Quick review: 'Spamalot'

With all the usual qualifications that musical theater is not my thing and I'd rather be changing channels between a boxing match and football game with a nice mug of beer while climbing the highest mountain in Oklahoma. ... Actually, screw that. This is Monty Python. I should have gone in drag.

Me and Meredith went to the show Sunday night, the last one in Dallas, so I'm sure this'll do everyone a world of good. Especially in Tulsa, where it looks like they're going next.

Basically, Spamalot is the best time I've had a show pretty much since I was kid and much more easily impressed. That being said, I haven't been to a lot of shows, and even as a kid was just pretty much dragged to the Nutcracker once a year, so I guess this all depends on your perspective.

The great part of the show is that it's based on one of the classic film comedies of all time -- Monty Python's Holy Grail -- with a lot of other snippets of Python stuff thown in.

The bad part of the show is that based on one of the most-watched comedies of all time. You find yourself finishing the jokes before they do or feeling mildly annoyed when they do something different than what you were expecting.

There's also a sense that Eric Idle (writer, original Python) has lost some of the edge, some of the anger, since his Python days. When Finnish dancers pop up on the stage and start singing and hitting each other with fish, the joke goes on too long and doesn't end until the "historian" politely says, "No, this is England."

Back in the series days, the Fins would have smashed with a giant hammer or chased away by vikings hurling cans of Spam or something.

But, really, what else did you expect? Musical theater by its nature requires actual dances and songs -- subjects that were used only to short, comic effect on the television series and the movies. A theatrical show has to be based around that stuff.

So, the first act isn't really enthralling, but you know what's going on, and "The Song That Goes Like This," is the high point. The show doesn't really do anything all that surprising, but there are funny moments and it ends rather well, with the confrontation of the French.

Things took off early in the second act with the song "You won't succeed on Broadway (If you don't have any jews)". The piece was original, edgy and hillarious. This was the kind of Python I was hoping to see.

After that things picked up, the plot wondered through some rather Simpsonesque kinds of turns, and ended with everyone singing "Always look on the Bright Side of Life."

A good time was had by all. Except maybe the 12-year-old boy sitting in front of me, who kept a "This is Stoopid" look on his face the whole time.

UPDATE: My wife points out that this review comes across as too negative. She also points out the fact that I have almost no hair on my head.

Mainly she said I didn't get across the fun that the show was. So, let me add, the effects were great, and I really enjoyed the choreography, mainly done by women who were not wearing authentic wear for the middle ages. I really even considered buying a souvenier program for bit.

It's fun, trust me.