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LinkedinFrom the legendary Black Knight to a giant Trojan Rabbit, Petersfield Theatre Group’s production of the award-winning musical promises iconic songs, ridiculous comedy and plenty of backstage ingenuity at Festival Hall this November.
Bursting with unforgettable songs and absurd humour, Spamalot! the musical is a rollicking celebration of all things Monty Python.
Based on the 1975 film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the 2005 Broadway production won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical, with its success continuing on both Broadway and the West End.
Spamalot! is an affectionate parody of the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, with plenty of Pythonesque humour thrown in and a well-known soundtrack including Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.
Whilst the cast rehearse weekly and dedicate hours to learning songs, dialogue and choreography, Petersfield Theatre Group’s productions would never reach the stage without the work of a great number of people behind the scenes.
Besides the eccentricities of a Python plotline, Spamalot! in particular presents “a number of staging challenges”, says director Ryan Watts. Recreating famous scenes from the film onstage, such as the well-known Black Knight skit, has required a lot of creativity from the props, costume and set departments.
Dressing the population of Camelot from knights to cheerleaders has required over 100 costumes with most of the 33 cast members playing multiple characters. You’d also struggle to count the number of props which have been created, with over 30 handmade ‘fish’ required just for the opening number!
The set building team, some of whom are pictured, meet weekly and bring to life – often from scratch! – whichever world the productions require.
In recent years their creations have ranged from churches complete with stained glass windows for Sister Act! to the streets (and sewers) of New York City for Guys and Dolls. One key piece of set for Spamalot! is the giant Trojan Rabbit which really does have to be seen to be believed!
The PTG Committee say: “We are incredibly lucky to have so many brilliant people volunteering their time and skills to ensure our productions are as good as they possibly can be. You might not see them treading the boards or taking a bow on show week, but those working backstage are the real stars of local amateur theatre.”
If dead parrot allusions and insults including hamsters and elderberries mean anything to you, (or even if they don’t!), get yourself a ticket.
Petersfield Theatre Group brings Spamalot! to Petersfield Festival Hall, November 18th-21st at 7.30pm, plus a 2pm Saturday matinee.
Book tickets at ticketsource.com/thefestivalhall/monty-pythons-spamalot/e-glmlzj
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