[Gavroche]

Well, i'm here, so i might as well actually talk about broadway, eh? Here's how. Because spamalot isn't so much of a musical based upon the movie, they've actually used it as a parody of "let's take a movie/artist/pop culture reference and turn it into a musical". who else but the pythons to not take what they're doing seriously, even when it's redoing thier own stuff.

This is exactly what's wrong with broadway. instead of having a majority of original musicals that were meant to be musicals and succeed because of thier merits as a musical, we have all these talented writers and composers wasting all of thier time on things tat take the popularity of something else, throw in a run of the mill score, and once in every show, have a song that starts a little slow and ends up with a kiss. There are exceptions to the rule; Les Miserables for example, where instead of stilting the musical on the premise that people will go because they liked the book, made the musical stand tall on it's own right. this is a sharp contrast to all these musicals that take a singer's greatest hits album and turn every song into a song and dance number. and that's exactly what spamalot mocks. they realise that taking a popular movie like Monty Python and the Holy Grail and turning it into a musical is completly absurd, and they capitalize on that fact.

[benjivaudeville]

I don't know whether I missed your key point but how could Spamalot save Broadway? Don't get me wrong. I love Python and the show. Just don't understand what you're saying.

As a point though, I think the key reason for all these musicals based on films or jukebox musicals is because when trying to attract audiences, it's a lot easier to get them interested in something they know/are familiar with.

-Benn

[LHSTrombone]

Ehhhh... I dont think I agree. I do think they are using the publicity of the holy grail. I mean people applaud the second a character comes on because they know who it is. I think this is better than most shows of its type, but shows like High Fidelity and Legally Blonde need to be stopped

[Eponine93]

I think Spamalot is a show that is extremely entertaining but not deep. At all. The problem with Broadway is that its being extremely dummy-downed. I think all of these new shows that are extremely, well, blond is that they take the example from Spamalot. They may feel: "Spamalot is a successful musical based on a movie thats a comedy, it won a Tony, therefor if I made a comedy musical based on a movie IT will win a Tony and be successful." Spamalot was written to entertain, which is never bad, but accidentally helped spark a trend of musicals written to entertian. Entertainment is great but they should write musicals to make you think and feel emotion as well.

Basically, I think Spamalot showed people funny, not deep, movie turned musicals can be successful, especially in the Tony world, and accidentally sparked the trend of Legally Blondes and Wedding Singers.

[jcstar]

[Matthew]

^

[jcstar]

I tell it like it is.

Thank you.

Andy.[/u]

[Mr_X]

I completely agree with you. All these movie and jukebox musicals are jokes. The problem with them too is that they're either hit or miss. You either have monstrous hits like Spamalot or The Producers, or flops like Billy Elliot and perhaps Legally Blonde.

What really sucks is that all these original artists and composers and their material has no chance of getting onto Broadway because the Great White Way is filled with all of these musicals.

[nickhutson]

[Pounce]

[nickhutson]

The sad fact is that broadway has become so business like and expensive is that the producers are scared to put original things on. Ever noticed how musicals nowadays have more producers than cast members? The Producers had 18 producers - all who want a hit on their hands. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels had even more, I think.

So - there will never be an "Original" musical on broadway. General theatre going audiences don't like stories they aren't farmiliar with as a rule of thumb - of course, there are exceptions.

I don't get the qoute on Spamalot saving broadway - but it certainly has been popular - but there are more popular shows out there.

I saw it here in London and I enjoyed it - but it's just an adult pantomime really. What makes me sad is that most of the songs are so short. Looking at the CD - there are 4 or 5 songs in a row that are less than one minute long. The show only holds two big show stopping numbers...3 if you want to include "The Song That Goes Like This", which - whilst is a great song - is just a joke going round in a circle for 3 and a half minutes.

[Anno_Domini]

Just to be fair, all musicals are meant to entertain in some way or another. That's why they're musicals. If their sole purpose was to simply get a message across and inspire thought then (and it pains me to say this) they would be better written as simple plays.

PS: Spamalot does leave an inspiring message of sorts, albeit somewhat of a clichéd one: that whole "Find Your Grail" bit about completing your goals and following your dreams

[gumby18286]

I went to see Spamalot at the end of last year on Broadway with a group of Kids from Australia (57 of us) with only 8 of us above the age of 18 a lot of the younger kids didn't get the references/jokes (apart from the one English kid there) Personally i was absolutely pissing myself laughing through the entire musical! to the point that people were looking at me! (sorry but i couldnt help it im such a python fan) during the interval i got up to go to the toilet and i was angered to see some of the group sleeping, at first i put it down to them being tired (we did have a pretty full day and it was late at night) but then after the show had finished we were heading out the front and i heard many of the kids and even some of the teachers remark about how it was the "worst musical they had ever seen" i turned to them and basically shouted at them... i mean they had seen what maybe 4 musicals in their lives so far? maybe 1 back home if they were lucky and the Drowsy chaperone and wicked from the day before... And because the 'group' didnt enjoy it they didnt want to hang around at the stage door to get autographs like we did at the other shows, i was livid! i was standing there with my program and a marker ready to go get autographs and talk to the cast and suddenly the teachers start walking the group away down the street and wouldnt let me go back by myself to get them! Leaving i noticed the lady of the lake looking at the group (god knows what she was thinking... probably that this group of kids would want autographs but when none of us came back she just walked away, i felt really bad) It was luck that i ran into Lancelot at the crossing in times square and managed to get his autograph.

Anyway i digress... Spamalot was a fantastic musical that makes fun of other musicals! Some people i know got offended by some of the songs because they were Jewish and it made fun of them... but you have to understand Broadway and python humour to get it and once you do its very cleaver.

SPAMALOT IS COMING TO MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA IN DECEMBER!!! Im getting tickets for my 21st birthday haha

[Foveator]

[I ain't down yet!]