Very disappointed. I was really looking forward to the show. I was assured that if you have an intimate knowledge of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, it will be moderately funny but I dounbt it. Tim Curry looked embarrassed by the script and I am unsurprised.

I am not a “grumpy old man” but laughed only once in the first half. The second half is like a pantomime but not so good.

Chris
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A fabulous night out and a standing ovation from a full house, so it seems 1399 people out of 1400 loved it. Whilst it does indeed "lovingly rip off" Monty Python's Holy Grail 1974 movie, it is in fact a hearty and rather cheeky parody of Broadway and musicals themselves.

Whilst you will get an extra warm feeling in your tummy if you like M.P, you will still enjoy the parody if you don't. Unless you just don't get it, or don't like musicals, in which case the seats are comfy so you at least won't get a numb arse.

Iain Bailey
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Having waited so long since seeing the Broadway show, it was worth every second of the wait. OK so it might appeal mainly to MP fans, but if you go and don't even raise a couple of laughs... maybe you need to check out where you go in future more carefully.

How anyone can go to a show 'pinched' from an MP film and not expect exactly what you get I fail to comprehend. The show is a masterpiece of the MP genius. It would be unfair to single out any performances from what is a magnificent cast, they were all brilliant, I confess to a couple of worries as the Broadway show was so good but I was in no way disappointed, far from it.

Anyone wanting Pythonesque 'stuff' and possibly thinking "Will it be a real MP? Will it work on stage?" need worry no more. Just go my friends and enjoy!! Oh by the way did I mention, I liked the show! - and the Lady of the Lake? Wa wa wa wa wow!!

StevieB
Friday 6th October 2006 performance.
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I've never been a fan of Monty Python and purely went to the show to see Tim Curry (yes, I am that shallow!). Have to admit I went expecting to 'not get it' and not find it funny... how wrong was I?! The actors were fantastic and they made things that really shouldn't be funny really very funny! The sets were really impressive also.

Goes to prove that even if you're not a MP fan or haven't seen the movies it really doesn't matter, you will still enjoy the show... unless you have no sense of humour that is.

Nic
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We saw this on 10th October 2006. Children (too young to be original MP fans but very keen on all the films) absolutely loved it and laughed like drains all the way through. The audience clapped and cheered and was extremely enthusiastic and obviously full of big MP fans. I thought it was good fun but for me Tim Curry (as King Arthur) was the one weak member of the cast. He just didn't seem to really engage with the part - he looked as if he were doing a walk through while the rest of the caste looked as if they were actually having fun.

However, still a good fun night out and the spam sandwiches are very good value (ice cream a bit expensive though!)

Lesley
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I went to see the show with my husband and mum and dad last night (14th October 2006) and it was absolutely the best show I have seen in a long time! We were laughing all the way through (even my dad who is not really a theatre-goer) and my mum who is not particularly a Monty Python fan, thought it was fabulous. Tim Curry was his usual cheeky self and was a credit to the show, as was Hannah Waddingham as the leading lady (an amazing voice and stage presence).

If there is one thing you should see in the West End this Winter then it should be this!

Vicky
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I went to see Spamalot the other day – front row – and for your readers who like to know about seating – the front row is fab. A little bit of legroom and then a low wooden barrier between you and the orchestral pit below. The stage looks like it slopes downward so no neck ache except for during the scenes when characters appear high up.

As for the show itself, I loved it. Such good fun, extremely melodic and colourful with excellent performances by one and all.

Zena
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Spamalot, Palace Theatre, Monday October 23rd 2006.

Enormous fun. Python humour, plus expertly staged tributes to Broadway musical theatre styles. Done cheaply this could have been embarrassing. But there's an excellent large-ish orchestra, enough people on stage, and it all comes off very well indeed.

Niggles? Hannah Waddingham effectively parodies many vocal styles, but sometimes goes over the top and merely mocks them. The Black Knight's amputations deserve a better effect. "If you don't have any Jews" left a London audience merely bemused.

If you think Monty Python was merely silly, perhaps you should stay away Otherwise come, enjoy, and you may (as my Monday night capacity audience did) give Spamalot a standing ovation.
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Spamalot: evening performance Tuesday 24th October 2006

First the seats. Row E 18 and 19 in the Dress Circle. The most perfect seats ever. Clear view, comfy, lots of legroom and an aisle to lean into. Well worth the 55 quidies we paid!

The show…what fun we had. I am sort of a python fan and got most of the references - but I don’t think you need to be a fan to enjoy a fabulous night out, full of laughter, joy and the odd singalong now and again... (I wonder if they have the impromptu sing along to ‘always look on the bright side of life’ (and I don’t mean the reprise) every night? It was nice and Mr Curry was grinning like a cat during the number.

Anyway I digress, let us look at the production first. Lighting rather fab, sets are wonderful and very pythonesque (also come right into the auditorium – something that is becoming rather fashionable in the West End), costumes are fantastic, especially those of Ms Waddingham and her laker girls, but it’s the fantastic cast that make this such a strong show in town at the moment.

Tim Curry was wonderfully sweet as King Arthur and was ad libbing here and there in his own special way. Hannah Waddingham as the 'lady of the lake' could have just got the part of her life…she is made for it, tall, sexy and with a big lung capacity; she actually improves on Sarah Ramirez CD version showing off her belter of a voice plus mickey take sequences and stratospheric added extras.

These two sing and play up a storm but it is the supporting people who make this a cracker of a production (I was going to go into some clever passage about them being the luckiest people in the world but I can't be ar*ed  lol). Tom Goodman Hill was superb, I saw this rather lovely man play Torvald opposite Tara Fitzygeraldinio at the B'ham Rep a couple of years back and I remember him well, spinning round the Tap and Spile after a Sat show with all us workers to some crazy Spanish tunes, and you can see where all that wonderfulness has gone … straight into his roles in Spamalot. His Lancelot is hilarious but nothing compared to his Ni or naughty French man. A man truly of many talents, one of which is a rather fetching jockstrap and a wiggle of the hips that would put me to shame.

David Birrel as the ever faithful patsy has a voice that would melt even the most stubborn anti musical theatre heart and Darren Southworth is beautiful as all the weak as piss characters who sing with angelic effeminate voices; and one cannot leave out Chris Sieber and his hair…toss toss as a certain rich young witch would say (ooh, I do love a cross reference these days), I love them all and together with a very loud ensemble this show is one to see on an evening after a couple of gins.

A certain national critic as likened Spamalot to a panto…and on some occasions they would be right but sod it…it works wonderfully and makes you laugh from your belly at least once every two minutes. All the references to Broadway and other musical references have travelled well in my opinion, and were certainly picked up and laughed at by this audience. My only moan was a lack of brochure (Dress Circle get them stocked as soon as they are bloomin' printed) and the fact that I had to fight to get one of the last programmes in the house at 7.45pm (show started at 8!!) - not good business sense ye people of the palace of tottingham court.

Overall a wonderful musical, brilliant and inspired characterisations, some very special and heartlifting moments, lots of confetti. Oh and a bush! Go see it…its small green and surrounded by a rather fetching miniature picket fence.

Freddy
Freddy_1979@hotmail.co.uk
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We sat in the Grand Circle in seats B34/B35 and the view wasn't bad, - except the usual problem of the people in front of us peering over the top of the ledge, caused us all to follow suit! It seems that the trend to bring the set out into the auditorium, which looks good, also cause the audience in any of the front circle seats to have to lean over to see any action going on down the front near the Orchestra pit causing the wave of 'peerers' and 'leaners!' I hope they realise this and start raising the stages higher!
But, even though the Grand Circle is the third level up, it is on top of the Dress Circle (some would say the best seats in the house) so the general view is OK. The bar is very expensive - one glass of wine and a bottle of lager = £9.50.

The show was great. A really fun, colourful, funny show and the talent is in abundance! The music was fantastic and put me in a good mood for days afterwards! The set was very Monty Python and looked wonderful. The first time we see Tim Curry on stage as King Arthur, he enters on an invisible hobby horse - accompanied by his heavily laden manservant clapping two coconut shells together to supply the sound affect of horse hoofs! I don't know how he keeps a straight face! The cast in general were very good and what a set of bellows Miss Waddingham has! - she does the score an absolute credit.
A great show to see - don't miss it!

Jan
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I saw 'Spamalot' on Tuesday afternoon 7th November 2006 from a splendid seat in I5 in the stalls. By splendid, I mean the view and not the extremely cramped legroom, which is a pity, since the theatre has only recently been re-seated, but sadly the greedy owners (Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Company) couldn't bear to add a few inches between the rows of seats for fear of losing a few rows and therefore reducing the takings at each performance. Shame on them!

But back to the show. One would need a very hard heart not to enjoy 'Spamalot', especially when it is performed by a cast as talented and as winning as the current one. Tim Curry was wonderful as King Arthur, and all the other performers gave telling performances that found their mark every time, as did several sword blows and one particular arrow, but to explain that would be giving away the plot!

Personally I found the humour more gentle than I was expecting (but none the worse for that) and although for me it generated very few belly laughs, it kept me smiling and happy for its entire duration. The only thing that didn't seem to work was the song about a show needing Jews to be a success. This might be hilarious on Broadway, but in the West End it just didn't seem very relevant and I'm surprised that it has survived. But, apart from that, I thought everything worked extremely well -- sets, costumes, lighting and technical effects were all top class, and the music was fun too.

The matinee audience refrained from according the cast a standing ovation (thank heavens) but everybody clearly had a great time, unlike a previous occasion recently at the Palace Theatre when the audience for 'The Woman in White' staggered out of the place in a state of abject misery. Well, if Monty Python can have a go at Andrew Lloyd Webber then so can I!

I certainly vote 'Spamalot' a hit and hope it continues to bring joy and happiness to the West End for a long time to come.
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Having seen the show a year ago in New York I wondered just how it would transfer and the silliness survive in a move to the West End. For starters in the theatre there's nothing like a good overture to get the juices flowing and Spamalot has nothing like a good overture; it has brilliant one. That combined with the opening 'Fisch Schlapping Song' gets the show off on a high note that carries through to the final, all-join-in, sing-song of 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life'.

The show is fantastic and the run up to Christmas and the festive season is the perfect time to indulge oneself. It fits the recently-made over Palace theatre like a glove and stalls or grand circle are the nicest seats.

On the day I went, a Tuesday matinee, there were good spare seats in the Grand Circle so if you're passing the Palace Theatre on a cold wet and windy Tuesday afternoon with a couple of hours to spare then indulge yourself with an early Christmas present you will not regret it. Unbelievably it has a cast of less than a hundred and 19 1/2 songs that you won't hear anywhere else in the West End.

If there are any week links then for the show's launch it is sad that David Hyde-Pierce who starred as Sir Robin, on Broadway, couldn't be persuaded to make the trip to join the launch cast. That apart the cast do a magnificent job with the utterly sublime Tim Curry and the fantastic Hannah Waddingham leading the way. I just loved it all over again. A definite 10.

Trevor Chenery
Tuesday 7th November 2006, 3 pm matinee.
Theatre Monkey recommended seats row B Grand Circle.
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We had the good fortune to see "Spamalot" on Thursday, 30 November 2006. It was our primary reason for going to London and one of the best experiences ever.

The Palace Theatre is a gorgeous old house. I was very thankful for the coat check (I understand they are rare) but disappointed in the difficulty in getting our pre-ordered intermission drinks. (My gosh, it was crowded!) Our seats were perfect; we had H8 and 9 in the Stalls. The leg room was a bit lacking for my 5'9" frame but the view and the proximity to the stage made a little discomfort worth it.

The show was fabulous. I had seen it in New York with Simon Russell Beale and was looking forward to comparing the West End production. The entire cast was excellent; especially Tim Curry with his wicked grin. My one disappointment was that the Lady of the Lake was played by the understudy. Her first song or two were a bit tentative but after that she warmed up to an excellent performance.
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Was dragged off to see 'Spamalot' this evening (28th December 2006) with pretty low expectations - Monty Python is funny in small doses but it hardly has me rolling in the aisles. Anyhow, I had a ball!

This is a tremendous fun show which rattles along with some great tunes and silly lyrics coupled with excellent performing - Hannah Waddingham is outstanding and Tim Curry, is well, Tim Curry. It's also glorious to look at in a completely Pythonesque way. There's sufficient of the old stuff to keep the Python fans happy but there is plenty more else to amuse. Totally agree about the 'Jew' number. It was a bit of a 'Springtime for Hitler' moment and an uncharacteristic hush fell over the audience, but they soon recovered.

As to surviving the auditorium. Well, dress sparsely and aim to lose a couple of inches preferably between the groin and the knee. You might need a rubber mallet to hammer yourself into your seat but at least once installed, people can't fidget. Look on the bright side (as it were) next time you fly EasyJet you'll think you're in Club Class.

This is a great (adult) alternative to the seasonal panto. But it'll probably put a smile on your face any day.
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Last night (9th January 2007) we went along to see a much anticipated 'Spamalot'. We were a bit worried as we couldn't get hold of tickets to see Tim Curry's much acclaimed portrayal of King Arthur and we weren't quite sure what to expect from Simon Russell Beale.

We need not have worried, as from the moment Mr Beale's King Arthur came on stage to the accompaniment of clapping galloping coconuts he was hilarious. A very funny, slightly camp and energetic King Arthur.

The whole show was so funny we couldn't stop laughing form beginning to end. Although I didn't quite laugh so much at 'the Jews' sketch I did notice many Jewish people in the audience who were in hysterics.

So something for everyone here. Apart form Simon Russell Beale the whole cast was fantastic and Hannah Waddington was just extraordinary as the 'Lady in the Lake'. This was indeed a special treat and our first visit to the Theatre of 2007. What a great start to the new year !

We sat in stalls row A14 and 15 which is in the front row. It was a bit close to the stage but the show was at eye level and there was good leg room. We had a god view of stage but perhaps a few rows back would be better.

Matthew and Samuel,
Chancery Lane, London.
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Husband and I went to the matinee performance 13th January 2007. From the moment you see the lit up castle turrets outside the theatre the humour and experience starts... including the girl wandering round selling Spam Sandwiches for £2, and the warning about turning off your mobile phone – it’s all uniquely brilliant Python!

Although there were just the 2 of us, I booked all 3 seats in Box G as I wanted something a bit private / special for a birthday treat, and, after reading Theatre Monkey’s review about losing 1/8th stage, I was happy to pay £20 per seat, so £60 for both of us … I think this price was very fair for the view we had, and would happily book again.

Performance was fantastic!! Far from being the most sophisticated set, not exactly a large amount of cast, but it worked superbly! It was very true to the film in places, and incorporated a lot of the old Python faves and jokes. I would imagine most people who went along would have picked up on, and appreciated something different to the person next to them. I was laughing out loud through most of the performance, and would thoroughly recommend it. Superb!

A Lloyd.
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I went with my husband and son to see this show and we all really enjoyed it, very funny, especially the "French" bits. I booked Box G (after reading a review on Theatremonkey) and was really pleased with it. Great value for money. Although a slightly restricted view it was well worth the £60 for three of us. I always prefer the privacy and extra leg room of a box and this one is a bargain.

Yvonne, N5
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Saw "Spamalot" tonight, 28 February 2007, after several failed attempts to see a show in London. So glad this was the first time it worked out for me to see a show of my choosing, because this was absolutely hilarious!!! I love the movie anyway and was excited to see so many of my favourite jokes on stage, but also a little worried about how they would pull it off. No worries needed, the actors did the Python jokes beautifully, just enough similarity while still making it their own!

I booked H10 in the balcony on Ticketmaster before looking at theatremonkey's opinion, but actually it wasn't that bad. Yeah I could've done with a little more room and seeing some things a little better, but I was anticipating being up with airplanes and it actually wasn't that bad. I could see some facial expressions and they were made PERFECTLY clear with the binoculars that I only had to use occasionally. So for an American student saving up for a 5 week trip around Europe, 20 pounds was an amazing price for a pretty good seat to an incredible show!

What I loved most about this show was the cast - it was wonderful to see a Broadway/West End cast just having fun with the show, this is most obvious in "Find Your Grail" when you can just see on their faces and movements how much fun they have, and of course especially during "Company Bow" they just have a blast with the show and it's refreshing to see, just what the theatre should be - actors having a good time, entertaining others (not that a little tragedy or Shakespeare isn't good at times too).

Simon Russell Beale is superb as King Arthur, he's so loveable and bemused that you can't help but smile when he's on stage! This guy truly is a wonderful actor, and great comic timing - I saw him do Face in 'The Alchemist' at the National, and even with Ben Jonson's lines going slightly over my head at times he had me cracking up that night, even more tonight! In my opinion, he's better than Tim Curry who I saw on youtube - Beale really puts in a top notch performance while Curry always felt downplayed next to the overtop antics of the rest of the cast. Hannah Waddingham is wonderful as the Lady of the Lake, what a voice! I especially loved her Diva's lament, wonderful job! And the "wee eeh a we a wum a way" was great in the scat, haha. Sir Bedevere was a little underused, perhaps it would've worked better if Eric Idle had kept the witch burning number in, but apparently the show got too long then, his secret weapon with the French Taunter was great though, haha I love that Python joke! And the idea to have all the French people come out with the soldiers, INCLUDING EPONINE was AWESOME! I enjoyed Sir Robin at first, but was not quite as impressed as I had hoped to be with his Jew number - I got spoiled though because I saw David Hyde Pierce, who became one of my favourite actors after seeing him play Nigel on 'Frasier' for years, do it on youtube and London's Sir Robin sadly did not really live up to it. But otherwise he was really good, particularly on the guard. Graham MacDuff was great, particularly his transformation from Dennis to Sir Galahad, and I loved the "Jesus Christ!" line in "The song that goes like this".

Major props must be given to Tom Goodman-Hill who puts his heart and soul into every character he plays, and he does a lot - Sir Lancelot, the French Taunter, Knight of Ni, Tim the Enchanter, those were honestly some of my favourite parts of the show. His French Taunter wasn't quite as over the top as I like it, but a little more tongue in cheek and it was nice to see a slightly new spin on it, and I think one of my favourite lines in the show came from his Knight of Ni - "You must put on a musical. But not an Andrew Lloyd Webber!" Definitely one of my favourite songs in the show was "his name is Lancelot", I was practically falling out of my chair laughing at that it was great. And Not Dead Fred was hilarious - dancing around, and his "We'll be shot by Michael Moore" haha. But the one that stole my heart was Patsy on "Always look on the bright side of life". It was great to see at least the entire balcony singing along with that song. David Birrell has a great voice and is the perfect addition to this already superb cast, my other favourite line was "It's not something you say to a heavily armed Christian" which got HUGE laughs from tonight's audience.

All in all a wonderful night out and a perfect way to put off writing a paper for a little while, so glad the other shows didn't work out so that I got to see "Spamalot," go see it if you have a chance you won't regret it!!
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We managed to get tickets for Spamalot for a very good price! Sat in Upper Circle Row E seats 10 and 11. The strange thing about these seats is they are on a very noticeable slope, but for £20 they would have been absolutely fine (We moved along to two empty seats next to them, seemed to be quite a few others who had bought the cheap seats doing the same).
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We went to see 'Spamalot' at the Palace theatre last night (25 July 2007). We booked ‘best available’ tickets through Lastminute.com at the bargain price of £35 + £2.50 booking fee. By a stroke of luck we ended up with seats H23 and H24 in the stalls – I think I can safely say these were the two best seats I have had in the West End – a perfect view.

In terms of the show, it was a good evening of entertainment. Not side-splitting or memorable (and bordering on pantomime in areas), but certainly good wholesome fun, in Monty Python style.

Peter Davison was a textbook English gent as King Arthur. Bill Ward was a cracking Sir Lancelot, probably the best comedic performer in the show. Lady of the Lake Hannah Waddingham – wow. That girl has got a impressive set of lungs and vocal range – she alternated singing styles effortlessly, and put in a great comic performance. The other principals and ensemble all put in sound performances, and gelled well together.

I think the main issue for me was that there is no real story of substance (I had the same problem with 'Mamma Mia' and 'We Will Rock You') So whilst I left the Palace Theatre with a smile on my face, I don’t think it’s a production that will have me queuing up again and again.
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Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam ... don't you just love it.

Attended 'Spamalot' on 24th August 2007 and seats we purchased (Stalls H16 and H17) offered both a great view and plenty of legroom.

Have to admit I was slightly anxious prior to watching this production as I'm not really a fan of musicals but I needn't have worried.

The lyrics of the songs are funny and every performance is absolutely brilliant.

Peter Davison is fantastic as the often exasperated "Arthur, King of the Britains" whilst Bill Ward's comic timing was excellent in all his roles (see him in a new light after playing the dastardly Charlie Stubbs on 'Coronation Street' - British Soap Opera - editor).

Special mention must go to Hannah Waddingham who plays "The Lady of the Lake" her singing is amazing; and the way she's able to change style mid-song due to the comic content is effortless.

It doesn't matter if you're a Python fan or not. If you want a fun night out with plenty of laughs, trot off to the Palace Theatre and join Arthur's crazy quest for the Holy Grail.
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My daughter bought us some tickets for 'Spamalot' for Friday 31st August 2007. She paid in the region of £33 for each ticket and the show was absolutely great. I would thoroughly recommend it but I would not recommend the seats 15 and 16 in row A of the Grand Circle.

The ticket did alert us to the restricted leg room although at 5ft tall this is not an issue for me. The lack of restricted view warning was much more of an issue for me. I lost about 1/3 of the stage if I was sitting back in my seat as one should. The only way for me to have full view of all the action was to lean on the cushioned area in front of me. Hence I had a really sore back next morning.

What a disappointment especially as the tickets were a gift from an 18 year olds hard earned cash.

June
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Matinee, Saturday 22nd September 2007.

We had seats 9 to 14 in Row D of the Balcony for £22.50 each. Once we had acclimatised to the altitude and made sure our parachutes were correctly packed, we settled down for a good afternoon out!

Seriously though, the stage is a long way down and it's a bit off-putting to be looking at the top of the heads of the cast, but we soon get used to it! None of us are terribly tall, so there was a bit of neck-craning going on as well. We couldn't see the top of the stage, so we missed some of the cartoons and imagery and the far downstage left front corner was out of sight as well, but as there wasn't much action there, it didn't matter too much!

Anyhow, on with the show. It was FANTASTIC!

The first thing I noticed was that the music wasn't too loud, a very pleasing change in these days of ear-numbing sound systems being the norm (unfortunately)

As 'Holy Grail' lovers, we had a good idea of what would happen next, but we were still happily surprised by some of the action.

Hannah Waddingham great stage presence and a terrific pair of lungs - her singing style changed almost mid-note at times! Peter Davison was suitably pompous yet surprisingly ineffectual as the hapless Arthur, luckily there wasn't too much singing for him to do, as it wasn't his strong point! Andrew Spillett as Patsy had a great supporting part, he was onstage most of the time and proved to be a perfect foil to King Arthur, as well as being a very good cow-catcher! He displayed a lovely singing voice as well when he sang 'Always look on the bright side of life' - the song we were all waiting for! Bill Ward proved to be a good Galahad and the supporting cast were very enthusiastic and talented. The musicians in the band were tremendous as well.

We certainly left the Palace Theatre with a smile on our faces & I couldn't resist a t-shirt with 'I'm not dead yet' on the front from the aptly-named "Ye Olde Rip -Offe Shop" ! Next time we see the show, we'll save up for stalls or circle seats which will give us a better chance to see the expressions on the faces of the cast and enjoy ourselves even more!!!

P.S. SORRY, I FORGOT TO SAY THAT WE LOVED THE FRENCH STEREOTYPES!!!
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Spamalot: Friday 5th October 2007, 17:15 performance.

I didn't want to see this as 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' is one of my all time favourite films and the thought of it being messed around with was more than I could handle!

However, the 'Mail on Sunday' ran an ad a couple of weeks ago selling tickets for just £19.99 (offer now expired - editor) so I got myself a ticket safe in the knowledge that, if I hated the show, I could leave at the interval having wasted twenty quid instead of sixty.

I had seat C25 in the Dress Circle. Excellent view, plenty of leg room. If you were to take your own seat into the Palace Theatre, this is where you would probably put it!

Rather worryingly, the theatre was half empty with no-one in the Upper Circle and Balcony ( the few who had booked those seats were moved to the rear of the Dress Circle ). Does this mean that the show won't run for much longer or did I just go on a slow day?

As for the show. I loved it. Great fun, spectacular and done with respect to the memory of the film. I think you need to be a Python fan to get the best out of it but there is something in it for everyone. Peter Davidson is splendid as King Arthur. The last time I saw him, he was signing Dr Who books in a shopping centre which was utterly bereft of Dr Who fans. He certainly has bounced back since then !

Paul Nicholls
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Seat O 6 in the stalls offers a good full view of the stage. A tiny upper corner of the stage gets blocked out but there's not much  action going on high up there anyway. Leg room is limited but not cramped.

Try and get a discount - I got my Friday evening ticket half price (£30) via a Ticketmaster offer.

As to the show: I had a good laugh and it works better if you are familiar with the films and MP sketch shows...
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Thanks to GILT (Get Into London Theatre Offers, January 2008), I had a great time tonight in the middle of B row of the stalls. I thoroughly enjoyed both the show (my fourth viewing) and the performances, although I have to admit that I thought a few of the replacement cast were marginally less good than the originals, like Patsy and Not Dead Fred, but to be fair, they were still excellent. And Peter Davison lacks the mock-serious gravitas that both Tim Curry and Simon Russell Beale brought to King Arthur, but as with the other replacements, he was very funny.

There was just one duff thing for me, and that was the song about Jews, which I find an irrelevance in a West End musical, and actually it seemed a bit offensive tonight, despite the fact that it got practically the loudest audience guffaws of any of the big numbers. And the desserts shaped like female breasts were also as gratuitously distasteful as I have always found them. But, as with ‘Guys and Dolls’, I just revelled in sitting so close to the performers and being able to hear their voices relatively naturally and not loudly amplified (because the loudspeakers were projecting the sound way above and beyond where I was sitting), and from that position the orchestra also sounded terrific.
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Spamalot? It’s fantastic a lot.

There were two firsts for me on 25th January 2008 when I took my husband to see 'Spamalot' at the Palace Theatre (West End). The first (ahem) first was sitting in the front row. The second first (yes I know it’s confusing but keep up) was the whole Monty Python thing.

It’s possible that I am the only living person (no, I’m not dead yet) with a sense of humour who has never seen 'The Holy Grail.' Am I odd? Perhaps but then I’m not reviewing me.

In our vantage point at the front we could actually see the orchestra, a nice smiley bunch who teased each other whenever they were made reference to (which was quite a lot). They returned the compliment backstage admitting that they could hear my husbands laughter after each joke. (Thank goodness it wasn’t his snoring!)

As expected, with any musical, the show opened with a rip roaring song. The fish slapping, Finland song made the show an instant success for me and set the hilarity for the rest of the show. When three latecomers, who arrived halfway through the next scene, asked me if they had missed much, I felt hypocritical saying no as the colourful, silly opening was, for me at least, one of the highlights.

But there were lots of highlights. For hardened Python fans like my husband there were expected scenes - 'Bring out your Dead,' 'Flying cows' and 'vicious rabbits' are the daft notions which have made Monty Python memorable. But even for me, a newcomer, the whole musical was fresh and entertaining. There are a few scenes and ideas that test the boundaries but, somehow, they get away with it!

Performances by Andrew Spillet as Patsy (who reminded me of comedian Lee Evans all evening), Robert Hands as Sir Robin and the marvellous Peter Davidson in the lead as King Arthur, who looked utterly handsome with a beard (another advantage of being in the front row!) were all hilarious. My husband and I were both in agreement that the actors portrayed the characters so well that in many scenes they could have almost been a young Palin, Cleese or Gilliam. Marin Mazzie added the glamour to the show and gave a stunning performance as the Lady of the Lake.

I spoke to them all after the performance and asked them if they had any comments for me. Rob Hands said that the audience had been exceptionally fantastic and they all agreed that it had been a special night which they had all enjoyed. So it was a great experience for everyone.

It’s not often I leave a performance feeling I want to see it again immediately. But with 'Spamalot' I did. And while I’m not dead yet I’ll keep on singing the songs too!
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The great ‘Spamalot’ ticket sale (a February 2008 promotion - editor) must have worked well as the Palace Theatre was heaving tonight (Friday 15th February 2008) at the second performance, with all the upper shelves open and what looked close enough to a full house. I finally got to sit in the front row and gave myself up to the hedonistic pleasure of uncritically enjoying the inspired silliness of ‘Monty Python’s Spamalot’!

Robert Hands (Sir Robin) was off but his cover was fine, and the Scandinavian lady playing The Lady of the Lake was excellent, although I had just the slightest suspicion that her solo number in the second act ‘Whatever Happened to my Part’ had been trimmed a bit, but maybe I am wrong and it just seemed shorter!

Anyway, I sat there grinning right from the top of the show, and I spotted several jokes that I had missed on my previous four viewings. I even enjoyed the song about Jews tonight (I really was being totally uncritical), and can only say that I had at least twice my money’s worth, which I suppose means that I enjoyed it as much as if I had paid the full price for my ticket. Is that what I mean? Who knows?

All I can say is that everybody should go to see Spamalot at least once a month, or maybe more in times of desperation! So that’s two wonderful shows ('Speed the Plow' and 'Spamalot') in one week!
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Once again Theatremonkey came up trumps and helped me find good seats for Spamalot.

We had Seats 11 to 13, Row G in the Dress Circle at the Palace Theatre. Excellent view of the stage and the booster seat provided for my ten year old helped a lot. Drinks in the interval were very expensive but then it is London! Only criticism was that it was very hot and stuffy in the dress circle. Had it been a serious play I would have been in danger of nodding off!! However, Spamlot was so funny and entertaining we didn't want to miss any of it, as you won't.

Highly recommended and Peter Davison was brilliant too. You'll be singing the songs as you leave the theatre - guaranteed.
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This was a great performance. My first viewing in row D seat 7 at the stalls - it was great, because the Holy Grail was actually very near! The cast was fabulous, sound effects terrific and an amazing way to show some of our gruesome history in a hilarious way. This is the best performance in London....

Cristopher H.
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Just wanted to say what a fantastic evening myself and my partner had last night (15th March 2008) at the Palace Theatre watching 'Spamalot.' The show was non-stop funny from start to finish. I am a big fan of the Monty Python films and couldn't wait to go and see this production in London. We were not disappointed one bit. Everything from the music, songs, costumes and sets were just top notch. If you like all things silly and slightly un-PC then you will love this show. I won't highlight anything in particular as I believe it's up to individuals to make up their own minds about the shows that they go to see, but do feel that you'd have to be hard pressed to not walk away from this show smiling.

Alan Dale was in the lead as King Arthur and, although he gave a good performance, I feel he was somewhat still finding his feet (as this was only his second week in the part) and in this particular performance was somewhat muted like he was just going through the motions. You almost felt like shouting out 'come on Al, loosen up a bit and let yourself go!!' However, saying that, he was not that bad and the actual show steals it anyway.

We were sat in the stalls row H 24 and 25 and were in the perfect position to see all the facial expressions and everything. We were both very pleased with these seats that are rightly highlighted green on the monkey, although I wouldn't have wanted to have sat any further to the left and would of preferred a position a little more towards the centre. The seats cost £60 each and I think well worth it, as the show is just the tonic if you fancy a damn good laugh.

The rest of the audience must have felt the same as they all gave a standing ovation in the end. The star of the show though was the Swedish actress (who won her part in a talent contest back in Sweden) as the 'Lady of the Lake' (sorry can't remember her name at mo), she was just brilliant.

Go see it, it's great!

GJ
Wallingford, Oxon
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‘Spamalot’ tonight (Tuesday 18th March 2008) was glorious, and waves of laughter (from me as well as the rest of the large audience) continually swept the auditorium. But there was one problem, and that was the empty space in the middle of the show, namely Alan Dale. He just doesn’t have the comic gravitas, the charisma or the voice to do justice to this deceptively simple role. Maybe it is because of its simplicity that the player needs to bring his own baggage along and in my opinion Mr Dale had very little baggage. By comparison with both Tim Curry and Simon Russell Beale he was a non-starter, and even the relatively light-weight Peter Davison was better, although not really right. In fact Mr Dale was just about on a par with Simon Russell Beale’s cover whom I saw at a matinee when Mr Beale was indisposed. He (Alan Dale) got through the show, but added very little to it, unlike the other performers who were all on top form and cumulatively made it yet another memorable night for me.

One thing I have never commented on before is the scene in which the member of the audience sitting in D 1 is brought up on to the stage. This has always worked extremely well, even with one rather cocky young man aged about 12 who started off attempting to be smart, but was quickly tamed by Peter Davison and ended up being rather overawed by being on stage in the middle of a musical number. Full marks to the director and the cast for always handling this tricky moment so well, with people of all ages and sizes!
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I got my ticket - C7 Stalls - via the half price ticket booth (TKTS) on Saturday afternoon for the evening performance. Checked the Monkey's website to make sure it was either a green or white seat. I had been sceptical about the show since in started, I liked "Life of Brian" as a film but was not sure how MP would go down in a musical; well, I was pleasantly surprised. It was a a good show and I have not laughed so much in ages. Well worth seeing and even more so at £30 ( plus £2.50 booking fee) - after all, the ticket should be £60 (which I'm not sure I would pay for the show!). At half price it's well worth-while if you enjoy a good laugh, was a fan of MP and like a musical but don't expect it to be A.L.Webber.

A slightly later starting show than most at 8pm, but with it being only a 2 hour show, it was still finished by just after 10pm and in good time for a tube and train home.

Seating: I was in the stalls, which I often find not as good as the Dress Circle (I'm short at 5' '7'') and find the stalls often mean I can see a head more than a stage. My seat was in row C which was the 3rd row (no AA, AB rows etc in the Palace) seat 7 (row starts at C5 - so 3rd seat in) and was a good view - the stage was set back due to the orchestra pit, and a good view in general.

Point of warning from Row D back: be careful not to get tickets in the last two or so seats as there are post/ pillars that will get in the way, and after all, even at a lower price you want to see the show not some post. be careful of Seat D1!

The cast were very good, and I recognized one of them as a previous member of the "Our House" cast.

Overall, if you wish to see a show and have a laugh "and have a little whistle" at the same time, then "look on the bright side of life" and get along to 'Spamalot,' but maybe better to get your tickets via the half price booth (TKTS) and save £30.

Alun Of Essex

Performance Date:12th April 2008, 8pm.
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I couldn’t resist a ticket at under £20 so I chose A9 in the Dress Circle for the first house last Friday (2nd May 2008). I can see why this site marks the front row of the Dress Circle in red as regards legroom, but for me it was absolutely fine. Again I had a wonderful time. The more I see "Spamalot" (seven times now, I think), the more I appreciate its qualities. It is genuinely funny throughout, the gags are carried off with great skill and theatrical ingenuity, nothing outstays its welcome and there is a vast amount of material packed into the two-and-a-quarter hours that the whole performance takes.

On seeing some Monty Python sketches replayed on TV at various times I began to grow tired of the wearisome shouting and overplaying that characterised a lot of them, but somehow this same humour is melded smoothly into a very satisfying whole on stage and it all works superbly. The delighted response of the audience at every performance I have attended testifies to this, and I look forward to further visits if and when there are any major cast changes.

I am happy to report that Alan Dale is now rather better than when he first started, but still not as good as the two first Arthurs. Everyone else was brilliant and it is only now that I have finally become aware of exactly who plays each of the various minor characters like the French Taunter, the Black Night and Brother Maynard. And it came as a surprise to realise that the Historian is also Not Dead Fred and Prince Herbert!

So, even after seven visits I am still finding new elements of the show to savour and enjoy, which says a great deal for the creativity of the writing, the music, the performances and the production.
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I recently took my family to London for the day and tried the Official TKTS Ticket Booth in Leicester Square to see if we could get to see a show relatively cheaply as 4 full priced tickets can be a big drain on the old bank account. We picked 'Spamalot' for an evening performance and was able to chose various areas to sit. Not having the definitive Theatremonkey seating plans with me, we chose to sit in the Dress Circle in seats H 19  to 22. Although these seats are classed red in your opinion I can say that they were great seats which had good leg room and a superb view of the stage. Although the Grand Circle does intrude into the sight-line, only the very upper part of the set is lost - but in 'Spamalot' this is only clouds. The seats were originally priced at £55 and were able to get them for £27.50 plus £2.50 booking fee. We were really please with the show and with a substantial saving on the tickets made for a perfect evening. 
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Friday 9th May 2008. I went with a friend and we sat in the stalls G8 and 9, which were perfectly good seats and the view was fantastic. I have to say that the legroom is appalling for a theatre in this day and age, as others have mentioned if you are any taller than 5'10" you are going to find it tough going.

I found the show as funny, if not funnier, than my first visit - and think it is one of the most polished productions in the West End. It's obvious that they have spent the money on it to start with. I'm surprised that it has now published closing notices for early January 2009 (if someone knows why, I'd like to find out please) as I thought it was a hugely popular show!

If and when it does close, I can say that I was one of the lucky ones that got to see it (twice).

Finally a word on Alan Dale. He was certainly better the second time around but was still a little stiff for my liking, and when singing just looked straight ahead as if a rabbit stuck in headlights. I still think he was a good choice for the role, which ended on 21st June 2008.

My advice to anyone wanting a great "anything goes" laugh at the theatre is "get along to the Palace Theatre before January 3rd 2009," 'cos there is nothing else quite like it in the West End at the moment. Just leave your legs at the cloakroom before going in!!
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Having been meaning to go and see 'Spamalot' since it opened I was minded to finally book tickets when I saw the announcements for Sanjeev Bhaskar taking on the role of King Arthur. Bonus: I happened to come across a special offer which meant top price tickets were only £24.99 (with no added fees) instead of the normal £55 + fees. These were bought from a subsidiary or partner of See Tickets - theboxoffice.com. Although the offer didn't appear on See's own site, I decided to call to find better seats and followed the links to do so, finding myself on the See site and calling their switchboard.

I really enjoyed the show on 22nd July 2008.

I thought Bhaskar was brilliant as King Arthur. It was no surprise that he could sing, as they did quite a bit of that in 'Goodness Gracious Me.' Nor was it a surprise he was good at comedy timing, body language and dancing! I liked too that he bought very occasional references to 'Goodness Gracious Me' into the show without subverting it into a 'Goodness Gracious Spamalot.' My favourites were his 'chainmail chaddis' comment (see title of post), his threat, in Hindi, to beat up the conductor and his occasional Indian pronunciation of "Briton" when announcing himself as 'King of the Britons.' That was it, as far as I recall and it was a good balance. It was infrequent enough not to change the feel of the show but allowed the audience to appreciate just who was playing the role. The stage props were simple in style which was very much in keeping with the original 'Monty Python 'material and good use was made of projectors to throw Pythonesque cartoons into the mix.

I don't know that I laughed as hard as I did at the French 'Monty Python' stage show I saw down in Hammersmith a few years back but I certainly enjoyed it and, especially at the price we paid, thought it good value.

Now to seats. Having forgotten to check theatremonkey (what was I thinking!) I chose seats in the front row of the dress circle (as there was nothing decent in the stalls, which I usually prefer). I'd hoped that the front row might afford a little extra leg room, which we've found in some theatres. Unfortunately, the legroom in A25 and A26 was so tight that I was finding it uncomfortable at just 5 foot 6 inches in height. My husband, who is 6 foot 6 inches tall with much of that height in his extra long legs, was absolutely crammed in and was forced to spread his legs so wide he was intruding into the space of his neighbours.

A25 also had the added disadvantage of a metal strut (for the lights, attached to the front of the dress circle balcony) reaching up and over the balcony which meant it was not possible to lean forward and rest ones arms on the velvet balustrade. Which is a shame as the seats were so tight they gave me backache and I had to keep changing position in order to avoid cramp. I absolutely second theatremonkey's comment about dress circle row A seats being "outstandingly awful".

K Favelle
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