Monty Python's Spamalot Returns To Grand Rapids Circle Theatre

It's been a decade since Monty Python's Spamalot last appeared on Grand Rapids Circle Theatre's stage. That it's back onstage is a tribute to the powerful, nostalgic hold Monty Python continues to exert over much of the brainy set. 

A largely faithful tribute to the group's 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the musical tells the story of King Arthur (Stephen Huseby) and his quest for the titular sacred object. Before doing that, though, it gives a very quick history lesson (spoiler: the plague comes up a lot). Afterward, we're transported to...Finland? "Schlip! Schlap!" our singers sing, as they slap each other with fish. "Schlip-a-schlap-a vay."

But of course England is where we should be. Medieval England, to be more specific. We see monks chanting and, in a nod to self-flagellation, hitting themselves in the heads with holy books. Men shout, "Bring out your dead" as they make the rounds with their carts. Monty Python aficianados will know what's coming next. "He Is Not Yet Dead" could stand in for the show as a whole: more than familiar to the troupe's fans, but made new, or new enough, by the addition of music and dance.

That said, some of it is completely new, like "The Song That Goes Like This," a meta send-up of musicals generally. Sir Galahad (TJ Clark) begins. "Once in every show/there comes a song like this," he croons. "It starts off soft and low/and ends up with a kiss." He's singing to the Lady of the Lake, played by Grace Avery as a cross between a mythical figure and a scene-stealing diva (and not at all as a "watery tart," whatever you might have heard). Both are strong, but the most effortlessly likable character might be Patsy (Allison Tousley), Arthur's loyal and underappreciated servant.

All the familiar elements are here: French taunting; guardians who refuse to give up, no matter the cost to their limbs; absurdly cute antagonists; coconuts for horses. If that sounds like much too much, it probably isn't the show for you; but if it sounds absurd and delightful, you're in the right place. My eleven-year-old daughter attended the show with me. Eleven may be the perfect age to be introduced to Spamalot: old enough to realize how smart it is and young enough not to raise defenses against its playfulness.

The music? Songs like "The Song That Goes Like This" and "Find Your Grail" work despite themselves, managing to wring out some of the emotion they seem to keep at arm's distance. But it's likely that audience members won't leave humming anything they've heard. Instead, they'll be taking away a strong, benevolent warmth, as if they'd been sitting before a crackling fire.