Welcome to Camelot: the laughs at Bigfork Summer Playhouse
In the battle between England and France, comedy may be the best weapon.
In fact, watching Spamalot at the Bigfork Summer Playhouse you get to have some great laughs, many at the expense of the English and French.
If you came of age, or were already of age, in the 1970s or ‘80s, you know the jokes of Monty Python’s Search for the Holy Grail and The Life of Brian.
The jokes and skits from writer Eric Idle are all laid out live and on stage, and the actors at the playhouse bring them to life in spectacular form amid excellent lighting and set design.
Nathan Cockroft, who transitions among roles as French Taunter, Sir Lancelot, Knight of Ni and Tim the Enchanter, brings down the house as the insouciant French guy guarding the tower as King Arthur (Scott James Smith) attempts to gain access. And of course, this is where the jokes rain down in familiar fashion. You know the ones.
“I’m French. Why do you think I have this silly accent, you king!”
“You don’t frighten us you English pig dogs. Go and boil your bottoms!”
If you’re not familiar with the jokes of the Holy Grail or Life of Brian, these probably fly right over your head. So go with your mom or dad, who probably will know the jokes and can explain them to you.
Looking back on the hilarity caused by the Monty Python jokes we enjoyed in adolescence, I wondered how they ever got to be so funny, repeated often during class or a fraternity soiree. “I blow my nose at you! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries!”
As King Arthur, Smith leads the charge of the Knights of the Round Table in their search for the Holy Grail, and much is left to him to keep the show’s pace, which he does well. Along the way they encounter the various and sundry scenes we all know and love.
You might come to Spamalot for the comedy, and even if you don’t get the jokes, you’ll leave having enjoyed the dancing and singing. The playhouse actors all show fine chops at tap, flamenco and jazz. As duets, ensembles or with the entire chorus, the singing is sheer pleasure. The Laker-girl scene combines modern cheerleader and hiphop styles, and is flat-out hilarious. Mallory King commands a presence onstage as a Laker girl and in the Camelot scene (what happens in Camelot stays in Camelot.)
At one point in Spamalot, Cockroft comes out of the closet as Lancelot, and strips off his coat of armor to reveal suspenders and silver shorts. He nails the number with a look of incredulity and newfound wonder at his situation in “His Name is Lancelot.” Cockroft is a master of unspoken comedy using the human face and gestures. I think we’re blessed to have him in Bigfork for the summer.
Christian Green looks almost as if he came from the set of Monty Python, and plays Sir Gallahad with flair and distinction. As “Dennis,” the constitutional peasant, he nails his ranting soliloquy on social order and the class system, along with his recently widowed “mother,” Jacob Sefcak.
Playing opposite Cockroft as a damsel in distress on the castle tower, Taylor Norwood Aucott couldn’t have done a better job as the boy who had loftier aspirations than being married off to the town princess. You go, Taylor! Aucott also plays the Minstrel, the cloying sidekick to Robin after Robin deserts the Knights of the Roundtable. Oh the laughs! Take me back to the ‘80s!
David Brumfield shines as King Arthur’s sidekick, Patsy. Brumfield provides the acoustic element to the sound of horses, using coconuts, and performs a lovely little dance number with Smith in “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.” (It’s a different take than the crucifixion scene from the Life of Brian).
Musically the actors are splendid singers and vocal actors.
Kyle Hughes, who comes to Bigfork from the University of Virginia, has a blast as the Lady of the Lake, and gets to show some of her vocal talent in the comic singing. (I’m looking forward to seeing her in Sound of Music as Mother Abbess.)
I had the pleasure of seeing Spamalot in the final dress rehearsal, when the playhouse offered a preview for local businesses. I enjoyed it so much I took my 17-year-old son to see the show again last week. The jokes, for the most part grazed right over his head, while I snickered away for 90 minutes. I think there might have even been a guffaw or two in there. Perhaps classic comedy is lost on this new generation.
But how could anyone miss the joke of the flying cow?
Whether it’s for the dancing, the laughs or the music, you’ll want to catch Spamalot. You’ll leave the theatre a happier person for it.
To round out the comedy at the playhouse with classic musical theatre, you can catch Chicago or Sound of Music, which opens June 25.
Check out bigforksummerplayhouse.com for schedules.