Yes, Monty Python's SPAMALOT is a blatant rip-off of the 1975 flick, "Monty Python and The Holy Grail."
But when you've got an underground classic on your hands, why not adapt it for the stage and take it on the road?
The film (made shortly after the height of the comedy troupe's BBC and PBS television popularity between 1969 and 1974) has enjoyed a cult following for over 30 years.
Because of constant references to the movie's musical numbers, Eric Idle - one of the original ensemble's members - decided in 2003 that life should imitate "art," and he theatrically adapted Monty Python and The Holy Grail.
As in the film, we find King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embarking on a quest for the Holy Grail. With its flying cows, killer rabbits, French people and show-stopping musical numbers, SPAMALOT won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2005.
Familiarity with the TV series and the movie is not a prerequisite for enjoying the madness, but for those who have fond memories of falling off their couches and giggling at the silliness, all the cross-references and in-jokes will deepen the experience.
Marc Viscardi, marketing director for Broadway in Tucson, believes that - given the state of the world - comedy is currently appreciated to a greater extent. More and more people want the escape that theater provides, to become immersed in a story, to laugh and to appreciate the fact that something they love has been tailored for a Broadway show.
Besides laughter, theatre goers will also have the opportunity to bring home souvenirs. Coconut shells for making the sounds of horses' hooves will be for sale in the lobby, as well as other frivolous purchases such as the notorious cow catapults, killer rabbit puppets, "Collector's Edition SPAMALOT Golden Honey Grail" Spam', all, as the web site delicately puts it, "entirely useless crap."
The wacky knights gallop into Tucson for a September 22-27 run in their only Arizona appearance at the TCC Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave.
Eric Idle rates the show PG-13 and says it's all "good, healthy smut." No gratuitous bad language or graphic sex or anything of the sort, although some sequences may be incomprehensible to the younger kids. SPAMALOT is definitely one for the family!
Visit www.BroadwayInTucson.com for ticket information or call 903-2929.
