“And now for something completely different.” On Thursday through Aug. 21 and Aug. 27-28, Waimea Community Theatre presents Monty Python’s “Spamalot,” the Tony Award-winning musical comedy “lovingly ripped off” from the 1975 film, ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail.’ With French burlesque musical stylings of Python’s ludicrous narratives, there’s no better way to beat the heat than an evening of belly laughs and guffaws.
“And now for something completely different.” On Thursday through Aug. 21 and Aug. 27-28, Waimea Community Theatre presents Monty Python’s “Spamalot,” the Tony Award-winning musical comedy “lovingly ripped off” from the 1975 film, ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail.’ With French burlesque musical stylings of Python’s ludicrous narratives, there’s no better way to beat the heat than an evening of belly laughs and guffaws.
“It’s Monty Python — lovingly ripped off from the film, ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail,’ so it’s all about King Arthur and his knights prancing around trying to find the Holy Grail and everything along the way,” said director Andy Kunellis. “It’s got all the basic characters from the film. It’s a great deal of fun.”
The play follows King Arthur as he travels around England seeking new recruits for his knightly Round Table. He and his eccentric odd-ball knights convene in Camelot and are ordered by God to seek out the Holy Grail. Their adventurous journey leads to comedic encounters with outlandish characters and peculiar locations. They must diligently maintain their composure or meet their fate in bizarre and curious ways.
“If you know anything about Monty Python, it’s a great deal of fun,” said Kunellis. “If you don’t know anything about Monty Python, that’s kind of surprising because it’s pretty iconic. It’s not really a children’s musical — it’s more for a high school and older crowd. It’s fun and a lot of wonderful music. The dancing is great. It’s an evening where you don’t have to worry about anything, don’t have to deal with anything — just enjoy.”
Pack your sense of humor before you head to North Hawaii because the show is full of spoofs on rude Frenchman, can-can dancers, catapulting cows and killer rabbits. Waimea Community Theatre will be the first to present “Spamalot” on the Big Island after its successful Broadway run.
The show presents at Kahilu Theatre Thursday through Aug. 21 before moving to Honokaa People’s Theatre on Aug. 27-28. All performances begin at 7 p.m., except for the Sunday matinees which begin at 2 p.m.
Tickets for the Kahilu Theatre performances are available online at www.kahilutheatre.org. The Honokaa performance tickets are available at the Taro Patch Gift Shop in Honokaa. Tickets will be available at the door prior to each performance. Ticket prices range from $15 to $30.
The show is not recommended for young children because of language.
“We have a really wonderful cast and crew. It’s really a community effort,” said Kunellis. “It’s been really great how much effort everyone is putting in to get the show up and running.” ■