Warning - Spoilers below. Don't read this if you plan to see the play.
Kathy and I got tickets through a friend for "Spamalot", a Broadway production "lovingly ripped off" from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", one of the best comedy movies of all time. Now, I'm not one for Broadway type shows. I don't like musicals, in general. There are a few exceptions, but they aren't thought of as musicals. "The Blues Brothers", for example could be thought of as a musical, but it's a musical comedy, not a comedic musical. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a comedy with a few musical numbers put in.
Spamalot if definitely a comedic musical and is worth seeing even if you don't like musicals. The acting and singing were very good. The whole production had a Pythonesque feel to it as you would expect. Like the movie, the play starts out with something totally unrelated involving a Nordic country. It's quickly disposed of and the banging of coconuts begins in earnest.
The plot deviates significantly from the movie, as it should. But the costumes are dead ringers for those used in the movies. I'd love to have a "Knights who say Ni!" helmet.
Some scenes from the movie are taken out completely, most notably, the "Castle Anthrax" bit is conspicuously absent. This is only becauae aome of the dancing girls in the play are seen to wear "Zoot suits" complete with white veils.
There is also some condensing of characters. The constitutional peasant "Dennis" in the movie becomes "Dennis Galahad" in the play and is knighted. Likewise, the Sir Robin and Sir Launcelot start out in the plague village arguing over the fellow who's not dead (Given the name "Not Dead Fred") Fred's part is significantly expanded upon and there's some singing by the plague victims about the status of their life signs. Overall, it was well done.
One of the the familiar scenes include "Camelot" but the knights actually go there even though it is a silly place. Camelot turns out to be a medieval Las-Vegas complete with dancing girls, and the round table is used for gaming. "What happens in Camelot, stays in Camelot" states Arthur before they break into an expanded version of "We're Knights of the Round Table".
God(or rather the voice of God) is played by none other than John Cleese(recorded). We don't see a picture of W.G Grace as the Almighty, but two huge feet, the same images as those used to great effect in the opening credits of Monty Python's Flying Circus, serve as His feet.
The Lady of the Lake is a character in the play, providing the part of a Diva and heroine for the musical.
The knights’ roles are changed significantly as well. Of these, most notable, is Launcelot. His character becomes a “knight with a difference” after he rescues effeminate Prince Herbert from Swamp Castle.
Other odd things are brought up, which show the play's origins in New York. References to gaining the support of Jews in order to succeed on Broadway come up. In Python style, it's something that makes you laugh, but also makes you a little uncomfortable at first. This is probably a good thing in this overly sensitive politically-correct time we live.
The black knight scene was kept in the play, and was done well enough considering the technical difficulties of cutting off all four limbs of an actor while not violating the "You won't dismember him" clause of his contract.
Speaking of silly violence and bloodshed, Sir Bors is effectively beheaded by the Killer Rabbit at the opening of the cave of Caerbannog. It's amazing what you can hide inside a full chain mail suit and a 13th century helmet. Clever use a short actor and red ribbons do the job well.
The play ends differently than the film, too. Instead of being arrested for killing the historian, or being cast into the Gorge of Eternal Peril, it ends with a wedding - or two. The Lady of the Lake is actually Human, not a Fairy. "Oh no, that's Launcelot", says the Lady in reply to Arthur's question. So the king ends up with a queen (You can guess her name), and two queens end up with each other. "This will still be controversial even a 1000 years from now!" says the gay knight as they leave the Vegas-style wedding chapel.
All live happily ever after and the Grail turns out to be hidden in a place closer than anyone ever thought it would.
Overall, I still like the movie's presentation of this twisted version of Arthurian Legend better. However, I have to admit that the French taunting gestures used in the play out did those of the movie.