Spamalot

Spamalot – lots of fun at the Lowestoft Players’ own theatre

Spamalot
by the Lowestoft Players

at the Bethel Theatre, Lowestoft

Review published in the Eastern Daily Press, 12 September 2016 and The Lowestoft Journal, 16 September 2016

Spamalot, ‘lovingly ripped off’ from the ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ movie, is a joyful feast of fun, surreal madness, random allusions from history, politics, literature, in a knock-out panto-cum-musical.

Lowestoft Players, in the run-up to their 50th anniversary, create a stunning evening out with brilliant costumes, terrific music, exquisite choreography, quality singing, professional standard direction/production and outstanding performances.

It seems unfair in such an ensemble of monks, minstrels, guards and girls of the lake to single out individuals, but Chris Darnell as King Arthur perfectly catches the buffoonery while Beth Lewis shines as the diva in a part she was born for – she is just divine, dahling!

Other star turns, many multi-roling, include Ian Carter as a Baldrick-like dogsbody; Stephen Clark, Chris Penn, Tom Guttridge and Dave Evans as the strangely assorted knights; Martyn Field as the hilarious French Taunter and Tom Holt as Not Dead Fred.

The famous number is ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ but ‘You Won’t Succeed on Broadway’, ‘Whatever Happened to My Part’, ‘I’m All Alone’ and ‘The Song That Goes Like This’ are catchy and fantastically well done.

David Porter