HELLO THERE BROADWAY FANS. Broadway?s biggest night of the year? The 72nd Annual Tony Awards is almost here. We are just 18 days away!!! Luckily to keep us entertained and make the waiting fun, we have our TOP 40 TONY AWARDS COUNTDOWN playing you the best performances from the previous telecasts. Let?s bring on more of the showtunes.
At # 18 on our countdown, this is one you?ll be tapping the tunes with coconuts. This show tells a hilarious comedic retelling about a famous King and his quest to find a grail. We of course are talking about Spamalot. Based on the 1975 cult classic Monty Python & the Holy Grail, the show features a score and book by Monty Python troupe member Eric Idle.
From the 2005 telecast, Tony nominee Tim Curry as ?King Arthur?, Tony winner Sara Ramirez as ?The Lady of the Lake?, and the company perform ultimate quest number?. FIND YOUR GRAIL.
SPAMALOT was first concieved by Eric Idle who already wanted to expand the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail onto the stage. All the elements everyone loved from the film plus some new moments.
Under the direction by Mike Nicolas and choreographed by Tony winner Casey Nicholaw (nominated again this year), the show had its out of town tryout in Chicago in 2004 before officially arriving on Broadway in 2005. It played the Shubert Theatre for a total of 1,610 performances. The cast consisted of….
Tony nominee and Emmy winner Tim Curry (Later Michael Siberry, Stephen Collins, Simon Russell Beale, and John Bolton) as “King Arthur”,
Tony winner Sara Ramirez (later Marin Mazzie, Lauren Kennedy, Hannah Waddingham, and Merle Dandridge) as “The Lady of The Lake”,
Tony winner Michael McGrath (later Robert Petkoff, David Hibbard and Drew Lachey) as “Patsy”,
Tony winner David Hyde-Pierce (later Clay Aiken and Martin Moran) as “Sir Robin”,
Emmy winner Hank Azaria (later Steve Kazee, Chris Hoch, and Rick Holmes) as “Sir Lancelot”,
Tony nominee Christopher Sieber (later Lewis Cleale and Bradley Dean( as “Sir Galahad”,
Steve Rosen (later Jeffrey Kuhn and Brad Oscar) as “Sir Bedevere”,
& Tony winner Christian Borle (later Tom Deckman) as “Herbert” / “The Historian”.
The show was nominated for 14 Tony Awards in 2005 winning 3 including Best Musical.
Following the success of Broadway, SPAMALOT went on to become a Worldwide hit musical in London’s West End, Australia, and more.
During its original Broadway run, the company did something very usual for its first Broadway Anniversary. They got into the Guinness Book of World Records with ?The World?s Largest Coconut Orchestra?. For those who have never seen SPAMALOT or MONTY PYTHON & THE HOLY GRAIL, ?Patsy? (the sidekick of “King Arthur”) would clap coconuts together in the place of a horse with “Arthur” and the Knights galloping along. For the 1 year anniversary event, 1,789 fans all gathered in Shubert Alley (outside the Shubert Theatre) and were each given a pair of coconuts. Members of the cast conducted the crowd in a raucous rendition of the Monty Python favorite and the show?s anthem ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE. Instead of the whistling part, the crowd clapped their coconuts together in that place. From there, they made it into the World Records.
New York Broadway Tours founder and head tour guide Amada Anderson was part of that historical day!!! When the show went to London?s West End, the producers did the same thing in Trafalgar Square with the Coconut Orchestra and the crowd in London got even larger with 5,567 fans. London beated Broadway?s crowd. Our founder and head boss Amada Anderson is in love with that event and is still looking for her coconuts.
Most recently, it has just been announced that SPAMALOT will be coming to the big screen. Obviously the film is considered as an updated remake of MONTY PYTHON & THE HOLY GRAIL. It will be released from 20th Century Fox directed by our very own (and the original choreographer for the stage production) Casey Nicholaw.
Who is tapping their coconuts right now to this performance?
#TonyAwards #CountdownToTheTonys #BroadwaysBiggestNight #NYBTTonyAwardsCountdown #NewYorkBroadwayTours #Top40Countdown #ThisIsBroadway
Sara Ramirez and Tim Curry perform “Find Your Grail” with the company on the 59th Annual Tony Awards, June 5, 2005, live from Radio City Music Hall.
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