Ladies and gentlemen, hold on to your coconuts, because Free-Rain Theatre brings Spamalot the Musical to The Q in Queanbeyan next month, 12-24 September.

Described as “lovingly ripped off” from the 1975 motion picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot was written in 2005 by Eric Idle, one of the original Pythons.

Spamalot repackages some of the film’s most beloved sketches for the stage. The plague victim (“Not dead yet”) becomes an irreverent musical number while the Black Knight (“It’s just a flesh wound”) becomes a feat in physical comedy.

Director Jarrad West, of The Q’s previous productions, Mamma Mia! and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, has taken a step away from jukebox musicals to orchestrate the impious take on King Author and his quest for the Holy Grail.

However, he says Canberrans can look forward to just as much musical variety as they would expect from a jukebox.

“You have some Latin dance, some Irish dance, some disco – it’s all across the board, which is really, really fun,” West tells CW.

He calls Spamalot “deceptively” full of showtunes, tap dancing, and all-around musical fanfare. Which you might not think of since it’s Monty Python. [However] It does lend itself really well to becoming a Broadway show. I mean, it won a Tony, so they have to had been doing something right,” he laughs.

Spamalot first opened on Broadway in 2005, with Tim Curry starring as King Arthur. It received 14 Tony Award nominations, winning in three categories, including Best Musical.

“It’s a big show and we want to try and be more interactive with it, which is why we’re doing this with the audience sitting on the stage.”

Indeed, good sir, West is making the most of the space allowed by The Q stage by offering 24 audience members “Courtside seats” to be in the centre of the action.

“My original concept was to have six tables on stage that were used for a variety of things, like the battlements of the French castle and the round table,” he says.

“Then I thought, ‘Well, why not put [some of] the audience at those tables and have them right in the middle of it?’

“Monty Python has a cult following – a bit like Rocky Horror in that people know the lines and they’re calling them out along with [the actors].

“We’re leaning into that interactive aspect to make it a love letter to the fans of Monty Python,” says West, “but also bring in those who might not necessarily know Monty Python but still want to have a good time at the theatre.”

A longtime fan of not only Monty Python, but of the pre-existing radio show, I’m Sorry, I’ll Read That Again, West imagines that everyone of his generation remembers British comedy writers Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, and Bill Oddie.

“Those comedians were part of your life growing up. That style of English, ludicrous, absurdist comedy has always been appealing to me, I found it just ridiculously fun.”

With that in mind, he adds that the sheer ridiculousness of Spamalot can be appreciated across generations.

“We’ve got a cast of wonderfully young people who make me feel old,” he laughs. “The cast are all Monty Python fans, so they all understand how ridiculous they have to be.”

The talented Canberra locals bringing Spamalot to the stage are a mix of new and familiar faces. King Arthur will be played by Michael Jordan, who starred in The Sound of Music last year, and played Lancelot in The Q’s previous production of Spamalot.

The seductive Lady of the Lake will be brought to life by Hannah Lance in her first major lead role.

“With casting this one, it was all about who understands Monty Python humour, who can embody a little bit of the original performers, and give us a throwback, not only to the film, but to the original Broadway production,” says West.

“We’re Australian, we can do British accents while standing on our heads, so that does make things quite easier casting-wise,” he smiles.

“We still have that British sense of humour … We do still have a love of the absurd. We love to see hubris cut down in a comedy and Canberra is always crying out for a pantomime.

“If you love silly, if you love Rocky Horror, off-the-wall offbeat humour, and cracking songs from an onstage orchestra, come along!”

Tickets are on sale now at theq.net.au

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