Spam-a-not

So last night my best friend since childhood, Chris Martin, took me to see Spamalot for my 30th birthday. I turned thirty fifteen months ago, but it was the first tickets we could get. Now, I preface all this by saying that I am (or was) a huge Monty Python fan. For those of you who remember, they used to air Flying Circus on MTV. (Can I get a Young Ones shout out anyone?) My brother and I would do sketches of them during the summertime talent shows when we were in our teens. I even started the Monty Python Club in high school. The guidance counselor kept telling me to add extra-curricular activities to my transcripts. Needless to say, I have seen The Holy Grail many many times.

It was clear the moment we entered the theatre that everyone else there was a MP fan too. They started cheering even before the orchestra started the overture. The woman sitting next to us did not stop bobbing for two hours (and this was even when there wasn't any music). The rest of the audience was filled with the kids of the giddy parents. There was a group behind us who repeatedly said 'Nee'. The show wasn't much of a 'show'. It was more of a revue - songs and sketches that didn't add up to anything. (Not that it should. I am talking about Broadway here.) The crowd's response was what annoyed me. It was a mix between a rock concert and a Star Trek convention. I like when people are excited about going to the theatre, but not because they are having a flashback to when they were younger and cooler. That's the problem with Broadway today. They go for the cheapest thrill possible. And people are gullible enough to pay for something they've already seen.

It's often said that 'The book was better than the movie." That should now be updated to "The movie was better than the musical."