Nothing to say 'ni' about - Monty Python hits Broadway

NEW YORK

Sir Michael the Naughty is awfully excited these days -- as you might expect from someone who calls himself Sir Michael the Naughty.

He and thousands of Monty Python's Flying Circus fans are electrified about the Broadway launch of "Monty Python's Spamalot," a new musical penned by a member of the British comedy group that had its heyday in the 1970s.

"In the spirit of fanaticism, we're very pleased when Monty Python's sense of silly irreverence -- and occasional willingness to offend at any cost -- remains in the public eye, particularly if it's reasonably original material of high quality," he says.

Curiosity about the musical has been building for years as Python player Eric Idle and composer John Du Prez worked on the first stage adaptation of the 1975 film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."

What emerged is a frothy brew that borrows chunks of dialogue and song from the movie. What also emerged has posed something of a dilemma for producers: How to pitch it to a hard-core fan base while also appealing to people who've never heard "Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. Say no more!"

It clearly won't be hard to fill theater seats with fans like Sir Michael, the pseudonym of a West Coast software engineer who didn't want his real name used for fear of being "possibly rendered into a kook."

But the show's long-term health depends on getting more mainstream audiences to hand over more than $100 a ticket to see goofy characters like The Knights of Ni and The French Taunter.

"I think if we only appeal to the Python fans, I think the show would be a failure," says Tom Callahan, associate creative director of Serino Coyne Inc., the advertising and marketing agency hired by producers.

"What we had to do ... was make sure we didn't alienate the traditional theatergoer by being too irreverent, but not throw off the Monty Python loyal fans. It's kind of a thin line."

That means funny T-shirts and key chains, but also whacky stunts such as a traveling vehicle dubbed the Spammobile, promotions with volunteers dressed as medieval knights and, of course, cans of specially formulated Spam.

One of the most difficult marketing decisions was what to highlight. After all, the show is directed by Mike Nichols and boasts stars Tim Curry, who rose to fame in film and TV after playing the transvestite Dr. Frank-N-Furter in 1975's "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"; David Hyde Pierce, the Emmy-winning performer from television's "Frasier"; and Hank Azaria, who stars in the Showtime series "Huff." Curry plays King Arthur, Pierce portrays Sir Robin and Azaria is Sir Lancelot in the show.

"What makes this different is that there are so many different elements that you could sell on their own," Callahan says. "The hardest part for us was, 'OK, what do we put forward?"'

The solution was curious: no stars.

Initial print and bus advertisements have featured witty slogans illustrated by cartoon drawings inspired by the Pythons' original movie poster, but there have been no attempts to sell the actors themselves -- at least not yet.

"We're kind of a big believer that you don't fire off your cannons all at the same time. We've purposely not shown our cast yet because we haven't needed to," Callahan says. "The people break the illusion at this point."

Fans seem to appreciate the producers' emphasis on the Python legacy, even though some have complained that Idle has previously had a tendency to cash in on the Python name.

"If it's a cash-in, it's an all-star one, done by brilliant people," says Garrett Gilchrist, 23, a filmmaker who runs his own Python Internet site from Carlsbad, Calif. "The fan community seems to be abuzz with it."

The original Python comedy show -- featuring Idle, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Michael Palin -- ran on the BBC from 1969 to 1974, invading America in 1975 with rebroadcasts on PBS.

The TV show offered both biting sarcasm and pure cross-dressing zaniness, creating a cult following with "The Parrot Sketch," "The Lumberjack Song," "The Cheese Shop" and a priest rushing into a scene to declare: "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise, surprise and fear, fear and surprise. ... Our two weapons are fear and surprise and ruthless efficiency. ... I'll come in again."

Their first film was "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," featuring coconuts clanked together to mimic the sound of horses' hoofs, a Black Knight who refuses to quit fighting no matter how many limbs he's lost and a vicious assault by a rabbit.

The musical, which debuted in Chicago in December, follows the film -- more or less. Most of the sketches remain and familiar tunes are reprised like "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life," but there are also new send-ups of Broadway and the fleshing-out of the Lady of the Lake character, played ably by Sara Ramirez.

Randi Grossman, president of Max Merchandising LLC., which is handling the show's promotions, says Idle's participation -- as well as the blessing of the rest of the group -- is like a seal of approval for Python fans.

"I think because a Python wrote it, the Pythons are happy. Somebody else -- I think they might have revolted," she says. "Now they feel like they're finally getting the recognition -- 'See I told you it was funny!"'

There is, however, a bit of frustration in the ranks of some British fans who feel frozen out. There are no plans, they point out, to have "Spamalot" appear in the land of the Pythons' birth.

"Many UK Python fans feel that despite the fact that Monty Python is a British comedy group, UK fans are ignored when it comes to new Python projects," says Jo Selwood, who runs the Cardinal Fang's Python Site from Oxford, England.

But another fan, Matt Zaske, who is theater director at a school in Renville, Minn., and runs the online site Matt's Monty Python Repository, says "Spamalot" may win new converts in the United States.

"I think that for those who aren't familiar with the group, some new 'visibility' I imagine will help significantly to, if nothing else, introduce more folks to the group's work," he says.

Sir Michael the Naughty is thinking even bigger.

"A critically successful run of 'Spamalot' will serve as further evidence that Monty Python is simply destined to take over the entire world," he says. "Perhaps it's only a matter of time before every member of the human race begins bashing bricks together and talking in Gumby language while 16-ton weights start falling upon merchant bankers and chartered accountants."

Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

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On the Net:

Official site: http://www.montypythonsspamalot.com

Sir Michael the Naughty: http://www.geocities.com/pythoncollection

Matt's Monty Python Repository: http://mzonline.com/python

Cardinal Fang: http://www.geocities.com/fang--club