The talented cast of Spamalot. Photo courtesy of Mercury Theater Chicago. Photo credit Brett Beiner. The lovely Mercury Theater Chicago is located in the heart of the Southport neighborhood surrounded by a plethera of restaurant options and cute boutiques. The space is ideal for comic musicals and seats 290 people, with the adjoining Venus Cabaret Theater (seating 80). Farm-to-table dining is available at its adjoining restaurant, Grassroots. You are also welcome to bring over alcoholic beverages from the restaurant for the performace, just make sure they are in cute little to go cups, and be sure to clean up after yourself (as a former theater usher, I cannot stress this enough!).
Photo courtesy of Mercury Theater Chicago. Photo credit Brett Beiner.
Unless you live under a rock, you've most likely heard of the hit 1975 film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". Well, what could be better than seeing a live musical version "lovingly ripped off" from the film with hilarious Chicago improv peppered in?
Monty Python's Spamalot is the winner of 3 Tony Awards including Best Musical, and was originally developed and received its world premiere in Chicago back in 2004. Director Walter Sterns has assembled a killer production, and it is absolutely worth attending for a night of pure hilarious entertainment from start to finish.
From the get go, we are instructed to "allow our cell phones and pagers to ring willy-nilly." The story line follows King Arthur galloping through the land on his invisible horse followed by his loyal servant, Percy, as he bangs together coconut shells to create the sound of horse hooves. King Arthur is in search of knights who will join him at his round table, and will assist him on his quest to find the Holy Grail.
Monty Python's Spamalot is the winner of 3 Tony Awards including Best Musical, and was originally developed and received its world premiere in Chicago back in 2004. Director Walter Sterns has assembled a killer production, and it is absolutely worth attending for a night of pure hilarious entertainment from start to finish.
From the get go, we are instructed to "allow our cell phones and pagers to ring willy-nilly." The story line follows King Arthur galloping through the land on his invisible horse followed by his loyal servant, Percy, as he bangs together coconut shells to create the sound of horse hooves. King Arthur is in search of knights who will join him at his round table, and will assist him on his quest to find the Holy Grail.
"God lost a cup?"
The grail is of course a metaphor for everyone being able to find their destinies! King Arthur collects his trusted knights - Sir Lancelot, Sir Gallahad, Sir Robin, and Sir Bedevere. Along the way they encounter ridiculous peasants, killer rabbits, Knights who say "Nii", can-can dancers, the Lady of the Lake and her "Laker Girls", barnyard animals, and countless others.
Meghan Murphy as the Lady of the Lake. Photo courtesy of Mercury Theater Chicago. Photo credit Brett Beiner.
King Aurthur and his knights of the round table. Photo courtesy of Mercury Theater Chicago. Photo credit Brett Beiner.
"That's the King."
"How can you tell?"
"He hasn't got shit all over him."
"How can you tell?"
"He hasn't got shit all over him."
Jonah Winston does a spectacular job as King Arthur, with a booming baritone voice as smooth as rich caramel. His voice commands a room as a king's should. He is a natural leader on stage, and I kept thinking I would absolutely love to see him in Man of La Mancha someday (hint, hint, Mercury Theater).
The lovely Lake of the Lake. Photo courtesy of Mercury Theater Chicago. Photo credit Brett Beiner.
"Life is really up to you,
You must choose what to pursue.
Set your mind on what to find
And there's nothing you can't do."
You must choose what to pursue.
Set your mind on what to find
And there's nothing you can't do."
The star of the show is clearly Meghan Murphy, who plays the Lady of the Lake. She has the honor of singing one of the greatest songs in the modern musical theater cannon for women, "Find Your Grail", and she kills it! This coming from a huge fan of the original Lady, the wonderful Sara Ramirez. She added her own pizzazz and cracked me up with her improvisations during "Knights of the Round Table" in which she seemed to channel Liza Minelli. Amid the outrageousness of the show, Murphy managed to interject some moments with a lot of heart (particularly during "Find your Grail") and showed wonderful versatility from funny lady to wonderfully seasoned performer. I enjoyed every moment she was on stage.
The ensemble and Lancelot during "His Name is Lancelot". Photo courtesy of Mercury Theater Chicago. Photo credit Brett Beiner.
It was clear from the start that the ensemble was very close with each other. Each cast member played at least a few different roles (with the exception of King Arthur and Lady of the Lake). I loved that the ensemble played roles that were relatively gender neutral-- females playing gay dudes during "His name is Lancelot" and men playing "Laker Girls" (cuz I mean, why not?).
Some stand out performances included Adam Ross Brody in the role of Sir Robin- "who slew the vicious Chicken of Bristol and who personally wet himself at the Battle of Badon Hill." He is not so brave, really into singing and dancing, and a strong performer throughout the show. Brody's comic timing is a glorious highlight and I enjoyed every scene he was in.
I particularly enjoyed the performance from Adam Fane, who played a slew of characters (Historian, Not Dead Fred, Minstrel, and Prince Herbert). His fully sculpted characters could have each been a Hanna Barbera cartoon with it's own show (that I would happily watch). He did a stand out job showing versatility within those roles and shines in this type of slapstick comedy.
Some stand out performances included Adam Ross Brody in the role of Sir Robin- "who slew the vicious Chicken of Bristol and who personally wet himself at the Battle of Badon Hill." He is not so brave, really into singing and dancing, and a strong performer throughout the show. Brody's comic timing is a glorious highlight and I enjoyed every scene he was in.
I particularly enjoyed the performance from Adam Fane, who played a slew of characters (Historian, Not Dead Fred, Minstrel, and Prince Herbert). His fully sculpted characters could have each been a Hanna Barbera cartoon with it's own show (that I would happily watch). He did a stand out job showing versatility within those roles and shines in this type of slapstick comedy.
The French guards spy the wooden rabbit. Photo courtesy of Mercury Theater Chicago. Photo credit Brett Beiner.
The costumes, wigs and makeup were masterfully crafted. I was particularly impressed with the tear away pants and the Lady's dress that miraculously transformed while on stage.
Check out a time lapse video on Mercury Theater's Instagram that shows the set being built nearly start to finish. I thought the set was a masterpiece and lent itself very well to the space.
Check out a time lapse video on Mercury Theater's Instagram that shows the set being built nearly start to finish. I thought the set was a masterpiece and lent itself very well to the space.
Spamalot runs at Mercury Theater from August 30-November 3, 2019. The performance schedule is Wednesdays at 8pm, Thursdays at 8pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm and Sundays at 3pm. Individual tickets range from $40-$80 and are available online at www.MercuryTheaterChicago.com, over the phone at (773) 325-1700, or in person at the Mercury Theater box office at 3745 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago.
Still haven't had enough Monty Python? Well you're in luck! The Mercury Theater will be partnering with The Music Box movie theater to present a screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail on Sunday, September 29 at 7 pm. The event will feature appearances by the cast of Spamalot! Tickets for the screening are $11 and are available online at www.musicboxtheatre.com or at the box office.
#spamalotchi
#mercurytheaterchicago
Still haven't had enough Monty Python? Well you're in luck! The Mercury Theater will be partnering with The Music Box movie theater to present a screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail on Sunday, September 29 at 7 pm. The event will feature appearances by the cast of Spamalot! Tickets for the screening are $11 and are available online at www.musicboxtheatre.com or at the box office.
#spamalotchi
#mercurytheaterchicago
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