Spamalot

My love of pantomime will never go away, but if I have to make a choice between a third rate panto and a first class Broadway and West End show then there is no competition. To my mind panto is all too often a debased art form these days so the arrival of Spamalot as Theatre Royal Brighton’s Christmas offering fills my heart with cheer, and it’s easy to explain why. From the moment the curtain rises to the final bow I roared with laughter. The pure, unbridled silliness of the Monty Python sense of fun is alive and kicking in Eric Idle’s superb musical version of their Holy Grail epic. It’s all there from the silly Frenchmen to the knights who say ‘nt’. But what Idle achieves where so many translations to musical fail, is a score that you will leave the theatre humming. The songs are not only hilarious, they are contagiously memorable.

So on to the company, a merry band of professionals who can sing, dance and deliver the comedy, there’s not a weak member in the company and most of them play several roles. The stars are equally compelling. Marcus Brigstocke’s King Arthur is a lovable upper class duffer and since first playing the role two years back he has gained a confidence in his singing capability that underpins his ability to deliver the laughs in the script. Todd Carty has it all, brilliant characterization, a decent voice but above all, comic timing. His portrayal of side-kick Patsy is a comic tour-de-force – and the audience love his affable gurning and bewildered innocence. Jodie Prenger once again shows that she can deliver a song with power and conviction but in Spamalot she is given the scope to use her comedic talent too and this she does throughout.

I hope I do see great panto at the Theatre Royal again but this starry piece of musical comedy has enough of the panto about it to eclipse any second rate Cinderella. Three cheers and five very glittery stars for a first class Christmas show. Simply unmissable seasonal fun.

Theatre Royal Brighton, December 16 2011

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