Reasons to see 'Spamalot' on Broadway

The Tony Award-winning musical comedy, currently having its first revival, is lovingly ripped off from the classic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

What do coconuts, a Black Knight, and a rabbit with nasty, big, pointy teeth have in common? Sure, they’re all iconic elements from the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but they’re also some of the biggest stars of Monty Python’s Spamalot, now on Broadway at the St. James Theatre. In fact, each receives entrance applause — even the coconuts.

Following a sold-out run at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. earlier this year, the musical returns to Broadway for the first time since 2009. The show tells the legendary tale of King Arthur's quest to find the Holy Grail, paired with the signature humor of the British comedy troupe Monty Python. The original production received 14 Tony Award nominations in 2005 and won three, including Best Musical, and won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

This new production, helmed by director/choreographer Josh Rhodes, is everything Monty Python fans want in a musical (a show with huge tracts of land) and everything theatre enthusiasts love about musicals (multiple 11 o’clock numbers). Discover why Spamalot is truly the best knight out on Broadway.

See a royal cast of comedy superstars.

James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin), Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer (Beetlejuice), Michael Urie (Ugly Betty), Christopher Fitzgerald (Waitress), Taran Killam (Saturday Night Live), Ethan Slater (SpongeBob SquarePants)… need I go on?

The Spamalot cast is stacked with some of the funniest folks on Broadway, and they all get a chance to show off their comedy prowess. Kritzer’s show-stopping “Diva’s Lament” and Urie’s melodic formula for a successful Broadway show, both in Act Two, are personal favorites.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry (from laughing), and you’ll enjoy some of the best performances on a New York stage right now.

The show is Monty Python-approved.

Original Python member Eric Idle wrote the musical's book and lyrics, working with longtime collaborator John Du Prez on the music. When Spamalot first premiered, surviving Python members John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam voiced their support for the show and even attended opening night. (Jones later passed away in 2020, but Cleese, Palin, and Gilliam remain fans of the show.)

Speaking to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Cleese said, “I defy anyone to go and not have a really fun evening. It's the silliest thing I’ve ever seen, and I think Eric [Idle] did a great job."

You don’t need to know Spamalot’s source material.

Whether you grew up quoting the Holy Grail movie or don’t know the difference between the Knights Who Say “Ni!” and the Knights Who Say “Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-PTANG-Zoom-Boing,” you’ll love Spamalot all the same. You're still sure to love and laugh at the silliness, but just in case you want to watch it before you go, the film is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

That said, all the classic bits Python die-hards know and love are there — this fan was particularly delighted to see the French Taunter (played by Killam) and an important debate about whether coconuts migrate (featuring Urie and Killam).

Get tickets to Spamalot on Broadway.

Spamalot is musical comedy heaven that is sure to tickle your funny bone and remind you why you love theatre. Get ready to look on the bright side of life, because tap-dancing knights and the Laker Girls are back on Broadway.

Photo credit: Michael Urie, Nik Walker, James Monroe Iglehart, Christopher Fitzgerald, Jimmy Smagula, and Taran Killam in Spamalot. (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)