King Arthur (Michael Chartier) is attended to by the Laker Girls in MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT, the very silly musical opening at the Count Basie Theatre this weekend, as the season-capping entertainment from Phoenix Productions.
Ah, Camelot — the wise and good King Arthur; the glory that was the Round Table. The Lady of the Lake and her Laker Girls; the “schlapping” fish, the nasty rabbits, the holy hand grenades and the Knights Who Say “Ni.”
Wait, what? Actually if it’s the classic Lerner-Loewe musical Camelot you’re looking for, take it to Two River Theater for the all-new production that goes up in previews November 15. But if, on the other hand, you’re in the market for as irreverent a Broadway tunefest as has ever made off with the holy-grail Tony, head down Monmouth Street to the Count Basie, where Monty Python’s Spamalot holds court for the next two weekends.
The season finale offering from the Basie’s resident nonprofessional stage troupe Phoenix Productions — one that represents the borough-based company’s first visit to the hit show “ripped off” by Python’s Eric Idle from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail — the 2005 crowdpleaser has become a fast favorite of school and community players across the land. Opening on Friday night, November 14, and continuing through Sunday, November 23, the production boasts a rather unique connection to local Arthurian lore and legend.
Donning the party-store crown as aging boy-king Arthur is none other than Michael Chartier, an actor who has essayed that selfsame regal role in past community stagings of the original Camelot. As adept at dramatic portrayals as he is at slapstick farce and comedy (he’s a member in good standing of Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore’s Unofficial Stock Company), the longtime fixture on local stages is flanked here by a comic cast that includes Phoenix phaves Anthony Preuster (brave Sir Robin), Casey Okamoto (loyal Patsy) and Dan Peterson (not-dead Fred). Christine Paccillo appears as the Lady of the Lake, a female lead whose spotlight song is the lament “Whatever Happened to My Part?” — and the fun score is highlighted by the rousing “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” (itself ripped off from Monty Python’s Life of Brian).
Performances of Spamalot are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, plus Sundays at 3 pm — and tickets ($20-32) can be reserved by calling (732)747-0014 or e-mailing [email protected]. Be there in Friday’s opening night audience, and get clued in with a preview announcement of NEXT season’s slate of Phoenix productions at the Basie, scheduled to be the first to follow the company’s move to an all-new rehearsal space headquarters on Chestnut Street.
