Dancing divas, flying cows, killer rabbits and taunting Frenchmen invade Montana when “Monty Python’s Spamalot” comes to Billings March 6 and Butte March 7.
This outrageous musical comedy is lovingly ripped off from the 1975 film classic, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Like the movie, “Spamalot” revisits the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and their quest for the Holy Grail.
The Broadway production earned three Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and was followed by two successful West End runs in London. The New York Times called it “a resplendently silly new musical” sure to appeal to “those who value the virtues of shrewd idiocy, artful tackiness and wide-eyed impiety. That includes most school-age children as well as grown-ups who feel they are never more themselves than when they are in touch with the nerdy, nose-thumbing 12-year-olds who reside within.”
This brand-new touring production is directed and choreographed by Sam Viverito with musical supervision by Steven M. Bishop, and is based on the screenplay by Monty Python creators Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin – a troupe that “combined the anarchy of the Marx Brothers with a rarefied British spirit of absurdity and a straight-faced irreverence regarding all sacred cows.” Idle teamed up with John Du Prez on the Grammy-winning music and lyrics.
“Holy Gales of Laughter! A Holy Grail of a big crowd-pleasing musical!” writes Newsday of the new version.
Idle, one of the six pillars of the beloved comedy troupe, released a “sortabiography” in October, titled Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. He shares the highlights of his life and career in hilarious behind-the-scenes stories – just in time for the 50th anniversary of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, the series that first introduced these irreverent lunatics to British audiences in 1969.
Spamalot on stage
Billings: 7:30 p.m. March 6 at the Alberta Bair Theater; Tickets, $75/$65 and $50 for students; call 406-256-6052 or order online at www.albertabairtheater.org.
Butte: 8 p.m. March 7 at the Mother Lode Theatre; call 406-723-3602 or head to buttearts.org.