Local theatre company Hatrix Theatre is bringing Monty Python’s classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail to the big stage in musical form, April 15-20 at the Yates Centre.
“Lovingly ripped off from Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the extravagant production includes 60 people including some of Lethbridge’s best musicians and 30 some actors from most of the theatre groups in town, University students, community members and much more. The production not only includes custom designed, Monty Pythonesque animation, but scenes and songs taken directly from the 1975 cult classic movie plus original numbers and “Always Look On the Bright Side of Life,” from Monty Python’s “Life of Brian.”
“We’re on a converging route right now with the cast,” said director/ producer Brian Quinn adding there have been some casting changes.
“ But this cast is talented enough that I think it will be spectacular,” Quinn continued
“ Jocelyn Haub is going to steal the show,” he enthused, raving about her costume.
“ Spamalot is on my bucket list of roles to play,” said New West Theatre performer Jocelyn Haub.
“So I was talking to (musical director ) Bente Hansen and she said a local group was going to put it on. I was so excited and I’d do anything I had to to get an audition,” she continued adding she was excited to be cast as the Lady of the lake.
“I’ve always been a fan of British humour and John Cleese in Fawlty Towers,” said fellow New West Theatre performer Devon Brayne, who, among others, plays Sir “Dennis” Galahad.”
I didn’t even know there was a musical of it,” he said adding his fiance, Jocelyn Haub talked him into auditioning for Spamalot.
Haub is enjoying playing the Lady of the Lake, who gets to sing a number of songs including “Whatever Happened to my Part.”
She is in awe of the 132 costumes being created by Juanita Devos and her team.
“I’m having a blast,” said DeVos, whose son Willem plays Herbert in the show
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“But I’m not the only one. I have six or seven people helping including a young guy from CCH who loves to sew,” she said.
“We’re making chain mail out of plastic links, though it isn’t real chain mail because that would be heavy,” she laughed.
The costumes are straight out of the movie. She and Brent (DeVos stage designer and prop maker) really know how to stretch a dollar, ” Haub enthused.
“She’s an ethereal mistress who has magic powers and is the diva of the show,” she described her character of the Lady of The Lake.
Brayne is enjoying the contrast of Dennis, the working class character to is transformed into Sir Galahad after lecturing King Arthur about royalty.
“I like the juxtaposition of Dennis and Sir Galahad because Dennis represents the British working class. But when he gets to be Galahad, he gets to be more of the British elite class,” he continued.
“He’s the Fabio Knight. He’s a Prince Charming,” he added.
Both of them are loving their first production with Hatrix. Their favourite part is the people in the cast.
“It’s got to be the cast and the costumes. The cast is full of people who don’t have a lot of theatre experience and people who have more experience. And they are all so funny,” Haub said adding they are Python fans, which appeals to her.
“ I remember me and my sister used to quote Monty Python lines back and forth to each other and everyone thought we were crazy,” she enthused adding another bonus is getting to share a stage with Brayne.
“Dev is my best friend. He’s so talented, who wouldn’t want to act with him,” she gushed.
Brayne returned the compliment.
“I’m just thankful for the bulk of my acting roles I do, I get to share a stage with Jocelyn. I can’t get enough,” he added.
For some actors the script itself drew them to the production .
“ I’m quite pleased with it. I’ve always been a Monty Python fan,” said Ben McFee, who plays Patsy, King Arthur’s squire.
“I moved back from Calgary for this,” McFee continued adding a soon as his room mate told him Lethbridge was doing a production of it, he had to be involved.
“When I heard there was a production of it in Southern Alberta, I knew I’d have to try and get a role,” said McFee, who graduated from the University of Lethbridge in 2009, where he was in several main stage and Theatre Xtra productions.
Music director Bente Hansen is excited about the production, not only because of the variety of music in it, but also because she gets to work with her dream band — Paul Walker (reed 1); Juan Rogers (reed 2); Thomas Staples (horn); Josh Davies ( trumpet 1); Shawn Lindenbach (trumpet 2); Gerald Rogers (trombone); Adam Mason (percussion); James Oldenburg (guitar); Paul Holden (bass); Brad Brouwer (drums); Norbert Boehm (violin); Jesse Plessis (keyboard 1); Colleen Klassen ( Keyboard 2); and Aaron Collier (keyboard 3).
“ It’s my dream band. We don’t have a lot of time to get together, but they all have their parts,” she said.
“ I love the music mixture. There’s Broadway, rock and roll, vaudeville and burlesque music. It’s going to be great,” she said adding it is also challenging to play.
“There are a lot of time changes, some of them in the same song. It’s Monty Python, so it is slightly frantic and a little weird,” she described.
Kathy Matkin-Clapton, who has been teaching the cast to sing for the past three months is impressed with the production.
“I love working with Brian (Quinn) and Bente Hansen is a great music director,” she said.
“We have a really talented cast. Also it is a really fun show,” she continued.
“It’s a really musical cast. The lyrics are spectacular,” she said adding scheduling has been the biggest challenge, with a full time job and a family to raise like many of the cast.
George Gallant who first cut his teeth on stage with Lethbridge Musical Theatre, was recently on stage at Southminster Untied Church in Les Miserables as the villain Thenairdier and who recently helped produce the full length feature film “A Common Chord,” is excited about playing King Arthur in Spamalot.
“ They are two different things. Films are work, this is fun,” he summarized adding he is excited about working with this cast.
“I’ve really enjoyed watching them work. I’ve been really impressed,” he said
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“ And I’ve enjoyed the social aspect of the show. The cast really likes each other, which is a good thing,” he continued.
He is enjoying the character of King Arthur.
“He’s actually not very smart for a king. But he’s pure but he’s naïve. Everything is not what it’s supposed to be. He’s been put into this world that is not what is expected,” he said.
“There’s this cavalcade of crazy characters like the Knights who say Ni who will entertain the audience to no end,” he described.
Aiden Quinn, who is the son of director Brian Quinn and who was last on stage with Hatrix Theatre’s production of the Evil Dead the musical, plays several of this crazy cavalcade of characters, and is in the background for most of the other scenes.
“It’s been exhausting. It is non stop during rehearsal. But it’s energizing, like doing a play every day.”
He has enjoyed working with his dad in the production.
“It’s like being back at home with constant direction of what to do. There is so much,” he laughed.
“ I love to act, I love to sing. Dancing on the other hand…” he said adding he has enjoyed learning all of the dance moves.
“ All of these people are so amazing. There are people from all over the community in this show,” he said.
The production also has some intense choreography courtesy of Candy Chiselle-Williams and Mark Litchfield of Danceworks.
“Mark and I haven’t worked on a show since 1998,” Chiselle-Williams said adding she is also happy to be working with George Gallant again for the first time since Jesus Christ Superstar.
“ We’ve had a really good time designing the choreography and it’s even better when we give it out to the cast,” she enthused.
“We just listened to the music and would see what pictures come to us,” she described of the process of designing the dance moves.
“ It’s all been really exciting,” she said.
Spamalot runs at the Yates Centre at 8 p.m. each night April 15-20. There are also matinees at 2 p.m. on April 19 and April 20.
A version of this story appears in the April 9, 2014 edition of the Lethbridge Sun Times.
