Lovingly ripped off from Monty Python’s most famous work – 1975’s Monty Python and The Search for the Holy Grail, Spamalot was created by Monty Python original member Eric Idle, who wrote the show and lyrics and collaborated with John Du Prez on the music. The show opened in March 2005 on Broadway, and was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, winning three, including best musical for the 2004-2005 season. For the first time ever, Spamalot comes to Calgary from this August 5th to 10th.

The musical comedy tells the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, who go on a quest for the Holy Grail, the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper. Legend has it that the Grail will heal the sick, or in Arthur’s case, the mortally wounded. Spamalot features a chorus line of dancing divas and knights, flatulent Frenchmen, killer rabbits and one legless knight.

While King Arthur’s quest has been re-imagined in a variety of ways, it has never been quite like this. Fans of the film will obviously enjoy the musical, but even if you have never seen the movie, it will leave you howling in the aisles. The show’s success internationally in Las Vegas, Australia, Broadway and on tour speaks for itself. While this is the first time the show has appeared in Calgary, people who have seen it elsewhere rave about it.

You may be asking yourself what Spam has to do with the show. Eric Idle explained the name in a 2004 press release.

“I like the title Spamalot a lot. We tested it with audiences on my recent US tour and they liked it as much as I did, which is gratifying. After all, they are the ones who will be paying Broadway prices to see the show. It comes from a line in the movie which goes: ‘we eat ham, and jam and Spam a lot.’”

In fact, Monty Python also takes credit for “spam” referring to your favorite e-mails about penis enlargement, winning the lottery, and naughty teens. SPAM was one of the few meat products excluded from the British food rationing that began in World War II and the British grew heartily tired of it. Monty Python used this as the context for their Spam sketch, which gave rise to the term. In the Python sketch, a restaurant serves all its food with lots of SPAM, and the waitress repeats the word several times in describing how much SPAM is in the items. When she does this, a group of Vikings in the corner start a song:“SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, lovely SPAM! Wonderful SPAM!” Until told to keep quiet!

Thus the word SPAM became a term to describe something that keeps repeating and repeating to great annoyance. Today, the term “spam” also means network abuse on the Internet particularly junk e-mails and massive junk postings.

Now that you have learned about SPAM, Spamalot, and King Arthur, you should know one other thing. Spamalot is funny. Really, really funny. If for no other reason than that, you should not miss your opportunity to see one of Broadway’s hottest shows live and in person.

Broadway Across Canada presents

Monty Python’s Spamalot

August 5th – 10th, 2008

Jubilee Auditorium

Tickets at Ticketmaster

www.montypythonsspamalot.com