Thou needst not adhere to the cult of Monty Python to get a kick out of this the Tony Award-winning musical that The Sunday Times says "raises silliness to an art form," and The New Yorker hails as "a no-holds-barred smash hit."
"SPAMALOT" is sponsored by Broadway Ray. Opening night is Friday, April 12, at 8 p.m. and performances continue on Saturday, April 13, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 14, at 3 p.m. The second weekend of shows will be Friday, April 19, and Saturday, April 20, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, April 21, at 3 p.m.
Tickets are available online at algonquinarts.org, by calling 732-528-9211 or by stopping in to the box office (12-6 p.m. weekdays, 12-4 p.m. Saturdays) at 173 Main Street. Tickets start at $28 for adults, $26 for seniors and $18 for students. Limited quantities of premium seating are available for $5 more. All tickets are subject to $2 processing fees.
Robert Johanson directs -- and stars as King Arthur -- alongside an all-star cast of some very familiar faces playing the aforementioned knights, beautiful showgirls and diva. Since his Broadway debut in the original production of "Shenandoah," Johanson has directed and starred in hundreds of productions including 20 years as the Artistic Director at the Papermill Playhouse. "SPAMALOT" will be his debut on the Algonquin stage after directing critically acclaimed productions including "Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," "The 1940s Radio Hour," "Oliver!" and more.
Where goes King Arthur also goes his faithful assistant Patsy and his migratory coconut. Mark Megill (Herbie in "Gypsy," Governor in "Man of La Mancha" and Marley's Ghost in "Scrooge!") stars as Patsy. The coconut will be played by a coconut.
William Whitefield returns to the stage as Sir Robin where in addition to starring in "Tuesdays With Morrie" he has appeared with the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea and with the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players. Whitefield is the Algonquin Arts Theatre Executive Director.
After last appearing here as Don Quixote/Cervantes in "Man of La Mancha," Jan Topoleski adds another delusional knight to his credits as the homicidally brave Sir Lancelot.
A trio of stars from last summer's production of "Oliver!" return. Doug Moore (Fagin) features as God and Father, Ian Moore (Bill Sikes) as the strangely flatulent Sir Bedevere and Ali Gleason (Nancy) gets her diva on as Lady of the Lake.
Mike Patierno debuts on the Algonquin stage to play Sir Dennis Galahad, and in honor of his debut performance crowd-favorite John Newman (Mayor Shinn in "The Music Man") has been cast to play his mother. Newman also features as the Historian, who is responsible for ensuring that each knight, cow, killer rabbit, plague, battle scene and French person is portrayed with specific historical accuracy.
Alex Boyer, Carly Cosentino, Rob Fiskser, Dennis Gribben, Nicholas Kaminski, Bill King, Ruben Nagy, Joey Nelan, Benjamin Nissen, Kathleen Pearlberg, Dora Santiago, Connor Sheridan, Tracy Williams, Danielle Yucht and Kendra Zimmer round out the cast play a variety of roles such as Laker Girls (the beautiful showgirls we've been going on and on about) and a collection favorite characters from the film including Not Dead Fred, Knight of Ni, Tim the Enchanter and The Black Night.
Python original Eric Idle adapted the script from the original screenplay by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and himself. John Du Prez, who composed the score for "Monty Pyton's The Meaning of Life" and all three "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle" movies, co-wrote the music for "SPAMALOT" with Idle, winning the duo both a Tony for Best Original Score and a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album.
The fictitious Monty Python, first created in 1969 for their British comedy television show, "Monty Python's Flying Circus," has grown to have a life of his own fronting films like "The Holy Grail," "The Life of Brian," "The Meaning of Life," and "And Now for Something Completely Different."
"SPAMALOT" is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by Theatrical Rights Worldwide. And lest ye forget, SPAM is a registered trademark of Hormel Foods, LLC, and is fresh off celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2012.
About Algonquin Arts Theatre:
Algonquin Arts Theatre (AAT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1992 with the mission to provide cultural enhancement and arts education to all audiences at the Jersey Shore through high-quality performances and programs in theatre, music, film and dance. The end goal is to foster appreciation of the arts and promote lifelong learning, particularly among underserved audiences including the economically disadvantaged, senior citizens and individuals with disabilities.
Algonquin Arts Theatre's programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts / Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; by funds from the Paul F. Zito, M.D. Educational Foundation, by Simon Kaufman, Esq. & Maria Zito-Kaufman and remembering Marialana and her love for children and the arts.
