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| Cramer Cain (King Arthur) - Rob Johnson, former cast member |
Directed by
Richard Carroll – Musical Supervision by Conrad Hamill
Choreographed
by Cameron Mitchell – Designed by Emma Vine
The Canberra
Theatre Centre Playhouse, Feb. 27th to Mar.1st
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
You don’t
have to be a Monty Python fan to enjoy this hopelessly silly musical rip-off of
“Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, but it certainly adds to the fun if you can recognise the many classic Python routines that are woven into the narrative.
Director,
Richard Carroll, who was also responsible for the much-admired “Calamity Jane”,
has devised another clever knock-about romp,
this time, based on the story of King Arthur’s search for the Holy Grail. Following its sell-out season at the Hayes
Theatre, this production is having its first performances outside Sydney, in
Canberra, prior to an extensive regional tour.
Carroll has gathered
together a highly skilled ensemble cast, led by Cramer Cain, rather magnificent
as the unwavering King Arthur, who accompanied by his loyal person-servant,
Patsy (the ever-adorable Amy Hack) leads
his knights of the mini-round table on an epic quest in which they
actually do discover the Holy Grail.
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| Josie Lane - Jane Watt - Blake Appelqvist - former cast member- Marty Alix |
Canberra’s
own Blake Appelqvist, in fine voice, is the ever-obliging Sir Galahad. Abe
Mitchell is the macho Sir Lancelot who makes a surprising discovery about
himself during the epic journey. Marty
Alix steals every scene he’s in, as the mischievous Sir Robin, while Rob
Johnson is a delight as the cheeky Prince Albert. Jane Watt is an unlikely Sir
Bedevere. When not necessary for
knightly duties, all relish the opportunity to play (over-play?) various serfs,
witches, noble-persons or armies, met along the journey.
Then there’s
the Lady of the Lake, Josie Lane, drop-dead gorgeous, chewing up the scenery,
out-warbling Whitney Houston with the best songs in the show, and not afraid to
speak up about being under-utilised as the self-declared star.
You’ll
recognise most of the songs, some with clever up-dated lyrics, and be warned,
you’ll be humming “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” for days. Cameron Mitchell
is responsible for the clever choreography, which includes an ingenious tap
routine.
Emma Vine
has designed a deliberately tacky setting, with costumes to match, and lots of
built-in surprises. It even allows some of the audience to become part of the
show, and keeps the over-worked assistant stage manager, Bronte MacIness, very
busy.
It’s all
great fun and the perfect cheer-up to commence the Canberra Theatre Centre’s
20/20 season.
Photos by John McRae
This review first published in the digital edition of CITY NEWS on 28th Feb. 2020
