Review: Spamalot, Oxford New Theatre
If a successful comedy must elicit five decent laughs to qualify as a good night out, then Spamalot succeeds inside an opening five minutes that had me grinning ear-to-ear.
A musical comedy written by Monty Python star Eric Idle and "lovingly ripped off" from the comedy troupe's 1974 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, large chunks of the action from Spamalot will only be familiar to the several billion fans of the original film.
But despite the oft-seen and repeated set pieces (including favourites like the Knights who say Ni, the limbless Black Knight, a catapulting cow and a Trojan rabbit), the show succeeds in appealing to both non-Python fans and fanatics alike.
Marcus Brigstocke may lack the dancing and singing talents of the cast he shares the stage with, but his note-perfect comic timing makes him perfect for Arthur, king of the Britons in this parody of the Arthurian legend.
Brigstocke is ably assisted by Todd Carty of Eastenders fame as Arthur's fateful servant Patsy. While Carty will also not win any prizes for the tone of his voice any time soon, his mugging, pratfalls and use of a coconut were exemplary and he elicited one of the loudest cheers of the night as he took his bow at the end of the night.
Bonnie Langford may be known to some only for her Doctor Who and Bugsy Malone appearances on TV and in film, but she is perfectly cast as an attention-hungry, jazz-scatting Lady of the Lake who amazes with her vocal performance and comedy stylings.
The show truly hits the heights when the cast take to the stage for one of the many hilarious musical numbers, including He Is Not Dead Yet, The Song That Goes Like This, You Won't Succeed In Showbiz, The Diva's Lament and, yes, Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.
Speaking as a lapsed Python fan who may have taunted a childhood rival with the insult "and your father smells of elderberries!" in the playground, it was the cast's classy musical performances and up-to-date comedy references (including jokes about Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, an in-drag Susan Boyle and even Anthony Worrall-Thompson) that had me in stitches.
Plus, it has a really lovely shrubbery.
Spamalot runs at the New Theatre until Saturday, January 28. For more information or tickets, visit www.newtheatreoxford.org.uk
