I don’t think my birthday last Thursday could have had more of a Monty Python theme if I’d tried. A few weeks ago B booked up tickets to see Spamalot, the West End musical based on the Monty Python film “Holy Grail.” She also hid away a copy of “The Very Best of Monty Python,” a small book with pictures and scripts from the Python series.

Quite independently, I got a text a few weeks ago asking what I thought of a DVD box-set where each Python talked about and showed their favourite sketches. I’d not heard of it at the time, but it sounded like an intriguing idea. And they are greate to watch — thanks Mum and Dad!

I took the day off work and was able to spend much of the time “revising” for the evening at the theatre. (That was my excuse anyway.) It’s amazing how good a lot of it still is. Some dates badly, but much is probably just as funny now as when it was first broadcast. I was reminded that a lot was first broadcast even before I was born!

Spamalot, the musical, didn’t disappoint. B wanted to go before January to make sure we saw the show with Tim Curry in the lead role. He was certainly worth seeing, having quite a stage presence and a great voice. Not to say that the rest of the cast had anything much to worry about. The lady of the lake warrants special mention, not just because she looked and sounded the part but because she got some of the best lines. Her song about “What ever happened to my part?” was a highlight. One of the songs — you’ll know which one if you go to see it — maybe works better on Broadway, but I thought they all hit their mark. The French insults still make me laugh, although, knowing all the lines from the movie, I don’t really know why!

Overall it was a neat mix of some of the “best of” Monty Python with some new material more suited to its new format. Very enjoyable — thanks B!