AURORA | They set up camps in parking lots dressed as medieval peasants, knights and princesses.
The crowds that showed up early to tailgate during the touring production of the hit Broadway musical “Spamalot” weren’t your typical theatergoers. These were obsessive fans of the Monty Python comedy troupe; they came to see recreations of their favorite, silliest moments from the iconic film “Monty Python and the
Holy Grail.”
“There were moments where we couldn’t hear the actors because the whole audience was screaming (lines),” said Piper Lindsay Arpan, who performed in the Broadway production of “Spamalot” before hitting the road with the touring show. She’s also serving as director and choreographer for the version of the musical that’s set to open at the Aurora Fox theater this weekend. “These characters are beloved.”
That considerable cult status is one of the challenges facing Arpan and the cast of the Aurora Fox troupe as they put the finishing touches on the show. The source material for this show has a rabid following, fans who are unlikely to forgive any flubbed line or
missed cue.
But Arpan is ready. Her credentials as a former member of the Broadway and touring company are only part of her preparation. So too, is her experience directing and choreographing the version that ran at Boulder’s Dinner Theatre last year. One of her greatest strengths going into the show is her own past as a Python nerd.
“I think I’ve seen this movie a million times,” Arpan said. “When we were little girls, my sister and I made stop-time animation movies of scenes from the movie with our brother’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (toys).”
But there’s so much more to this show than being able to faithfully recreate the Black Knight scene or find actors who can summon the right kind of falsetto when delivering lines as the Knights Who Say ‘Ni.’ The 2004 musical written by John Du Prez, Neil Innes and Python vet Eric Idle may be “lovingly ripped off” from the 1975 film, but it also features a good deal of original satire and impressive effect.
The basic premise is the same as the film. King Arthur, his loyal servant Patsy and his inept troupe of knights are on a mission to find the Holy Grail. Their journey takes them from comic mishap to
comic mishap.
But the musical takes the plot in other directions. Idle and his fellow writers find ways to skewer the best-loved stage works of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim and Bob Fosse. Massive dance numbers and special effects mark the misadventures of Arthur and his knights. “Spamalot” is a massive Broadway musical with a core of silliness at its heart.
Bringing that kind of scope to the Aurora Fox stage has hardly been simple for the tech crew and the lighting designers.
“We have two places where the Lady of the Lake comes out of the floor on a hydraulic elevator,” said Jen Orf, scenic designer for the show. “We’re flying Tim the Enchanter above the stage, and we have no fly space.”
Luckily, Orf and the rest of the crew at the Fox have past experience as a compass. The theater has never shied away from large-scale shows or ambitious effects, and they’ve gone back to prior tricks and engineering feats to pull off “Spamalot.” It makes for a stage packed with props, sets, effects and actors, but that hasn’t tripped up the actors.
“This stage is long and narrow,” said Bob Hoppe, who plays Patsy in the Fox production. Hoppe comes straight to the Fox from a role as Sir Robin in the Boulder Dinner Theatre show. “We’re much more upstage, and the effects — the clouds, the Terry Gilliam god — play just as well as they did in Boulder, and I think as they did on Broadway. They’re closer here. You get a better look at all that stuff.”
Such small differences give the Fox cast and crew the opportunity to put their own stamp on this iconic show. While staying faithful to the source material is a critical part of “Spamalot,” improvisation is also required.
“I have no interest in making a carbon copy of either the movie or the Broadway show,” Arpan said. “At the same time, they do have to honor these characters.”
As a self-professed Python nerd, Arpan knows how important finding that balance can be.
“Spamalot” runs until May 4 at the Aurora Fox, 9900 E. Colfax Ave. Tickets start at $28. Information: 303-739-1970 or aurorafoxartscenter.org.
Reach reporter Adam Goldstein at 720-449-9707 or agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com