The 2005 Broadway Run
The Musical was based on or rather “lovingly ripped off from the motion picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail” * The motion picture screenplay was written by Eric Idle, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Graham Chapman. Eric Idle would later come back and write both the book and the lyrics for the stage adaptation and the music would be created by John Du Prez alongside Eric Idle. If you would like to learn more about the production staff of the original Broadway run click this link.
The show opened on Mar 17, 2005, in the Shubert Theatre, with previews beginning on Feb 14, 2005. It would later close on Jan 11, 2009, following relatively low (50-80%) capacity during the 2008-2009 season. ( More statistics) During this time there were a total of 34 preview performances followed by 1575 performances.
Due to the show's popularity and artistry, it was nominated for and won many awards, including the 2005 Tony Award for Best Musical, the 2005 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Musical, and the 2005 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Musical. Aside from full production awards, individual featured actors and actresses were also highlighted at both the 2005 Tony Awards and The 2005 Drama Desk Awards, leading to a total of 12 Drama Desk nominations and 14 Tony nominations.
The 2023 Kennedy Center Production
This past Summer (May 12-21) the Kennedy Center announced a production of Spamalot, that would replace the previously announced Kiss of the Spider Woman after an issue regarding production and performance rights. According to Jeffrey Finn, “the Kennedy Center’s vice president and executive producer of theater: the rights holders of the musical have Broadway plans for it.” *
Spamalot at the Kennedy Center featured:
James Monroe Iglehart as King Arthur
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as the Lady in the Lake
Alex Brightman as Lancelot
Nik Walker as Sir Dennis Galahad
Michael Urie as Sir Robin
Rob McClure as The Historian
Jimmy Smagula as Sir Bedevere
The production team includes Josh Rhodes as the Director/Choreographer, John Bell as the music director, Scenic and projection design by Paul Tate dePoo III, Costume design by Jen Caprio, Lighting design by Cory Pattak, Sound design by Haley Parcher, Hair and wig design by Tom Watson, and Casting by JZ Casting. This production was sponsored by The Drutz Family Fund for Musical Theatre.
Everything about Everything…
My brain is constantly playing six degrees of separation with different production teams and if you are anything like me, you probably want to know everything about everything when it comes to your favorite crew members and actors. So, in honor of my own special interest in this side of theatre, here’s some more information centered around the cast and crew of this specific DC production!
Leslie and Josh Rhodes have worked together at the Kennedy Center prior to the summer of 2023. Josh worked as a choreographer on Broadway: Three Generations, a musical composed of shortened versions of Girl Crazy, Bye Bye Birdie, and Side Show and Leslie was a featured performer. The show served as a way to reopen the Eisenhower Theater after its massive remodel that cost the Kennedy Center over 17 million.*
If you are a fan of Beetlejuice the Musical, you may recognize a few of the cast members. Rob Mclure, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, and Alex Brightman are back together again! Rob and Leslie, before Beetlejuice worked together on Something Rotten in 2016 as they replaced Briand’Arcy James and Heidi Blickenstaff, respectively. You can see their performance at Bryant Park in this video.
The name Jen Caprio may sound familiar if you are a fan of Falsettos. She worked as the costume designer for both the Broadway run and the 1st national tour. I absolutely adore her woman in black sketch, and if you haven’t looked into her work, I highly suggest it!
2023 Broadway Revival
A Direct Transfer of the sold-out run of Spamalot at the Kennedy Center was announced and began previews on October 31st, 2023 at the St. James Theatre. Many of the creative team followed the production with producer Jeffery Finn. Some notable changes were made in the cast as a few actors were unavailable at the time of the transfer.
On Opening night, November 16th 2023 the principal cast was as follows:
James Monroe Iglehart as King Arthur
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as the Lady in the Lake
Taran Killum as Lancelot
Ethan Slater as The Historian
Nik Walker as Sir Dennis Galahad
Michael Urie as Sir Robin
Christopher Fitzgerald as Patsy
Jimmy Smagula as Sir Bedevere
As the run has progressed some notable cast changes have been made with Alex Brightman rejoining the company as Sir Lancelot following his run in The Shark is Broken, and Johnathan Bennett making his Broadway debut as Sir Robin.
As far as production and creative teams are concerned, many of the initial artists attached to the show followed in its transfer to Broadway. This includes but is not limited to: Josh Rhodes, John Bell, Paul Tate dePoo III, Jen Caprio, and Cory Pattak.
Some fun facts about the Broadway Revival that make my heart incredibly happy, deal with costuming. Jen Caprio created a few new costumes for the Lady of the Lake, including a Beyonce-inspired gold dress seen below and my personal favorite detail, a golden fish head band that is used only momentairly. Blink or sit a bit to far back and its likely you'll miss it.
The show offers an in person rush system as well as a virtual lottery, if you have not seen it, now is the chance!
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