Toby’s Dinner Theatre Presents Arthurian Laughs with “Monty Python’s Spamalot”

At the beginning of the year, Toby’s Dinner Theatre staged a production of “Monty Python’s Spamalot” that was so well received the audiences clamored for the musical to come back. The popular Columbia, Maryland- theatre is fulfilling that desire, remounting the show from August 5 to August 21.

Based on the hit 1975 film, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” “Spamalot” is a raucous, musical from the legendary comedic mind of Eric Idle, spoofing the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they search for the Holy Grail. It had a successful run on Broadway from 2005 to 2009, taking home the Tony Award for Best Musical in the process.

The musical contains some of the best lines from the film (“I’m not dead yet!”), which was written by Idle, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, but offers a fresh take on the Arthurian legend that rivals the laughs from the movie. Expect showgirls, killer rabbits, and French taunters as King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake go on the epic adventure.

Directed by Mark Minnick, Toby’s cast includes Jordan Stocksdale as King Arthur, Janine Sunday as The Lady of the Lake, Adam Grabau as Sir Lancelot, Joey Ellinghaus as Patsy, Jeffrey Shankle as Sir Robin, Shawn Kettering as Sir Bedevere and Justin Calhoun as Sir Galahad.

Grabau has played Lancelot more than anyone in “Spamalot” history, spending four years on the national tour, two years on the resurrection tour, and performing the role off and on since 2010.

“In doing so, I broke the previous record and am now the longest performer in the role by over 300 performances,” he says. “What’s not to enjoy? It’s Monty Python, I get to play four of the most iconic and beloved characters from the movie, and every time someone calls me to do it, I always say yes because it’s so fun. The show is a real crowd pleaser.”

The veteran actor notes that no other show he’s ever been in gets the consistent positive feedback that “Spamalot” does.

“Even if you don’t have a firm base of knowledge of the source material, it’s still fun,” Grabau says.

Toby’s is unique as it’s an intimate theatre, so this version of “Spamalot” is somewhat different than what others may have seen on Broadway or the tour.

“What Toby’s does well is take shows and strip them down to their best storytelling,” Grabau says. “It really brings something special to most pieces. With “Spamalot,” you get things out of the show you wouldn’t get on other stages because of that intimacy. The show itself is still the same — it’s madcap silliness for two hours — but you can get all the nuances and see all the facial expressions.”

For those that consider themselves a connoisseur of Python, or are big fans of the movie, Grabau says they will appreciate all of the same humor and hear the lines they’ve known and repeated for more than 40 years, and see them in a new context.

“This is not the movie with just some singing added,” he says. “They kept about 90 percent of the best bits from the film, but they dressed it up for Broadway just right. That’s a rare thing nowadays when you have adaptations coming out, with most either being grossly overdone or underdone. “Spamalot” was the perfect marriage — it’s just as funny and will make the people go, ‘Wow.’ This is a crown jewel.”

“Spamalot” plays Toby’s Dinner Theatre from August 5 to August 21. For more information, and tickets visit tobysdinnertheatre.com.

Toby’s Dinner Theatre:  5900 Symphony Woods Rd. Columbia, MD;
tobysdinnertheatre.com // @tobys_dinnertheatre

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Keith Loria

A theatre buff and huge music fan, Keith Loria is a D.C.-based award-winning journalist who has been writing about the arts for more than 20 years. He started his career with the Associated Press and has written for Soap Opera Digest, Playbill and Music Review. He looks forward to 2021 and the theaters reopening! He’s the proud father of two daughters, who often accompany him on his theater outings. Visit his website at keithloria.contently.com.