4 ❚ FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 ❚ DAILY RECORD
TGIF!
ON STAGE
‘Spamalot’ national tour comes to Mayo PAC Bill Nutt
Special to Morristown Daily Record USA TODAY NETWORK - NEW JERSEY
King Arthur (played by Steve McCoy, with crown) and the Lady of the Lake (Leslie Jackson) lead the cast of the current national tour of “Monty Pythony’s Spamalot.” PHOTO COURTESY OF LANCE EVANS
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Steve McCoy has a confession to make: He was not a Monty Python fan growing up. The Spanish Inquisition — expected or not — left him cold, and he could not have cared less about lumberjacks, the Piranha Brothers or parrots (dead or otherwise). To the Knights Who Say “Nih,” McCoy said, “No.” “I had cousins who loved ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus,’ ” recalled McCoy, referring to the comedy troupe’s British series, which won a devoted American following on PBS. “But I didn’t get it. I thought it was sophomoric.” That was before McCoy was cast in the central role of King Arthur in “Monty Python’s Spamalot.” The 2005 stage musical, which won the Tony for best musical, is based on the 1975 cult classic “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” While performing in the fi rst national tour, McCoy came to appreciate the subtlety and wit, as well as the more overt and ribald humor, in the story. “Now I realize how intelligent it is,” he said. McCoy is reprising the role of King Arthur in the current national tour of “Spamalot,” which will stop at the Mayo PAC in Morristown for two performances on Sunday, Dec. 2. The show features book and lyrics by Eric Idle, one of the members of the Python troupe, with music co-written by Idle and John DuPrez. The score also includes “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” written for the later Python fi lm “Life of Brian.” For the most part, the fi rst half of the musical follows the shape of the “Holy Grail” fi lm. Arthur assembles his Knights of the Round Table and undertakes a quest for title object, with help from the Lady of the Lake (played on the tour by Leslie Jackson). But then the show takes a turn for the meta. Without giving away too much, the second half of the show takes loving potshots at the history of Broadway musicals, including one outrageous number that echoes a scene from “Fiddler on the Roof.” McCoy contended that even audience members who are not die-hard
Monty Python’s Spamalot When: 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2 Where: Mayo Performing Arts Center, 100 South St., Morristown Tickets: $59 to $99 Info: 973-539-8008 or mayoarts
Python fans will fi nd something to appreciate in “Spamalot.” “This show is so well-crafted,” he said. “Even if you just know musical theater, you’ll love it. It’s for everyone.” (Perhaps not everyone. A number of bawdy lyrics and lines of dialogue make “Spamalot” in appropriate for children.) McCoy said that tackling Arthur for a second tour has allowed him to have a little more fun with the role, within reason. “I feel more relaxed this time,” he said. “I know this guy, and I know how to do it.” In some ways, though he is on stage for most of the show, Arthur has fewer challenges than other parts. “I play the same character in the same costume,” McCoy said. “Everyone else is playing multiple roles. They all have dressers, except me.” While rehearsing for the fi rst tour, McCoy met Mike Nichols, the veteran writer-director who had staged the original Broadway production of “Spamalot.” “I only met Mike a couple of times,” said McCoy. (Nichols died in 2014.) “He told me that there’s no way to play this show except to truth. You’re not funny; the material is funny. If you work to try to get a laugh, you won’t.” McCoy has taken that advice to heart. “I’ve learned to take risks with the performance,” he said. “Mike said to get rid of the parts of your performance that you’re comfortable with. You’ll be amazed with what happens after that.” For all the goofi ness inherent in “Spamalot,” McCoy feels that the show does speak to audiences. “My favorite number is the fi rst act fi nale, ‘Find Your Grail,’ ” he said. “There really is a message here. Live your life, and you’ll fi nd your truth.”