Spring Musical: Spamalot
April 13, 2018
Breaking the fourth wall of theater and offering a comical cast that interacted the audience, playgoers were on their toes at the spring musical comedy, Monty Python’s “Spamalot,” performed March 16, 17 and 18 in the auditorium.
The show was directed by English teacher Krista McKim and media services technician Steven Mirman, and was co-directed by student director senior Hannah Huber. This was McKimA?s second RHS production and first musical. Preparing for the show, she said she was pleased with the the comedy in the show and the actors’ performances.
A?I absolutely guarantee you will laugh at least once,A? McKim said.
Spamalot is based on the 1975 film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” but was reinvented with its comedy and musical numbers for the stage. The 2005 Broadway production won three Tony Awards, including “Best Musical,” and received 14 Tony Award nominations.
One of the unique aspects of the production is “breaking the fourth wall” which according to Collins Dictionary is a theatrical term used to refer to when a character in a television program, film or play refers to, acknowledges or addresses the audience.
“It’s really interesting when an audience participates with the show,” senior cast member Nick Leon said. “It can turn a good show into a great one.”
The musical tracks King Arthur and his knights’ journey to find the Holy Grail, which was eventually found toward the close of the show under math teacher Carmen’s Tong’s seat in the front row of the audience. Tong was then brought on stage for an impromptu musical number.
“I had no clue it was happening. I was definitely taken aback but I thought it was really cute,” Tong said.
Jokes in the show foreshadow the future, by referring to the present day despite the musical being set in King Arthurian times. The jokes can still be applied to society today. For instance, after a dramatic musical number when Sir Lancelot, one of the knights, comes out as gay, the other characters joke that his marriage will still be controversial in 1,000 years.
The “coming out” scene provide humor to the serious topic. Sir Lancelot is shocked to find out that there was a flamboyant Prince Herbert waiting for him in the tower instead of a princess. Although he initially hesitates, Lancelot accepts his fate and marries the prince after a disco number changes his heart.
The musical was a hit among the audience as laughter filled the auditorium throughout the night but this did not come without the hard work of many.
“We started rehearsal right after auditions and we have all worked really hard since,” Leon said. “The week before we opened we had rehearsal late into the night.”
“Spamalot” provided a night full of laughs for the audience and was a successful production overall with ticket sales exceeding those from the fall play, “12 Angry Jurors.”
