Playwrights: Eric Idle and John Du Prez. At: Drury Lane Theatre, 10 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. Phone: 630-530-0111; $31-$45. Runs through: March 6
On one hand, Drury Lane Theatre deserves nothing but critical hosannas for its regional premiere of the 2005 Broadway hit musical Spamalot. Director William Osetek constantly wows with his Spamalot staging that whips up the audience into gales of laughter.
On the other hand, Osetek could have shown more originality by not hewing so closely to director Mike Nichols' original Spamalot direction. Sure, Osetek and set/projection designer Christopher Ash provide a few new flourishes, but so much of Drury Lane Theatre's Spamalot seems to ape the original productioneven going so far to rent designer Tim Hatley's original loopy costumes.
Though some might feel that Drury Lane passed up its chance to create a distinctly new approach to Spamalot, others will proudly boast at how everything in this local production is so amazingly Broadway-caliber.
These mixed feelings also spill over into my views about the show itself. Though authors Eric Idle and John Du Prez are upfront about Spamalot being a "musical lovingly ripped off from the motion picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail," it still annoys me about how much pre-existing Python material gets regurgitated onstage.
Instead of moving the genre of musical theater forward, Spamalot is content to backslide reheating old comedy bits mixed with musical spoofs (targets include Fiddler on the Roof and Phantom of the Opera). Ultimately, Spamalot is a meta musical that is woefully lacking in bold new ideas.
But it's hard to argue with success, especially since Spamalot achieves its goal of inducing audiences to nonstop laughter (even for people who can't recite Python routines by heart).
Drury Lane's comic chameleon cast for Spamalot is consistently strong and adept at their shape-shifting duties. John Sanders gets plenty of mileage out of his snooty French Taunter and his sexuality-shifting Sir Lancelot (thanks in large part to Jackson Evans garishly girly take on Prince Herbert).
Sean Allan Krill gets his Sean Connery accent just right for Prince Herbert's Father, while Adam Pelty is amusing as the cowardly Sir Robin. Bradley Mott gets the squawking Python drag persona down pat as Dennis Galahad's Mother, while Gina Milo makes for plenty of mirth via her overwrought vocal melismas as the Lady of the Lake.
The only weak link is David Kortemeier's straight-man King Arthur, who would have been more effective on opening night if he didn't break character by getting the giggles. But Kortemeier is supported by the touching lackey of Matthew Crowle's Patsy, who provides the one genuine touch of friendship in this joke-filled show.
All in all, Drury Lane has scored a palpable hit with Spamalot. It may not be fresh or innovative but, boy, can Spamalot make you laugh yourself silly.