I’ve seen Spamalot twice and laughed a lot each time. Of course, I grew up watching Monty Python’s Flying Circus with Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam presenting their own unique brand of humor. Some of that quirky humor shows up in Spamalot because the musical is based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The musical offers a highly irreverent parody of Arthurian legend, with the title being a portmanteau of Spam and Camelot.

The original 2005 Broadway production directed by Mike Nichols received 14 Tony Award nominations, winning in three categories, including Best Musical. During its initial run of 1,575 performances, the production was seen by more than two million people and grossed over $168 million.

While Eric Idle was working with Mike Nichols on developing Spamalot, he kept a diary about the give-and-take of getting a musical to Broadway. If you’re interested in how a musical is put together with stars like Tim Curry (as King Arthur), Audra McDonald (as Lady of the Lake), Hank Azaria (as Lancelot), David Hyde Pierce (as Robin), and Roger Bart (as Galahad), The Spamalot Diaries takes you behind the scenes to see how a show comes together. I found The Spamalot Diaries fascinating and revealing! Are you an Eric Idle fan? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction — xi

To New York City for the first read — 1

Anxiety and final rewrites before rehearsal — 35

New York rehearsals begin — 49

November in New York — 75

December in Chicago — 87

The New York opening — 145

Afterword — 185

Acknowledgments — 187