All Blog Posts (316)

The tagline for Flashdance reads "One girl. One dream. One chance." A very accurate slogan previews the story right on the cover of the playbill. It's also a very cliché way to sum up a very cliché musical. Flashdance is incredibly predictable. I had the second act figured out within the first 30 minutes of the first. There is no such thing as subtle foreshadowing in the world of Flashdance. 

    Yesterday, Tuesday, April 2, I went to see Flashdance at the Orpheum Theatre. It’s the story of a girl named Alex who longs to join the ballet school, Shipley Academy. I hadn’t seen the movie, but being a dancer myself, I was very excited to see the show. I anticipated great dancing and got exactly that. I also got surprisingly good acting and singing. I also liked that they showed clips from the movie to music before the show started.

    The woman who played Alex, Emily Padgett,…

               Spamalot was a funny spin on the humorous “Holy Grail”. The Holy Grail pokes fun at King Arthur and tells the tale of him and his round table searching for the Holy Grail. There was enough connections to that to keep context, while still making new connections and keeping the jokes fresh and alive for new watchers. I was laughing throughout the whole show. Overall, it made for a very good time.

                With lots of the best roles, Adam Grabu was definitely a…

Spamalot

Laura Sergeant

               Looking for one of those classic medieval quests with knights, damsels in distress and, of course, the song that goes like this? Well you’ve come to the right place! I happened to stumble upon Spamalot, the perfect Broadway fairy tale, on March 15^th at the Orpehum Theater. From the moment I sat down, I knew this would be no ordinary theatrical performance with powdered wigs and Shakespearean talk.…

Kickin’ It Irish, directed by Natalie O’Shea, is a showcase for modern Irish step dancing and traditional Irish music. I saw a performance at Steppingstone Theatre on March 16th (aka St. Paul’s Paddy’s Day, according to the band).

It was very modern treatment of a traditional dance form. One of the opening numbers was 15 year old  Liam Slattery Irish dancing to “Harlem Shake”, then breaking into freestyle, naturally. Nearing…

It is surprising how one can be so entertained by observing the abuse of a catatonic child. On Saturday, I went to see Southwest High School’s production of The Who’s Tommy. For those who are not familiar with the popular British band from the 60s and 70s, The Who released their rock opera album in ’69 which was later turned into a movie in ’75. The story starts at the beginning of the Second World War when a young couple conceives a child. The husband is sent off to fight while the wife,…

Are you sad? Are you having a crappy day? Well, look no further friends, there is a cure for that. It comes in the form of a musical, and it is called “Spamalot”. It is a musical that ignores reality, and encourages you to always look on the brightside of life.

Spamalot, if you didn’t already know, is the musical adaption of the 70s film, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. It is a rather off the wall film about King Arthur…

I really don’t like it when a great show has a short run. When a stellar production is limited to two nights, I die a little bit inside.



It makes sense, because Spamalot’s main audience last Friday was composed of a lot of middle aged dudes in smoky leather jackets-also known as concert…

When I first saw the Broadway musical “Spamalot”, I was ten years old.  I immediately wanted to someday play the role of the glittering sexpot diva, otherwise known as The Lady of The Lake.  To this day, it is still my fourth favorite musical.  “Spamalot” won the 2005 Tony Award for Best Musical, the 2005 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Musical.  The musical is written by Eric Idle and based on “Monty Python and The Holy Grail”.…

Max Singer

Spamalot

The last song of the first act of Spamalot is called “Run Away.” I find this not to be a finale before a short break, but rather an instruction to anyone left after the first act. Spamalot is Monty Python’s interpretation thrice removed of King Arthur and the Knights of…

Walking into the Orpheum Theatre on Friday night, I was eager to enjoy the highly known Broadway musical based off Monty Pythons comedic films however I felt an amateur as I am not familiar with the musical and have only see Holy Grail once at age eleven. For most of the crowd, however, that seemed to not be the case. When the lights went down and the curtain went up, I was not very impressed with the start of the show. The opening speech was…

Spamalot was a comedy that parodied the Arthurian legends. It followed loosely the plot of Monty Python's The Holy Grail. First, King Arthur gathers his knights and goes to Camelot. Next, they all go out on a trip during which they are told by God to find the Holy Grail. They come across many difficulties, separating for a while, but eventually they all find a cave said to contain a hint as to where to find the Grail. It is guarded by a vicious killer rabbit. After getting past that, they…

Grace Peterson

Monty Python’s Spamalot

Spamalot: Once In Every Few Decades, There Comes A Show Like This

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Monty Python’s Spamalot

By Anna Berger

I was originally excited to see Spamalot because I love Monty Python. It’s been a part of my life since childhood, since my mother is from the UK. I remember as a child watching Monty Python skits, so this brings back many memories. This show was a spinoff of Monty Python’s “The Holy Grail.’ In this story, King Arthur rounds up a crew of knights to join him in the search for the Grail. Going into the show I wanted to keep my mind open…

If you were a Jew making a sandwich, dressing it in beef would probably not be the best idea. So making a parody of a movie that was already the nonsensical conglomeration of British wit, is in turn probably not the best idea. Monty Python’s Spamalot will be playing at the Orpheum for one more night, March 16^th. Combing every favourite line on every fan base, Eric Idle wrote an achronological retelling of the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. King Arthur sets out on a quest…

Patrick Henry’s production of Little Shop of Horrors on March 9th was a typical fun high school musical; budget was low, experience scarce, talent untried, and enthusiasm high.



The set was nicely done. The walls around the stage were covered by plants. There was a smooth-working door, and a grid  that gave the illusion of a barred window - a device which the cast used to their advantage. Inside the “flower shop” was a desk and a shelf covered in plants. Outside, Skid Row was strewn…

The indie rock band Imagine Dragons’ Night Visions Tour is a visual and auditory spectacle. I attended their sold out show on March 8th at the Varsity Theater, attended mostly by others in their teens and 20s.



After two engaging and unique opening acts who warmed up and excited the audience, the Varsity Theatre was plunged into darkness. A purple blacklight glow slowly rose from behind the band.  The light show was a central aspect of their performance, colors flashing in time,…

     Khajuraho is a small town in India, with more tourists than natives. Best known for its detailed and sensual sculptures, Khajuraho provides a cultural show during the nighttime for tourists. The show was tacky, but it seemed unique to the culture. It was a good experience for the most part, even though the show was far from professional.  

     The show lasted an hour and consisted of 5 different acts that featured dancing and lip syncing. It told old stories…