(center front) Major Attaway, Amanda Robles, and Cast Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

This is the third time the knights and damsels of Spamalot have leapt from Camelot to the Twin Cities. First was the national tour spawned by the original 2005 Broadway production, with its Tony Award for Best Musical in hand. The next visit was another touring production that played at the Ordway in 2019. While it's only been seven years since that run, those have been some heavy-duty years, at least here in the Twin Cities (though I know we are not unique on that score), and the return of this irreverent, splashy song and comedy fest is more than welcome–it is almost a prescription written by the God who appears (in the form of an animated hand descending from the flies) in the show to calm our collectively jangled nerves.

If you are among those not already familiar with Spamalot, or at least its ancestral source, Monty Python, a British troupe whose sketch comedy television series aired on the BBC from 1969 through 1974, and was repeated on American public television stations through the '70s and into the '80s, you still may have surmised by reading this far, that Spamalot is highly irreverent and not recommended for those easily offended. Though, in actuality, the enterprise works so hard to cheekily throw shade on so many targets that they cancel each out, and anyone with a robust sense of humor ought to be able to enjoy themselves.

The plot? Yes, there is a plot, though it is mainly a clothesline on which to hang comedy bits, over-the-top production numbers, and slyly over-sold ballads. Once the opening establishes that we are in twelfth century England, not Finland, we zero in on the plague that is ravaging the country. In this setting, Arthur, made king when the fabled Lady of the Lake bestowed the magnificent sword Excalibur upon him, goes about assembling a band of knights to slay the wicked and deliberate good works around a very round table. He enlists politically left-leaning Sir Galahad, cowardly Sir Robin, outwardly tough Sir Lancelot, and digestively challenged Sir Bedevere.

To prove that the Lady of the Lake gave Excalibur to him, Arthur calls on her to appear. She does, accompanied by her cheerleading Laker Girls, resulting in a sublime riff on the smarmy over-the-top love duets ("The Song that Goes Like This"), complete with a key change before the last verse. Arthur and his Knights are then commanded by God (in the appearance mentioned above) to find the Holy Grail. Along the way, they encounter a stockade guarded by rude French taunters and the odd-looking Knights Who Say "Ni," who demand, first, a shrubbery and then, a Broadway show–which Arthur's squire Patsy informs him is near impossible without the involvement of Jews, prompting the outrageous and hilarious "You Won't Succeed on Broadway."

The Lady of the Lake, having been left out of the action for some time, files a protest "Diva's Lament," while Sir Lancelot charges forth to rescue a maiden locked in a tower, only to discover that the "maiden" is a certain Prince Herbert, and discovering a bit about himself as well ("His Name Is Lancelot"). It all ends well–Holy Grail, shrubbery, and Broadway musical checked off the list–so all that remains is–why not?–a gala wedding! Don't you love a happy ending? But wait, if that's not enough, they send us out with a sing-along. I mean, does this crew have no shame? Happily, they don't.

Josh Rhodes directed and choreographed the recent Spamalot revival on Broadway, and repeats those assignments for the tour, keeping all the gaiety (in whatever sense you want to take it) set forth by the show's original director Mike Nichols and choreographer Casey Nicholaw, while allowing his hugely talented cast members to embellish their scenes and numbers to make the show even shinier, friskier, and funnier. The production numbers are among the most lavish you'll see in any musical, all the more so with the aid of Paul Tate dePoo II's cleverly designed sets and vibrant projection designs and Jen Caprio's bright and motley costumes, with a nod also to Tom Watson's hair and wig designs.

Every member of the company is well cast, and each is given a chance to shine in comedy bits, musical numbers, or both. Most of the actors play multiple roles, the exceptions being Major Attaway, wonderfully blustery, sincere in his quest, and spry on his feet as King Arthur, and Amanda Robles as Lady of the Lake, showing off a vocal range, powerful belt, and a keen way with a scat that astound our ears, all with a wink in her eye. Blake Segal, as Patsy, acquits himself well in "You Won't Succeed on Broadway," and as Arthur's loyal but neglected companion as Arthur wails "I'm All Alone."

Steve Telsey, as Prince Hebert, and Chris Collins-Pisano, as Lancelot, prove themselves a well-matched, booty-shaking pair in "His Name Is Lancelot." Collins-Pisano also milks laughs galore out of the French taunting routine–one that doesn't quite work for me but had most of the audience in stitches. In "I Am Not Dead Yet," Telsey kicks up amazingly limber dance moves as Not Dead Fred, in contrast to the pronouncement that he lies at death's door.

Spamalot is not a show you should see because it will offer insights or provide perspectives on pressing issues. It may not make you a better person. However, with 2+ hours of hearty laughter, and vast pleasures for the eyes and ears in the form of song, dance, costumes, and scenery it can make you a happier person. Also, with all the exercise given to the muscles used to clap one's hands with gusto, a healthier person too. That's a formula that works for me.

Spamalot runs through June 14, 2026, at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington Street, Saint Paul MN. For tickets and information, please call 651-224-4222 or visit www.ordway.org. For information on the tour, visit www.spamalotthemusical.com.

Book and Lyrics: Eric Idle, from the original screenplay Monty Python and the Holy Grail by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin; Music: John Du Prez & Eric Idle; Direction and Choreography: Josh Rhodes; Scenic and Projections Design: Paul Tate de Poo III; Costume Design: Jen Caprio; Lighting Design: Cory Pattak; Sound Design: Kai Harada & Haley Parcher; Hair and Wig Design: Tom Watson; Production Props Supervisors: Ray Wetmore & J.R. Goodman; Orchestrator: Larry Hochman; Music Arranger: Glen Kelly; Music Supervision & Additional Arrangements: John Bell; Music Coordinator: David Lai; Music Director: Jonathan W. Gorst; Casting: Geoff Josselson Casting; Associate Director: Derek Kolluri; Associate Choreographer: Michael Fatica; Production Stage Manager: Matthew Brooks.

Cast: Lindsay Lee Alhady (ensemble), Major Attaway (King Arthur), Delaney Benson (ensemble), Sean Bell (Sir Robin/Guard 1/Brother Maynard), Jack Brewer (ensemble), Chris Collins-Pisano (Sir Lancelot/The French Taunter/Knight of Ni/Tim the Enchanter), Connor Coughlin (Sir Not Appearing/ ensemble), Ellis C. Dawson III (Dennis' Mother/Sir Bedevere/Concorde), L'ogan J'ones (ensemble), Graham Keen (ensemble), Claire Kennard (ensemble), Ben Lanham (ensemble), Nathaniel Mahone (ensemble), Maddie Mossner (ensemble), Emily Renier (swing), Leo Roberts (Sir Galahad/The Black Knight/Prince Herbert's Father), Amanda Robles (The Lady of the Lake), Mark Tran Russ (swing), Blake Segal (Mayor/Patsy/Guard 2), Steve Telsey (Historian/Not Dead Fred/Baby/Nun/Mime/Minstrel/Prince Herbert/Bunny), Meridien Terrell (ensemble).