Award winning musical comedy Spamalot, telling the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and adapted from the 1975 film ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ burst into Manchester last week bringing with it mayhem, madness and laughs a plenty.
After hugely successful runs playing King Arthur in the West End, funny man Joe Pasquale has joined the touring cast to delight audiences around the country with his own unique brand of humour. Accompanying Pasquale is much loved actor, Grange Hill and Albert Square veteran Todd Carty, who plays King Arthur’s much put upon sidekick Patsy. The two make for a fine partnership, loveable, daft and very, very funny.
…a Black Knight who is determined to fight to the end despite losing his limbs and the brilliantly bonkers Knights who say Ni for whom only the gift of shrubbery will suffice.
We follow the hapless pair in their quest to find the Holy Grail, causing chaos and confusion wherever they go. The show is packed full of fun and comic moments that caused near hyperventilation to many of the audience members sat near me. There are corpses who refuse to die, a Black Knight who is determined to fight to the end despite losing his limbs and the brilliantly bonkers Knights who say Ni for whom only the gift of shrubbery will suffice.
Sarah Earnshaw is brilliantly cast as the Lady of the Lake, her duet with Sir Galahad (Richard Meek) of the fabulous ‘Song That Goes Like This’ is belly laugh funny, add to this her hilarious rendition of ‘The Diva’s Lament’ and she’s pretty much guaranteed her standing ovation at the end of the show.
Huge praise must go to each and every member of the cast; they’re incredibly hard working and somehow manage to keep focussed despite Pasquale’s many attempts to make them giggle.
The show is great fun from start to finish, it’s clear that each and evert person on stage is having just as much fun as the audience watching. Finishing off with the ever popular ‘Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life’ Spamalot will have you grinning from ear to ear and probably aching the following day from laughing so hard.
Opera House, Manchester until Saturday 24th January.
