How exciting it was to see Spamalot again (my 13th time), knowing that Michael Palin himself was going to walk on stage at the end of the show during the curtain call.
The last time I saw Spamalot was on opening night at The Playhouse Theatre, last November with Stephen Tomkinson as King Arthur, Anna-Jane Casey as the Lady of the Lake, Todd Carty as Patsy and Graham MacDuff as Sir Lancelot.
Last night, Les Dennis, the current King Arthur did a splendid job in the part and he even sends himself up at one point in the show! And Michael Burgen makes an excellent Patsy.
The others (Bonnie Langford as Lady of the Lake and Kit Orton as Sir Lancelot) I had seen perform previously when the show was at the Harold Pinter Theatre. They are both amazing and extremely funny!
A very clever PR person (who deserves a pay rise) - or was it Eric Idle? - came up with the idea of getting stars to play God in the show for a week each, in aid of their chosen charities. Michael Palin's charity is Action for Stammering Children aka The Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children, for which his performance in the show will raise awareness and funds.
In his totally heartfelt speech (before the all-cast finale rendition of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, with Michael in the centre of the chorus line and holding hands with Les Dennis and Bonnie Langford), he said that his father suffered from a terrible stammer and how different his life would have been if Action for Stammering Children had been around in his day. He said that he found it so moving how the charity helps the children overcome their stammer, that his support of the charity is what he is most proud of.
I went with a group of Python fans (we almost all met each other for the first time at the show!) and, needless to say, we all had a fantastic time!
More photos here: http://fuckyeahidlepalin.tumblr.com/tagged/august-26
With special thanks to Boom Ents
PS I want you to know that the Playhouse Theatre has very comfy seats and nice clean loos! It's a delightful place!
