goes Like This (Reprise)”). In the midst of their revelry, they are contacted by God (voiced by John Cleese) who tells them to locate the Holy Grail. Urged on by the Lady of the Lake (“Find Your Grail”), the Knights set off. They are viciously taunted by lewd French soldiers at a castle they come to, and attempt to retaliate by sending them a large wooden rabbit in the style of the Trojan Horse; however, they realize after the fact that it was not as simple as leaving the rabbit and walking away – they were supposed to be inside of it. Defeated, they leave in a hurry when the French begin throwing various barnyard animals – including cows – at them (“Run Away”).
Act II
Sir Robin and his minstrels follow King Arthur and Patsy into a “dark and very expensive forest” where they are separated. King Arthur meets the Knights who say Ni, who demand a shrubbery. King Arthur despairs of finding one, but Patsy cheers him up (“Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”) and they find a shrubbery shortly after. The Knights accept it, but next demand that King Arthur put on a musical and bring it to Broadway. The Black Knight appears but King Arthur more or less defeats him by cutting off both his arms and legs, impaling his still-alive torso on a door, and leaving to find Sir Robin. Sir Robin, after wandering the forest for some time (“Brave Sir Robin”), finds King Arthur and insists that it would be impossible for them to accomplish this next task (“You Won’t Succeed on Broadway”). King Arthur and Patsy promptly set off in search of Jews. While the Lady of the Lake laments her lack of stage time (“The Diva’s Lament”), Sir Lancelot receives a letter from what he assumes is a young damsel in distress. He is a little surprised to find that the damsel is actually an effeminate young man named Herbert (“Where Are You?” / “Here Are You”) whose overbearing, music-hating father, the king, is forcing him into an arranged marriage. Lancelot advocates for Herbert after the king returns, and Lancelot is outed as a homosexual in the process (“His Name Is Lancelot”). King Arthur begins to give up hope of ever putting on the Broadway musical and laments that he is alone, even though Patsy has been with him the entire time (“I’m All Alone”). The Lady of the Lake appears and tells Arthur that he and the Knights have been in a Broadway musical all along. All that’s left is for King Arthur to find the Grail and marry someone. After picking up on some not-too-subtle hints, Arthur decides to marry the Lady of the Lake after he finds the Grail (“Twice In Every Show”). Reunited with his Knights, Arthur meets Tim the Enchanter who warns them of the danger of an evil rabbit. When the rabbit bites a knight’s head off, Arthur uses the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch against it, knocking down a nearby hill and revealing that the “evil rabbit” was actually a puppet controlled by a surprised puppeteer. A large stone block showing a combination of letters and numbers is also revealed. After pondering the final clue, Arthur admits that they’re “a bit stumped with the clue thing” and asks God to “give them a hand”. The grail is “found”; Arthur marries the Lady of the Lake (who reveals that her name is Guinevere); Lancelot marries Herbert; and Sir Robin decides to pursue a career in musical theatre (“Act 2 Finale/ Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Company Bow)”).
Lead Production Team
Director - Joanne Young
Musical Director - Brandon Corfield
Choreographer - Megan Austin
Lead Cast
King Arthur - Mark Salmon
Lady of the Lake - Jilli Gray
Patsy - Jonathan Head
Sir Robin - Rik Pover-Shaw
Sir Lancelot - Dan Wrench
Sir Bedevere - Adam Giblin
Sir Galahad (Dennis) - Scott Sutherland
Prince Herbert/Not Dead Fred - Crayg Wellbeloved
Supporting Cast
Ami Price, Andrew Murray, Emma-Jane Brazier, Andrew Wright, Mel Bailey, Richard Taylor, Steve Tarling, Michael Houghton, Simon Muxworthy, James Pinches, Chloe Parry, Chloe Richards, Chrissie Purslow, Emma Leigh, Jess Foxall, Magan Austin, Sophie Mackey, Sylvia Harrison, David Williams, Gill Dorricott, Harriet Craven, Harriet Jones, Isaac Haughton, Jeremy Bolton, Jo Robinson, Karen Muxworthy, Richard Lyle, Stephen Chadwick, Steve West, Terri Dyke-Prior.
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