Good news! Monty Python’s zany, award-winning Spamalot is back at the Kennedy Center. Even as momentous, politicized changes are afoot at the Center, including a controversial name change, the return of this exuberant musical recalls the institution’s original purpose: a showcase for the best in the performing arts. No matter how bleak the current outlook, this topsy-turvy, inside-out comedy urges us to “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” and celebrate the creative spirit.
Spamalot is “lovingly ripped off” from the immensely popular 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail by the original, groundbreaking British comedy troupe, Monty Python. The stage version ran on Broadway from 2005 to 2009, garnering a bevy of Tony and Drama Desk Awards, along with a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album in 2006. A national tour followed, and the show has been revived multiple times over the past two decades. With music by John Du Prez and Python member Eric Idle, and a book and lyrics by Idle, Spamalot remains the ultimate crowd-pleaser.
The action centers on the newly crowned King Arthur of England and his trusty sidekick, the aptly named Patsy, as they assemble assorted knights around a “very round table.” Commanded by a thunderous God to find the Holy Grail — the chalice said to have been used at the Last Supper — the motley crew sets off from a sizzling nightclub-themed Camelot. Along the way, they encounter a taunting French guard, self-flagellating monks, the Knights Who Say “Ni,” a ravenous rabbit, and a host of other comic obstacles. A mystical Lady of the Lake and her diaphanous entourage emerge in grand Hollywood fashion to aid Arthur in his quest.
One might ask if a 20-year-old musical studded with jokes about women, gays, Jews, French people, and a variety of addled Britons could possibly feel fresh. The answer, largely, is yes. When everyone gets skewered, even with well-understood tropes, it’s hard for any of us to feel singled out. A stellar cast helps, too. Brilliantly directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes, Spamalot’s versatile troupe breathes life into dozens of characters, each one a quirky manifestation of Monty Python’s irreverent wit.
In the lead role of King Arthur, Major Attaway is both clownishly self-aggrandizing and genuinely endearing. In “I’m All Alone,” he gently bemoans his isolation while the ever-faithful Patsy stands mere inches away. Paired with the luminous Amanda Robles as the Lady of the Lake, Attaway breaks the fourth wall early and often. Their duet, “The Song That Goes Like This,” is a hilarious send-up of overlong Broadway love ballads, climaxing with an anguished plea for the orchestra to simply stop playing. In Act II, Robles returns with “The Diva’s Lament (Whatever Happened to My Part?),” a full-throated, wickedly funny complaint about the show’s trajectory.
Leo Roberts commands the stage as Sir Galahad in “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway,” an irreverent lesson in show-business formulas that expands into the evening’s show-stopping ensemble number. It cleverly recalls some of Broadway’s most memorable hits while pinpointing their common denominator — the ethnic diversity that Arthur’s knights sadly lack.
Steven Telsey proves impressively versatile, moving with ease from the stolid Historian to the madcap Prince Herbert and numerous smaller roles in between. For sheer, sputtering eccentricity, Chris Collins-Pisano brings down the house. Playing Sir Lancelot, the French Taunter, and other nutty roles, he embodies Monty Python’s free-associative silliness more fully than anyone else onstage.
The talented ensemble sings and dances seamlessly from scene to scene, clad in outrageous technicolor costumes by Jen Caprio. With minimal props, the show’s visual flair is supplied by Paul Tate dePoo III’s gleefully gaudy projections and scenic design. Cory Pattak’s lighting shifts the mood with split-second precision, in lockstep with the action. Musical director Jonathan W. Gorst presides over a strong orchestra; if the musicians occasionally overpower Idle’s clever lyrics, it may be worth revisiting the cast album to catch every witty word.Beneath Spamalot’s phantasmagoria and folderol beats a heart that skewers authoritarianism and puffery while celebrating love. From start to finish, the show delivers the laughter we need right now — a perfect antidote for this complicated holiday season.
Running Time: Two hours and 30 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission.
Monty Python’s Spamalot plays through January 4, 2026, in the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center – 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC. To purchase tickets ($49–$199), go online, call the box office at (800) 444-1324, or visitTodayTix.
The program is online here.
