Pictured David Hyde Pierce.
Playwright: Eric Idle ( book & lyrics ) ;
John Du Prez & Eric Idle ( music )
At: Shubert Theatre, 22 W. Monroe
Phone: ( 312 ) 902-1400; $25-$87
Runs through: Jan. 23
I've seen my share of popular movies made into big, splashy Broadway productions: Hairspray, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Producers … the list goes on, making one wonder if there are any new ideas left.
Finally, Spamalot ( 'ripped off' from Monty Python and the Holy Grail ) arrives and demonstrates that, with the right creativity, this new and not-going-anywhere-soon form of entertainment can succeed. Big time. Spamalot manages to retain the silly humor Monty Python is known for, while brining tongue-in-cheek, but nevertheless solid, Broadway musical style to the fore. It's going to be a huge hit and, I suspect, will have 'legs' ( unlike the poor guard who finds himself armless and legless after a battle with Tim Curry's King Arthur: 'It's only a flesh wound.' ) .
If you've lived in a cave and are not familiar with Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the story is basically a riff on the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table and their quest for the Holy Grail ( Sir Robin wonders why they can't just buy a new grail ) . If you are familiar with the film, you know that it's an exercise in hilarity, the kind of crazy silliness that leaves one helpless with laughter. Many of the funniest bits are carried over: the vicious bunny, the insulting French guard ( 'I fart in your general direction' ) , 'Bring out your dead,' the Knights of Ni, and the sharp characterizations of the now-hapless knights.
Directed by Mike Nichols and with a cast that boasts the afore-mentioned Curry, Hank Azaria ( a true genius with voices ) , David Hyde Pierce ( the star struck, loose-bowelled Sir Robin ) , John Cleese ( the voice of God ) , and relative newcomer—and future superstar—Sara Ramirez ( Lady of the Lake and a very Marlene Dietrich cow ) , it's hard to imagine Spamalot failing. And, with the exception of one serious misstep, it never does. This is a crowd pleaser that pleases through the use of deft humor, gorgeous set and costume design ( Tim Hatley ) , bold lighting ( Hugh Vanstone ) , and book and music that rarely misses a step. If you loved Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you'll love this; if you've never seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you'll love this.
But I would be remiss if I didn't mention the one deep flaw in this gem: 'His Name is Lancelot,' a production number featuring Hank Azaria, revealing Lancelot's homosexuality, is offensive, much akin to a gay minstrel show. This is the one moment when you ask yourself: 'My God, what were they thinking?' I'm all for good-natured fun ( even at my own expense ) , but this was mean-spirited ( unlike the rest of the show ) . And from a completely non-PC viewpoint, it's the weakest number in the production.
But don't let that dissuade you. This is original, fresh, and hilarious … one of the best of the new breed of Broadway musicals to come along in many moons.
Teibele and
Her Demon
Playwright: Isaac Bashevis Singer
and Eve Friedman
At: European Repertory Company
Phone: ( 312 ) 902-1500; $20
Runs through: Feb. 6
By Jonathan Abarbanel
As in Confessions of a Mormon Boy, reviewed by Mary Shen Barnidge in this issue, Teibele and Her Demon considers the links between sexuality and spirituality. Both pieces conclude that you cannot enjoy the deepest sensuality—sexual or otherwise—until you are spiritually free, and you cannot be spiritually free until you are honest. Both add one more caveat: the deepest sensuality and spirituality are to be found within a relationship, be it person-to-person or person-to-God.
That being said, the two tales are viewed through vastly different cultural lenses. Mormon Boy is autobiographical and set within the American Christian community. Teibele and Her Demon is fictional, set within the mystical, Hasidic Jewish communities of 19th Century Poland, the bottomless well of stories for master Yiddish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer. Mormon Boy condemns the Mormon Church as a body politic while upholding individual faith. Teibele supports institutional Judaism but condemns individual transgressions, even those made for the sake of passion ( encouraged by Judaism within defined borders ) .
Teibele is an attractive, educated woman with a house and business; a good catch. But she's in limbo: her husband has abandoned her. No one knows if he's alive, therefore Teibele cannot be declared a widow and remarry. The bachelor Alchonon yearns for her and becomes her lover by coming to her at night disguised as a demon. This imaginative circumstance unleashes a deep and fulfilling sensuality in both of them. But when a plot twist allows Alchonon to marry Teibele, she cannot stand his touch, gaze or voice. Her blind hatred towards him only increases when he reveals that he was the demon, which she refuses to believe. Like any modern psychologist, Singer understood that the brain is the biggest sex organ. He also understood that an intimate relationship based on falsehood cannot endure.
Director Zeljko Djukich's reputation as a visualist is confirmed even by this simple production. Scenic designer Nikita Tkachuk's enclosing rectangular ramp of weathered wood creates a pit-like playing area, trimmed with oriental carpets, that suggests the confinement of shtetl ( rural Jewish village ) life. The women's plane white frocks and chintz aprons ( costumes by Natasha Vuchurovich Djukic ) confirm the 1880s time period.
Djukich has cast well with European Repertory ensemble members Kirk Anderson as Alchonon and mono-named dado ( herself a noted director ) as a feisty Teibele. But I couldn't hear them, even in the fourth row. Djukich's intimate, conversational approach makes it a struggle to understand what's being said. The matter-of-fact playing also works against the tale's fantasy. Teibele—and other characters—believe in demons, yet this production uses little stagecraft to create a supernatural aura. Therefore, we never see the love affair through Teibele's mystic vision, an essential element to unlocking Singer's tale.