Spam alot. Spama lot. Spamalot! Hey, good name for a play, decided Monty Pythoner Eric Idle.
And what a play: "Monty Python's Spamalot" borrows heavily from the "Holy Grail" movie made by Idle and his silly brethren in the English comedy group. It snagged three Tony Awards, new Monty Python fans, a four-year run on Broadway and a much ballyhooed gig in Las Vegas. That latter, which started in 2007 and was supposed to play for 10 years, kept it from touring in Arizona, California and Nevada. If it hadn't closed in Vegas in 2008, it would still be off-limits here.
Idle saw some natural transfer-to-the-stage moments in "The Holy Grail."
"I thought a mock-heroic tale would work," he said, talking from his Los Angeles-area home.
" 'I'm not dead yet' (a line from the movie) is a natural song. And the movie doesn't have horses. It's a very silly piece, and it's got some wonderfully funny writing. So we set about adapting it."
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Idle has little tolerance for corporate types but was willing to make an exception for the play.
"I lured the producer Bill Haber to my house, and he said 'yes, yes, yes' within eight minutes. 'Who do you want to direct?' he asked. 'Mike Nichols,' I replied."
Haber laughed at that one. Nichols is big-time. But . . .
"Three days later, Bill called up and said 'yes, yes, yes' " to having Nichols as director.
Thus began a journey of strong collaboration, lots of rewrites and a musical that guarantees to be, well, ridiculous.
"I did 17 drafts of 'Spamalot,' " said Idle. "Once you have the actors on their feet, it becomes completely clear what's funny and what's not, and what works."
Idle has fond memories of those rehearsals.
"I was sitting next to Mike Nichols, and we just giggled and giggled," he recalled.
"And I watched (John) Cleese crying (with laughter) when he came in and heard the actors doing 'Knights of the Round Table.' It was very humbling, that."
Cleese was one of the writers of the song "Knights of the Round Table," which is changed little from the movie version and, of course, gave the play its title. And, of course again, upped the silliness of both the movie and the play.
Christopher Gurr has toured with "Spamalot" for four years. He just recently took over the role of King Arthur, who gathers up the Knights of the Round Table and goes in search of the Holy Grail. With lots of detours, naturally — it wouldn't be much of a story, otherwise.
He was in junior high and high school when "Monty Python's Flying Circus" was on television on Sundays where he lived. He was totally enthralled.
"It was my duty as a nerd to repeat all the lines at school on Monday," he said, calling between shows in San Diego.
He loved it so much that he was horrified when he heard a musical would be made of it.
"I thought it was the worst idea I ever heard of."
Then he heard the cast recording, auditioned for the play, saw it and got hired for it. He's changed his tune since those early days: He loves it. And not just because it's a steady paycheck — an anomaly for an actor.
"It's a different animal than anything I've ever done," said Gurr. "It's fantastic."
Idle was hoping the Python fans like Gurr would fall in love with the play, but he also set his sights beyond the usual crowd.
"I wanted to make sure people who didn't like Python would like the show," he said .
That's how Idle explained it.
Here's Gurr's version, delivered with a hearty chuckle.
"Eric Idle, of his own admission, is a greedy bastard," said Gurr. "He wrote this piece for the Python faithful, but he wants money out of everybody's pocket. So he made it a hybrid of American and British comedy."
If you go
The Broadway road show of "Monty Python's Spamalot."
• Presented by: Broadway in Tucson.
• Playwrights: Book by Eric Idle, music and lyrics by Idle and John Du Prez.
• Director: Mike Nichols.
• When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 8 p.m. next Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Sept. 26; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sept. 27.
• Where:Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave.
• Tickets: $30-$70. $10 off student tickets for all shows but next Friday and Sept. 26 evening performances. Other discounts available.
• Reservations/information: Tickets in person at the Tucson Convention Center Ticket office, 260 S. Church Ave., and through Ticketmaster, 1-800-745-3000. Show information at www.broadwayintucson.com.
• Running time: 2 hours and 20 minutes, with one intermission.
• Cast: Includes Christopher Gurr, Merle Dandridge, Jeff Dumas, Ben Davis and Matthew Greer.
