Spamalot at the Liverpool Empire Review
Spamalot
Liverpool Empire
12-16 May 2015
Reviewed by Linzi Davies
Spamalot, the hit musical which has been running on various stages for nigh on 10 years, is a lovingly ripped off version of Monty Python & The Holy Grail. This is a heart-warming show with elements of comedic genius that Graham Chapman, John Cleese and the rest of the original screen play would have been rolling around the aisles at.
The start of the show was delayed by 15 minutes which left time for plenty of “Hollyoaks Actor” spotting, undoubtedly showing in force for their ex-compatriot Joe Tracini who played the downtrodden role of quirky, coconut tapping Patsy which certainly fitted his persona to a tee. One disappointment to myself was the lack of opportunity to see Joe on stage with his dad, Joe Pasquale who was unfortunately missing leaving the role of King Arthur to the understudy Jamie Tyler. Tyler was certainly only the understudy in title alone as he was absolutely awesome, playing the part with an unerring confidence and fantastic timing plus he “rode” his steed extremely well.
The actual theme of the musical was on occasions difficult for me to follow as, yes I have unbelievably never seen the classic Monty Python and it did seem to jump from one thing to another but to be fair the actual plot didn’t seem to be quite as important as the sharp wit, jolly dancing and of course the The Song That Goes Like This! The basic idea was that King Arthur was gathering a number of Knights to accompany him in his quest to reach Camelot, however their original plan was thwarted and a new goal set when Michael Palin, himself appeared on the large screen to order the King and his Knights to search for and find the Holy Grail.
The first half passed with a number of laugh out loud moments with some general silliness thrown in for good measure. The raspberries that the French Soldiers where blowing would certainly have kept my three year old entertained but did after minute become rather over the top.
The second half opened with the immediately recognisable and chirpy Always Look on the Bright Side of Laugh which the audience couldn’t help but sing along to. Patsy was definitely at his best during this track. Although the show has been running for so long, efforts were made to make it extremely current especially during the rendition of You Won’t Succeed in Showbiz (without a star). Reference to both the recent election, Ant & Dec’s success at the Bafta’s and not to mention everyone’s favourite (honest) locally hated tabloid journalist Katie Hopkins delighted the audience and stars alike.
The locality of the show was also addressed during the ad-libbed part of the performance when the Black Knight tried to tongue tie Arthur before ultimately breaking into Hey Jude as a strong reference to the Scouse audience. For me there was two highlights to the show, the first being the fight between Arthur and the Black Knight which I won’t ruin for potential viewers but I can guarantee will leave you with tears rolling down your cheeks and the second was the extremely unexpected discovery of the Holy Grail, again not to spoil this ingenious part of the script other than to say if you are sat in the stalls it may be worth dressing up for the occasion.
The show as any other always needs a happy ending so here we had two weddings to celebrate, the first of the dashing Sir Lancelot to the Pretty Prince Herbert who had an unbelievably exceptional soprano singing range and the second of the King himself to the Lady of the Lake.
Overall an highly enjoyable, laugh out loud musical for adults to sing and dance along to and a great reason for a DVD night in with the other half to watch the original Monty Python.
Rating: 4/5
Tickets cost from £12.90 to £44.90 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
Spamalot is at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool until 16 May 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 8713017.
Liverpool Empire Theatre, Lime Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 1JE | 0844 8713017
