Musical Favourites: Spamalot

I feel like this is something that many people wouldn’t necessarily know about me, unless they knew me in real life. And even then. But, basically – I love musicals. I honestly spend entirely too much time gushing about them irl, so I figured it was about time I brought that to the blog as well. And, sure, I might have – in a dark, hidden past – talked about Hamilton once or twice. But trust me: the love (obsession?) goes a lot further than that! It goes all the way to spamalot, for example.

Spamalot – how can I describe this? For starters, it’s based on the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. That movie on itself already brought random pieces of vernacular into my daily conversation. From the knights who say “NI” to the best ever way to get some low-budget horse-effect.

The best way to describe Spamalot is the same parody of king Arthur’s story that Monty Python already gave us – only three times more crazy. And with music.

For starters, there’s a certain type of self-awareness that I really appreciate. This is probably highlighted best in “The Song That Goes Like This”:

I mean, it takes guts to publically call out every single song “that goes like this”, right? This is exactly what I like about Spamalot: it takes the cliches we have grown to know and love, and then turns them on their head.

For example, the “song that goes like this” is not the only cliché this musical plays with, though. From the usefulness of even looking for such a thing as a grail, to questioning what exactly a grail would be for someone in particular. From addressing the subtexts that are definitely present between some of Arthur’s knights, to addressing how little women got to do in those times. Or it’s just a really awesome song about a diva stating the obvious – that not enough use is made of her amazing abilities!

All in all, Spamalot is the perfect combination of historical fiction, parody and satire. Combined with the genious that is Monty Python and some amazing melodies? This musical definitely makes for that perfect kind of “belt along” any road trip deserves!

Had you heard of Spamalot yet? Had you heard the music? And do you have any musical recommendations for me? If so, be sure to let me know below!

-Saar