I just got home from a preview performance of the 5th Avenue production of Spamalot. I didn't realize it was a preview performance when I purchased the ticket several weeks ago. Not sure it makes a difference except I don't have any reviews to read. I'll have to rely on my own judgement!
I enjoyed it. Yay! :)
I've never seen Spamalot before. Time flies fast because I've been wanting to see it since I first heard about the play when it was on Broadway and then won the Tony Award for Best Musical. It turns out that was 2005 and that's almost NINE years ago!!!! What have I been doing all these years? Sheesh!
This production was special because it's a local production, not a touring production. According to the Executive Director of the 5th Avenue who took the mic before the play started all the actors, stage, and other crew for this production are from the Seattle area.
Local flavor was sprinkled throughout the play...three mentions of the Seahawks, and one mention of gay marriage in Washington State. Each time the Seahawks were mentioned in the play the crowd erupted in cheers. Including me. We cheered for gay marriage as well. The first Seahawk mention was a cast member running across the stage in a crowd scene wearing a 12th man jersey, the second was a 12 sign held up during a scene where other placards were waving, and finally one of the characters said they were going to update their twitter at "hashtag Denver Broncos suck". I hoped that, at the end of the play, they'd drop down a huge 12 flag. I was ready to cheer for that.
Seattle is currently bursting with HOMETOWN PRIDE! It's fun to be here, now (even though I'm not doing anything special or sharing this fun with anyone)..
Back to the play...
If you've seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you know what happens in the play. The songs add to the fun and there are lots of laughs. I was smiling and laughing the whole time.
I'm not a person who knows all the lines from Monty Python, but I do get a chuckle out of some of their jokes.
I thought all the actors and musicians did a fabulous job. They sang and danced and acted well...I wonder if I'd even know the difference between a Broadway production, a national touring production, and what I saw today? I don't think so. All the actors played a lot of different parts. The costumes were pretty elaborate, I thought - they had to be tired our from all the costume changes backstage.
Highlights: Patsy's coconut clapping (the guy who follows King Arthur clapping coconuts to sound like a horse), swallows carrying coconuts, Not Dead Fred, the singing and dancing Robin, Dennis the political radical, the Lady of the Lake's singing voice, the song "Find Your Grail", the song "Always Look On the Bright Side of Life", the men ensemble doing the Russian dancing in the style of "Fiddler On the Roof", Lancelot rescuing Prince Herbert, King Arthur singing about being alone while Patsy stands next to him, the rabbit bites the head off a knight, the audience member has the Grail (and gets a polaroid of being onstage), the cast encourages the audience to sing "Always Look On the Bright Side of Life" with them during the final bow.
It was a fun afternoon. Thank you 5th Avenue!!!
And when it was over, it was still light out. There were dark fluffy clouds in the sky, but the sun was shining through a couple of them and it was a beautiful sky. Absolutely beautiful.
That's part of why I have HOMETOWN PRIDE - I LOVE THE SEATTLE METROPOLITAN AREA, WHICH INCLUDES BELLEVUE 'CAUSE THAT'S WHERE I LIVE!!!!! :)
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