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Spamalot!

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Robin Garr

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Spamalot!

by Robin Garr » Thu May 17, 2007 9:16 pm

Who's been (or plans to go) to the Broadway Series production now playing at the Whitney? We went last night - after having seen the Broadway production in NYC during opening week and having pretty much memorized the CD - and despite my fears that a between-the-coasts road show couldn't possibly live up to the Great White Way, I was much impressed. The female lead wasn't quite up to Sara Ramirez's Tony-winning performance, and some of the production numbers in particular showed the limits of a traveling show that has to fit into a caravan of trucks to move between cities. But on the whole, the performance quality and overall impact were right up there with Broadway. And for anyone who grew up with the Pythons, this hilarious musical is really not to be missed.

If you've gone, tell us what you thought. If you're going, let us know. And if you haven't gone yet, you may still be able to get tix ...
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by Holly C » Fri May 18, 2007 1:16 am

We went last night (Wednesday) and thought it was great. We rated it #2 in this season's Broadway series (not counting 12 Angry Men, since that was a play, we put Spelling Bee first, then Spamalot, then Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and then All Shook Up. I'm assuming Lion King is going to be awesome as well, but we'll see how the final standings shake out).

Anyway, we thought the show was really well done. The female lead was a tad shaky in some spots, but it was mostly able to be hidden in her humorous singing style. Some of the British accents were a tad off, as well, but that can easily be hidden if you choose to believe that maybe it was on purpose... especially the French taunters, whose (on-purpose) bad French accents at one point, I swear, slipped into British ones -- that would had to have taken some thought on the part of a non-British-native, so maybe it was intentional.

Neither of us had seen the show before, but of course know The Holy Grail, and we were very pleased with the true-to-form-ness of the show as well as the new additions that made it a great piece for Broadway and for 2007. Overall -- definitely an A! Go see it if you can!
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by MikeG » Fri May 18, 2007 9:04 am

We went on Thursday night. I loved it, my girlfriend who didnt really like Holy Grail on DVD, loved it. I was impressed by the understudy's performance as The Lady Of The Lake.
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TP Lowe

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by TP Lowe » Fri May 18, 2007 9:25 am

So, what musicians are they using? Anyone know if there are many in the pit, or is this one of those shows relying on a good synthesizer player?
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by Robin Garr » Fri May 18, 2007 9:41 am

TP Lowe wrote:So, what musicians are they using? Anyone know if there are many in the pit, or is this one of those shows relying on a good synthesizer player?


There might have been a synthesizer down there, but they had a fair-size orchestra in the pit. The program credits the "Spamalot Touring Orchestra" conducted by Ben Whiteley and lists an assistant conductor/keyboardist, a second guy on keyboards, one trumpet/piccolo, one drums/percussion and a "music coordinator." I would swear there were about 20 players in the pit, though, so I would guess they bulked it up with free-lancers, maybe moonlighting LO players?
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by TP Lowe » Fri May 18, 2007 9:46 am

Robin Garr wrote:
TP Lowe wrote:So, what musicians are they using? Anyone know if there are many in the pit, or is this one of those shows relying on a good synthesizer player?


There might have been a synthesizer down there, but they had a fair-size orchestra in the pit. The program credits the "Spamalot Touring Orchestra" conducted by Ben Whiteley and lists an assistant conductor/keyboardist, a second guy on keyboards, one trumpet/piccolo, one drums/percussion and a "music coordinator." I would swear there were about 20 players in the pit, though, so I would guess they bulked it up with free-lancers, maybe moonlighting LO players?


By current standards that's a nice sized accompanying group. Typically a show will have a music director (keyboard) and a few traveling folks and will, indeed, supplement with locals, but increasingly it's just a synthesizer and maybe a drummer or a couple more. I'm glad to hear that it's not just a "show in a box" approach. Thanks for the info, Robin.
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by Charles W. » Fri May 18, 2007 12:49 pm

Taking three teenagers tonight.
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by Holly C » Fri May 18, 2007 2:07 pm

Robin Garr wrote:
TP Lowe wrote:So, what musicians are they using? Anyone know if there are many in the pit, or is this one of those shows relying on a good synthesizer player?


There might have been a synthesizer down there, but they had a fair-size orchestra in the pit. The program credits the "Spamalot Touring Orchestra" conducted by Ben Whiteley and lists an assistant conductor/keyboardist, a second guy on keyboards, one trumpet/piccolo, one drums/percussion and a "music coordinator." I would swear there were about 20 players in the pit, though, so I would guess they bulked it up with free-lancers, maybe moonlighting LO players?


I definitely saw a guitarist. And I agree, about 20 musicians.
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by Heather Y » Sat May 19, 2007 9:43 am

I was there Tuesday night!!!! OMG it was Hilarious!

The entire show was enjoyable, and was dissapointed when intermission came along!

I want to see it again!


Loved it!
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by Kim H » Sat May 19, 2007 2:15 pm

We went last night and we both loved it! What a fun production! I loved how they not only stayed true to much of the original movie, but added very creative, clever, and funny additions of their own, which meshed perfectly with the style of humor. The lighting, sound, stage settings, and costumes were all on que. I'm guessing that the understudy got over her nervousness, because I didn't notice any 'off' moments' with her at all. She seemed very comfortable, and was quite humorous. The entire crowd seemed to enjoy it, and everyone I saw left with a smile on their face. And I bought my own coconuts! My only disappointment was that they didn't have the bridge of death scene, but I understand that not every scene could be incorporated. Even if you think you don't like Monty Python type movies/shows, I would HIGHLY recommend this production! And if you do like Monty Python, it's a can't miss!! (and I was VERY happy to see the intermission, as I had to go to the bathroom, but couldn't bring myself to leave during the production! :oops: )

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