Spamalot

So.
Spamalot.
Tarzan and I saw Spamalot last night. That, my friends, was an experience. Sooooo very different from Fiddler on the Roof, and yet, not any less enjoyable. Just different.
Really different.
There was a lot more audience participation than any other play I've ever been to. And there were parts I suspect were ad libbed. One scene in particular - with the Knights Who Say Ni - the actors were cracking up, on the stage and not in a rehearsed manner. I think that bit went farther than it had previously. It was hilarious. The whole show was. As the Playbill suggests the musical is - lovingly - ripped off of the movie but since the author is the same for both I suppose it's okay. A few bits went too far I think. The French scene was quite excessively crude and the female costumes were very Vegas-esque but the underlying point was there and it was very well put together. I've heard it said that comedy is harder than drama and I suspect that this sort of comedy - with a lot of non-sequiters - is even harder than that. The timing has to be spot on and I think this touring company managed it well.
That Eric Idle is a funky fellow. Some kind of crazy genius.

This is me, and I figure the African swallow came for the show and the coconut for a snack afterwards.