The latest piece of non-originality on Broadway is Spamalot, a musical adaptation of the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I have said before that it is very hard to have a bad night at a Broadway show, but that is hardly the point. Broadway is special. It is supposed to be the top of the heap in live theater. Tim Curry and Hank Azaria are in this production, and that isn’t a sup rise. They are two terrific comedic performers making a lateral movement from Hollywood to Broadway. I question if Hollywood clout will journey eastward if this trend goes on another 10 years.
But is Broadway supposed to be an amalgam of cover shows and reconstituted movies? I assert it isn’t. Before we had this uberkindergarten of three in diapers, Ann and I went to our share of shows. First we’d have dinner at this St Andrews place near (or on? I forget) West 47th. Then, we’d be off to a great show. The first was Miss Saigon. It was virtually an out of body experience (this was the first time Ann wore a mini skirt on a date with me… was in my body for that…definitely). In addition to being unforgettable on its merit, Phantom of the Opera was the first and only double date I have gone on with my brother Paul. Rent was superb, and supplied our wedding song. 42nd Street was the Rosetta Stone for half the Bug Bunny cartoons we watch. This stuff is gone. The original show is becoming extinct. What a shame.
J. Philip Faranda
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