Spamalot?

The latest would-be hit in the "from Screen to Stage" production stampede has been announced, and it is...

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

It's tentatively called Spamalot.

This season, I'd like to see a successful musical that isn't based on some camp comedy classic or dated movie musical. This trend needs to end. (You'd think the collective failures of Footloose, Saturday Night Fever, Dance of the Vampires and Urban Cowboy would have accelerated this process, but alas, no.) Why put these films on stage? Are we exploring any hidden themes or deepening our understanding of Tony Manero, just because we've paid $90 for a ticket to a musical that is basically the same as the film we could rent for $4, but without John Travolta?

Don't get me wrong, some of these transfers have been successful. Hairspray works because of the amazing talents associated with it (Shaiman, Wittman, Meehan, O'Donnell, Mitchell, O'Brien, etc.), and because the story was absolutely right for a musical. In the case of The Producers, I'd argue that the movie is hilarious but flawed, and the musical fixed a number of the problems in the film. The musical is still pee-your-pants funny (how can you go wrong with "Springtime for Hitler"?), but the music is weak, as a quick listen of the cast recording will show you. The music for The Full Monty, itself another screen transfer, is much better (yes, I'm still bitter about the Tony loss.) That's three hits.

Seems to me that Monty Python and the Holy Grail is pretty damn near perfect as a movie, and any stage adaptation isn't going to add anything to my appreciation of this work. It'll just make me miss Graham Chapman.

Besides, didn't the other knights have to eat Robin's minstrels? Take the hint, folks.