Monty Python’s ‘Spamalot’ brings absurd comedy back to the Orpheum

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Absurd is the word at the Orpheum Theatre this week, with the cast of Monty Python’s Spamalot on stage.

The Tony-winning comedy musical reworks the classic “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” into a Broadway spoof of theater itself — complete with a casino-styled Camelot, dancing knights and ridiculous rhymes.

The show is a highly irreverent parody of Arthurian legend, with the title combining Spam and Camelot.

“You would know him if you saw him if you don’t know his name,” said Blake Segal, who plays Patsy, of co-creator Eric Idle, one of the original Monty Python members.

Segal said Idle has called laughter “good medicine” at a time of tension in the world, describing it as “a rather rebellious act.”

Major Attaway, who plays King Arthur, calls it a “dad show” for the whole family.

“Do you like to laugh? There will be something in this show for your entire family,” Attaway said. “We have fart jokes for the kids.”

Segal said audiences have told him after shows they didn’t know how much they needed to laugh.

“I haven’t laughed that hard for that long in a year,” Segal said, quoting audience reaction. “Realizing that our show is doing that for a lot of people is really special.”

This is the third time Spamalot has played the Orpheum. The original 2005 Broadway production won the Tony Award for Best Musical, earning the Orpheum its second Tony for co-producing.

Hit numbers include “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” “The Song That Goes Like This” and “Find Your Grail.”

Performances run through Sunday. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and the Orpheum Theatre box office.

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