From the airspeed velocity of a swallow to the obtainment of a shrubbery to the mortal danger of a small rabbit, “Spamalot” has inspired laughter and smiles in many audiences. This weekend, the Ziegfeld Theater will show its acclaimed production of “Spamalot” before it moves to the Mary G. Steiner Egyptian Theater in Park City for the following two weekends.
Over the summer, the community theater produced the musical farce of the 1975 cult classic “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” entitled “Spamalot.” After seeing the production in Ogden, producers from the Mary G. Steiner Egyptian Theater in Park City offered a remounting of the production, set to begin next weekend.
“I like to think of it as a big deal,” said Trent Cox, director of “Spamalot” and a senior studying acting and directing at Weber State University. “As the director of the show, I’m very honored that the producers from the Egyptian in Park City liked the production enough to want to take it up there. It’s very rare that this happens . . . As a director of the show, I’m very honored.”
Cox encouraged those looking for quality local entertainment to come and see “Spamalot.”
“You know, you can spend your money and go see a movie and be entertained, or you can go spend your money and watch live performers put on a show and work their asses off,” Cox said. “You’re going to be entertained, and you’re going to get your money’s worth. The music in this show sounds great, the choreography in this show looks great, and it’s entertaining from start to finish . . . I think if you want a good two hours of musical theater, comedy, entertainment, come see ‘Spamalot.’ It’s also community theater at its best. The Ziegfeld Theater puts on high-quality community theater, which is something that I’m very proud to be a part of.”
Joshua White, a freshman studying generals who is in the cast of “Spamalot,” said he was impressed with the professionalism and responsibility in the cast.
“Everybody worked really fast and really well,” he said. “We were able to choreograph and block numbers in hours, whereas in other productions it’s taken days. It was really nice to see that everyone had this really professional attitude and wanted to be there and wanted to get it done.”
While “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” is nearly 40 years old, “Spamalot” is only a decade old. However old, though, White said the humor and the message in the script is “timeless.”
“The humor is just excellent, and it’s a funny show,” he said. “It’s really fun . . . The message of the show really is finding yourself. There’s a song called ‘Find Your Grail,’ and the grail is a symbol for finding what makes you happy in life, and I think people really enjoy that. There’s a character who is gay, and he finds a husband at the very end of the show, and they have a big wedding scene and everybody loves it. But I think even if you’re not gay, you can relate to the character, because we can all find something that makes us happy. I think people enjoy that.”
Sterling Allen, a WSU freshman and cast member, also said “Find Your Grail” is a scene he loves to perform because of the energy and connection with the audience felt in the song amidst the antics and humor of “Spamalot.”
“Spamalot” will be performed at the Ziegfeld Theater off of 40th Street and Washington Boulevard Nov. 15-17 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available online at Zigarts.com or over the phone at 855-ZIG-ARTS. The show will be performed at the Mary G. Steiner Egyptian Theater in Park City Nov. 22-24 and from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1.
