Weathervane’s Spamalot cast performs Monty Python’s silly, nonsensical humor with such zest, you can’t help but sit in the audience with a dopey grin on your face.
The 2005 musical comedy, a wacky adaptation of the original craziness of the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, is a spoof of the Arthurian legend that includes all the famous moments from the movie, from the ridiculous Trojan Rabbit to the “flying” cow.
Director Dave Stebbins milks the comical juxtaposition between King Arthur’s “noble” quest to find the Holy Grail and the clueless characters he meets along the way, who don’t even know they have a king.
Movie fans waiting for favorite lines and jokes will get a big payoff watching this crazy-fun musical. Among the many comical moments is Chris Macchione as the French Taunter, delivering with great style the infamous insults “I fart in your general direction” and “Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries” to King Arthur.
The staging pays loving attention to every ridiculous detail, from clip-clopping coconut shells to the pursuit of shrubbery to enticing appearances by the grail itself, in the form of various-sized chalices.
Don Bernardo is a hoot as King Arthur, who plays everything straight as opposed to all the tomfoolery around him. He is especially comical when he sings I’m All Alone, as the thoroughly likable Brian Diehl, his trusty, ever-present servant Patsy, reacts in consternation.
These two make a great pair, having played the roles opposite each other twice before, at Hudson Players and Chagrin Valley Little Theatre.
Will Crosby also has some great comedic chops as Not Dead Fred — who cracks you up just looking at him — and the effeminate Prince Herbert, whom he does not play as a wilting flower.
Douglas Vanek gets to play triple duty as Lancelot, Tim and the scratchy-voiced Ni Knight, who demands that King Arthur put on a Broadway musical. Spamalot contains numerous mocking references to other shows, including Fiddler on the Roof, Man of La Mancha and anything by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Its self-referential humor about musical comedy is a treat, and it doesn’t shy away from a running joke about Arthur needing to find Jews to put on a successful Broadway show.
Most of the women don’t get a lot to do in this testosterone-filled show. The beautiful bevy of Laker Girls entertain with lively dance and song in a Vegas-style Camelot showroom, featuring cute choreography by high school senior Maddie Klemm.
The most unforgettable performance is Dawn Sniadak-Yamakoski as the Lady of the Lake, the over-the-top diva who’s both a jaded Vegas headliner and a vocal powerhouse. Her Whatever Happened to My Part is a literal showstopper.
The low-tech goofiness is a big part of what makes both the movie and the musical so endearing. The show’s only awkward moment Thursday night came during the Black Knight scene, where it looked like something went wrong as Arthur went to cut the Knight’s legs off. Actor Josh Larkin said “You missed” and Bernardo whacked both “legs” off at the same time.
This musical is a fun-filled evening of summer entertainment, even including some audience participation. There are so many treats in Spamalot, you’ll just have to see the show to eat them all up.
Arts writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com. Like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kclawsonabj or follow her on Twitter @KerryClawsonABJ.