New York Diary Part 3: The Fair Weather Aiken Fan's Guide to Spamalot

Let me preface by saying that going to New York right now was based on a couple ulterior motives. Besides being one of the few times that I could actually steal away from work for a vacation, it landed a little too conveniently (according to M) during Clay Aiken's stint on Broadway. Well, I figured, it's Monty Python; not a traditional musical a la ALW, so M might actually like it; and I get to see my long standing guilty pleasure play a petrified knight with a musical theater inclination a little too well. In my mind, EVERYBODY wins. So whether or not you care the Idol 2 finalist is in the show or not, it's still a really silly production with traditional English humor, sight gags, and an entertaining cast. And if you really can't stand the guy, or his overzealous female fan base (that announces their presence every time the guy moves), well, wait until after May 4th. [/Aiken nerd mode]

So what is the musical all about? To be quiet honest, it follows the original Python movie quite religiously. Except for maybe the ending, the obvious rips from Fiddler and Phantom, and all the singing and dancing. So if you want to prepare yourself for the zaniness, watch the movie first. But do it after a cup of coffee. I kept falling asleep after the Black Knight scene for some reason. (After 3 attempts, I finally saw the whole thing.) There is a plot there, but you are sidetracked a few times by conversations about weight ratios of African Swallows to Coconuts; Sir Lance-a-lot's "dark secret;" French taunters; and how you simply can't be successful on Broadway without any Jews. (Seriously... there is a whole song about it.)

I had some other favorites from the cast that easily stole the show. Tom Deckman, who plays everything from the Historian, to Not Dead Fred, and Prince Herbert, was hysterical. Easily delivers some of the best punchlines in the musicals. The other one to watch for is David Hibbard, who plays Patsy, the coconut-banging sidekick of King Arthur. Watch for him during the "Laker Girl" scene. And one of the latest imports from the London cast is Hannah Waddingham, who plays "The Lady of the Lake." She does one hell of a Cher impersonation in the Camelot scene. Watch for her "Diva's Lament."

So should you see it? Sure! It was well worth the Telecharge price we paid AND they do sell tickets for the show at TKTS. If you can see in on a weekday, there are really GOOD deals out there.