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Monty Python legend Eric Idle is an 82-year-old cancer survivor — so naturally he has to look out for his health. And according to Idle, that now means avoiding engaging with, or reading about longtime frenemy John Cleese.

The two octogenarians have made headlines for their recent social media spats, but the antagonism didn’t stop there. It seems as though every surviving member of Monty Python has dunked on other members of the troupe in at least one recent interview — except for Terry Gilliam who has been too busy complaining that Donald Trump ruined his anti-woke movies.

Recently, Idle sat down with NME, which asked the Rutles star about the possibility of a future Python project. As the music magazine pointed out, Oasis is touring this year, which could perhaps pave the way for another unlikely reunion between people who hate each other only slightly less than they love money?...

A lot of attention has been paid to the recent squabbles between the surviving members of Monty Python, but they’ve been clashing with each other long before the days of social media.

In addition to the time Terry Jones threw a typewriter at John Cleese’s head, not everyone in the group was too thrilled with Spamalot, Eric Idle’s Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Michael Palin’s latest installment of his published diaries, There and Back, covers the years 1999 to 2009, which includes the time that Idle first began working on Spamalot. According to the book, when the idea was first floated, Cleese and Palin objected to Idle using “Monty Python” in the musical’s title, and Palin had “vaguely disquieting misgivings about the project as a whole.”

Once Spamalot was completed, Palin didn’t hate it, but still wasn’t a huge fan.

I think it's fair to say that Monty Python movies, much like the TV show from which they sprung, are all great. The absurdist brilliance of "Monty Python's Flying Circus," which ran on the BBC from 1969 to 1974, saw comedians John Cleese, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam rewrite the rules of comedy. Alongside regular collaborators Carol Cleveland and Connie Booth, the Monty Python troupe established themselves as true comedic geniuses, leading to a run of feature films that remain just as beloved to this day as the "Flying Circus" itself.

Chief among those films is 1975's "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," a deconstruction of the British national identity by way of an irreverent retelling of Arthurian legend. The film was and is much more than its oft-quoted catchphrases would suggest, with the Python boys turning their subversive eye towards British history and sending up...

“Just think,” Sir Lancelot (Taran Killam) muses as he celebrates his gay wedding at the end of Monty Python’s Spamalot. “In a thousand-and-eighteen years time, this will still be controversial.” Killam puts special emphasis on the “eighteen,” an addition to the script that nods to the supposed ways in which Spamalot remains relevant nearly two decades after the Tony-winning musical adaptation of Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam’s 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail tore up the 2004-2005 Broadway season.

The construction of the joke suggests that not much has changed—either for good or ill—in the past decades. That’s hardly true, because when Hank Azaria delivered the punchline in 2005, gay marriage wouldn’t be legalized in New York State for another six years. It’s surprising how much of Spamalot’s humor, especially the gay jokes, now feels rooted in an earlier time. Even peppered...

Taran Killam, the former Saturday Night Live player and Hamilton cast member, will play Lancelot in the Broadway revival of Monty Python’s Spamalot, with Alex Brightman taking over the role in January following Killam’s limited engagement.

The casting rounds out the principal roles for the production, which begins previews at the St. James Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 31, with an official opening on Thursday, November 16. Killam will play Lancelot from the first preview until January 7.

Brightman, who’ll take over the role on January 9, played Lancelot at the Kennedy Center staging earlier this year, but is currently starring in Broadway’s The Shark Is Broken, which closes Nov. 19.

The new Lancelots join a Spamalot cast that includes James Monroe Iglehart as King Arthur, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as the Lady of the Lake, Michael Urie as Sir Robin, Christopher Fitzgerald as Patsy, Ethan Slater as the Historian/Prince Herbert, Jimmy Smagula as Sir Bedevere,...

Major film and TV productions are currently on hold due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, but the New York theater scene is still as active as ever. A new Broadway season is upon us, and there are five musicals set to open this fall. Will they contend at next year’s Tony Awards? Below, we give you a preview of the plot of each musical as well as the awards history of its author, cast and creative teams, plus the opening and (where applicable) closing dates.

“Merrily We Roll Along”

The first Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1981 musical adaptation of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart‘s 1934 play spans three decades in the entertainment industry and charts the relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two friends — writer Mary and lyricist and playwright Charley. The original production directed by Hal Prince only ran for 16 performances,...

Casting for Broadway’s upcoming Spamalot revival is well underway, with James Monroe Iglehart, Michael Urie, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Jimmy Smagula and Nik Walker set to reprise their roles from the popular Kennedy Center production and Ethan Slater and Christopher Fitzgerald joining as newcomers.

Performances of the Monty Python musical comedy begin Tuesday, October 31, at the St. James Theatre ahead of an official opening night of Thursday, November 16.

Also returning from the Washington D.C. production is Josh Rhodes as director and choreographer.

With a book & lyrics by Python’s Eric Idle and music by John Du Prez and Idle, the original 2005 Broadway production was nominated for 14 Tony Awards and won three including Best Musical.

The creative team for the revival, also announced today in addition to the casting, includes scenic and projection design by Paul Tate dePoo III, costume design by Jen Caprio, lighting design by Cory Pattak,...

Monty Python’s Spamalot is heading back to Broadway this fall. The revival, which follows a sold-out run at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., begins previews Tuesday, October 31, at the St. James Theatre, with an official opening night of November 16.

“I’m thrilled to see Spamalot back on Broadway,” said Eric Idle, who wrote the show’s book and lyrics and co-wrote the music with John Du Prez, in a statement. “More than ever, it seems we need a good laugh and it’s inspiring to see audiences still embracing this, the most happy of shows I have ever worked on. So put the News Cycle on Rinse Cycle and take a couple of hours to relax with the Lady of the Lake, King Arthur and the Knights Who Say Ni because we’re not dead yet!”

The show will mark the first production from the Kennedy Center...

Spamalot is returning to Broadway this fall in the first revival of the Tony-Award winning musical.

The production, which is transferring to Broadway after a May run at the Kennedy Center, will play the St. James Theatre starting Oct. 31, with an opening night scheduled for Nov. 16. The show originally ran on Broadway from 2005 to 2009, and won three Tony Awards, including best musical.

The musical, which is adapted from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, features a book and lyrics by Eric Idle, a member of the Monty Python comedy group, and music by John Du Prez and Idle. The original Broadway production was directed by Mike Nichols and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw. Josh Rhodes, who led the production at the Kennedy Center, direct and choreograph on Broadway.

Casting has not yet been announced. The Kennedy Center run featured Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice) as Sir Lancelot, James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin) as King Arthur,...

April O'Neil actress Judith Hoag hosted the second part of her Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 30th anniversary reunion with some very special guests. Corey Feldman, who voiced the brainy Donatello, and Robbie Rist, who voiced the hard partying Michelangelo in the movie, stopped by to have a social distancing chat with Hoag about the long-lasting legacy of the movie. Director Steve Barron, writer Bobby Herbeck, composer John Du Prez, chief puppeteer and second unit director Brian Henson, producer Kim Dawson, and others previously joined Hoag for the first reunion special.

Corey Feldman and Robbie Rist knew each other way before signing on for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles through their experiences as child actors in the 1980s. Rist, perhaps best known as Cousin Oliver on The Brady Bunch, was vaguely familiar with the Turtles when he auditioned, thanks to a former bandmate who showed him the first comic book, which he...

A pizza party thirty years in the making took place this weekend as original April O'Neil Judith Hoag hosted a 30th anniversary reunion for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and you can watch the complete video online. In addition to featuring many of the original cast and crew from the classic movie, the reunion special features all kinds of never-before-seen photos, fun facts about the film, and interesting stories from everyone involved from their memories of working on the movie back in 1990. If you love the original Tmnt movie, you're really going to love this reunion, and you can check it out in the video below.

In the video, Judith Hoag speaks with many key crew members who helped bring our favorite turtles to the big screen three decades ago. This includes director Steve Barron, writer Bobby Herbeck, composer John Du Prez, chief puppeteer and second unit director Brian Henson, and producer Kim Dawson.

“The funniest movie I have seen in a long time” – Roger Ebert

A Fish Called Wanda will be available on Blu-ray October 3rd from Arrow Video

In 1988, John Cleese, former Python and the mastermind behind Fawlty Towers, teamed up with the veteran Ealing Comedy director Charles Crichton (The Lavender Hill Mob) to produce another classic of British comedy.

Cleese plays Archie Leach, a weak-willed barrister who finds himself embroiled with a quartet of ill-matched jewel thieves – two American con artists played by Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline, Michael Palin’s animal-loving hitman and London gangster Tom Georgeson – when Georgeson is arrested. Only he and Palin know the whereabouts of the diamonds, prompting plenty of farce and in-fighting as well as some embarrassing nudity and the unfortunate demise of some innocent pooches…

Nominated for three Academy Awards and winning one for Kline’s outstanding supporting turn as the psychopathic Otto,...

Pete Dillon-Trenchard Dec 26, 2016

With Eric Idle, Prof. Brian Cox and guests, The Entire Universe is a rare programme that manages to inform, educate and entertain...

The Royal Institution Lectures are a grand Christmas tradition, having been on our screens for the last eight decades of their nearly two hundred-year history (The first of this year’s lectures, about Michael Faraday, will already be available on iPlayer by the time you read this). Designed to bring science to a general audience, the lectures feature scientific concepts delivered in an entertaining fashion.

See related Amazon Prime UK: what’s new in January 2017?

However, for all of their fun tricks and experiments, the Ri lectures are ostensibly still that - lectures - and as such they are often lacking in such key areas as comedy sketches, full-blown musical numbers and Warwick Davis. Step forward Eric Idle and Brian Cox, then, and The Entire Universe...

Today in 2005, Spamalot opened at the Shubert Theatre, where it ran for 1575 performances. Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy 'lovingly ripped off from' the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Like the film, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian Legend, but it differs from the film in many ways, especially in its parodies of Broadway theatre. Eric Idle, a member of the Monty Python team, wrote the musical's book and lyrics and collaborated with John Du Prez on most of the music. The original 2005 Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols, won three Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical of the 2004-2005 season and received 14 Tony Award nominations.

Geva Theatre Center announces that Tony Award Nominee Hunter Foster will play the role of King Arthur, and his wife, Rochester-born Jennifer Cody, will play Arthur's sidekick Patsy in the opening production of the theatre's 43rd Season - the Tony Award-winning hit musical, Monty Python's Spamalot by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, in the Wilson Stage September 9 - October 11.

The new CBeebies Clangers series is a rare thing: an advert for the wisdom of remaking old childhood properties…

When it was first reported on this site that Smallfilms’ sixties and seventies stop-motion classic children’s series Clangers was next for the remake treatment, the fears of many were wittily summed up by one commenter:

“Surely in this age of self-aware/horribly loud/jitteringly insane Adhd-driven kids’ programming, those in charge of the £s are unlikely to sign off on the kind of gentle, quiet whimsy in which Oliver Postgate specialised, and which made Clangers so magical? Or they’ll insist on introducing a new teenaged son Clanger who has a flying skateboard or something? And who speaks like a marketing hack’s idea of what a teenaged boy speaks like? Or the Iron Chicken will lay exploding eggs?” - StefMo.

The latest in a long line of in-development children’s TV revivals,...

Today in 2005, Spamalot opened at the Shubert Theatre, where it ran for 1575 performances. Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy 'lovingly ripped off from' the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Like the film, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian Legend, but it differs from the film in many ways, especially in its parodies of Broadway theatre. Eric Idle, a member of the Monty Python team, wrote the musical's book and lyrics and collaborated with John Du Prez on most of the music. The original 2005 Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols, won three Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical of the 2004-2005 season and received 14 Tony Award nominations.

Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy): A Comic Oratorio based on Monty Python's Life of Brian Libretto by Eric Idle and Music by John Du Prez The Collegiate Chorale and Orchestra of St. Luke's/Ted Sperling Carnegie Hall, December 15-16, 2014

Not the Messiah was superb (albeit with minor overtones of shtick). But what else to expect from Monty Python alumnus Eric Idle, and John Du Prez, one of the composers of Spamalot and composer of the soundtrack for Python's swan song film, The Meaning of Life. This was truly an evening of whimsy on a grand, grand scale, with an excellent full orchestra playing wonderful arrangements, a chorus of one hundred-or-so voices, four outstanding soloists, and of course Eric Idle (who at this stage of his long career possesses whimsy-imprinted DNA).

The story follows the life of a man named Brian, born a few doors down from...

The Collegiate Chorale presents the New York City premiere of Eric Idle and John Du Prez's Not The Messiah He's a Very Naughty Boy at Carnegie Hall, continuing tonight, December 16, 2014 at 8pm. From the creators for the hit Broadway musical Spamalot, Not The Messiah He's a Very Naughty Boy is a comic oratorio based on Monty Python's movie The Life of Brian. Described by Eric Idle as 'Baroque-n-Roll,' Not The Messiah features a lively pastiche of musical styles ranging from pop, country, and Broadway to doo-wop, hip hop, and Greek chorus. Hit songs include 'Hail to the Shoe,' 'We Love Sheep,' and the audience favorite and sing-along 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.'BroadwayWorld brings yo photos of the cast in action below...

It took us two weeks to release our Tmnt special due to many technical difficulties during recording, and again while editing. Nevertheless, we did not give up, and after many hours of hard work, you can now listen to us review not one, but three Turtle films. Over the past few decades, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have become a triumph of marketing and licensing. From their origins in 1984 in an underground black-and-white comic book to 1988′s hit television cartoon series, and to the most recent Michael Bay produced feature-lenght film, the Tmnt franchise has evolved into a global phenomenon. This week we take a look back at the original live action film helmed by music video director Steve Barron. Afterwards we also take some time to review the sequel, The Secret of the Ooze, before moving on to Jonathan Liebesman’s big screen adaptation. Joining us is special guests, Bob...

Join the quest for the Holy Grail tonight, July 29, through August 3 with Monty Python's Spamalot at Pittsburgh Clo. Based on the classic film comedy 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail,' Spamalot is the award-winning Broadway musical that took the Tony Awards by storm in 2005. Spamalot features music by John Du Prez and book amp lyrics by Eric Idle. Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action...

The third episode of the current season of  Game of Thrones, which is featured on the cover of Rolling Stone, contains an Easter egg of Arthurian proportions: Monty Python references. The show's linguist, David Peterson, has revealed that the references appear in the scene where Daario Naharis faces off with the champion of Meereen and the latter shouts at Daenerys Targaryen in some foreign tongue. Although she asks what the invective means, she does not get an accurate translation. "He's actually saying a Low Valyrian translation of the French guy's...

Today in 2005, Spamalot opened at the Shubert Theatre, where it ran for 1575 performances. Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy 'lovingly ripped off from' the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Like the film, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian Legend, but it differs from the film in many ways, especially in its parodies of Broadway theatre. Eric Idle, a member of the Monty Python team, wrote the musical's book and lyrics and collaborated with John Du Prez on most of the music. The original 2005 Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols, won three Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical of the 2004-2005 season and received 14 Tony Award nominations.

The Holy Grail of Entertainment at The 5th Avenue Theatre Monty Python's Spamalot. Featuring an all-star Seattle cast. Lovingly ripped off from the motion picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail, with Book and Lyrics by Eric Idle Music by Eric Idle, John Du Prez, and Neil Innes. Directed by Josh Rhodes with choreography by Lee Wilkins, the show will run January 30-March 2, 2014. BroadwayWorld has a first look below...

Today in 2005, Spamalot opened at the Shubert Theatre, where it ran for 1575 performances. Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy 'lovingly ripped off from' the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Like the film, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian Legend, but it differs from the film in many ways, especially in its parodies of Broadway theatre. Eric Idle, a member of the Monty Python team, wrote the musical's book and lyrics and collaborated with John Du Prez on most of the music. The original 2005 Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols, won three Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical of the 2004-2005 season and received 14 Tony Award nominations.

Harold Pinter theatre, London

Arthur's Round Table has never looked so square. Spamalot, the 2005 musical adapted by Eric Idle and John Du Prez from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, is back in the West End in what is claimed to be a new and improved version directed by Christopher Luscombe. What this means is that it is served with effortful, topical garnish: Boris Johnson, Jedward and Susan Boyle are briefly impersonated, and there are frequent nods to the Olympics. At one point, Arthur cries: "Can you get me Kenneth Branagh, 600 dancing nurses and Danny Boyle's phone number?"

Monty Python's genius is not easy to reproduce (and though Idle puts in an appearance as a foul-mouthed God, it's via a big video screen on stage), and this dangerously safe show reveals that resting on old laurels does not work. The shabby, cardboard-cut-out set and knights in tawdry red-and-yellow shifts...

The team behind Monty Python's Spamalot have unveiled a new viral video for the revamped production. Howard Panter for the Ambassador Theatre Group presents the updated show, directed by Christopher Luscombe, at the Harold Pinter Theatre from Tuesday, July 24 to Sunday, September 9.

Eric Idle, who wrote the production with John Du Prez, will appear each night as a filmed recording playing God. Marcus Brigstocke will play King Arthur from July 24 to August 1. Jon Culshaw replaces him in the role from August 2 to September 2, before Brigstocke returns from September 4 to 8. Tickets (more)...

Marcus Brigstocke, Jon Culshaw, Todd Carty and Bonnie Langford have been confirmed to star in a new West End run of Monty Python's Spamalot. Howard Panter for the Ambassador Theatre Group presents the updated show, directed by Christopher Luscombe, at the Harold Pinter Theatre from Tuesday, July 24 to Sunday, September 9. Eric Idle, who wrote the production with John Du Prez, will appear each night as a filmed recording playing God. Brigstocke will play King Arthur from July 24 to August 1. Culshaw replaces him in the role from August 2 to September 2, before Brigstocke returns from (more)...

Today in 2005, Spamalot opened at the Shubert Theatre, where it ran for 1575 performances. Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Like the film, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian Legend, but it differs from the film in many ways, especially in its parodies of Broadway theatre. Eric Idle, a member of the Monty Python team, wrote the musical's book and lyrics and collaborated with John Du Prez on most of the music. The original 2005 Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols, won three Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical of the 2004-2005 season and received 14 Tony Award nominations.

Monty Python redefined the comedy landscape forty years ago, and though Graham Chapman, one of the tallest and silliest of the troupe, is gone the team still reconvene now and again to make us laugh, and with the release of Not the Messiah (He’s a Very Naughty Boy) on Blu-ray and DVD today Python fans are in for a treat.

Following the success of their Holy Grail musical Spamalot, Eric Idle and composer John Du Prez have returned to the controversial Python film The Life of Brian and come up with this oratorio which features contributions from most of the remaining Pythons who recreate their roles from the film. Recorded at the Royal Albert Hall on the fortieth anniversary of the TV show, this is a wonderful ninety minutes, and when Michael Palin steps out in a beautiful floor length ball gown with bouffant hair you know you’re in for a fun time.

As a founding member of Monty Python, the British comedy troupe that celebrated its 40th Anniversary last year, Eric Idle has remained fairly active in show business by having written and produced the hit Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "Spamalot" with composer John Du Prez. They decided to follow the musical's success with a comical oratorio called Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) , taking the plot of the Pythons' popular but controversial 1979 movie The Life of Brian and turning it into an orchestral/choral piece that could be performed similarly to Handel's "Messiah." Last summer, "Not the Messiah" was performed at London's Royal Albert Hall with a full symphony orchestra and choir, something Idle used as an excuse to reunite with his...

On October 23, 2009, The Royal Albert Hall in London hosted an oratorio, a night of singing and orchestral music from a choir, symphony, and soloists. The performers were in their formal wear. The conductor wore tails. The house was packed. It was like a scene from an especially tony episode of PBS' "Great Performances." Or, at least, it was... until a man strode onto the Albert Hall stage in full drag, wig and pearls, to introduce and narrate the evening's entertainment: a one-night-only performance of "Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy)," a spoof of Handel's "The Messiah" based on Monty Python's "Life of Brian." The man in drag was one of those Pythons, Michael Palin. The "Baritonish" soloist to his left was fellow Python alum Eric Idle, who wrote "Not the Messiah" with his longtime musical collaborator John Du Prez.

Idle has the sort of career that makes him...

'Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) is a humorous oratorio based on Monty Python's Life of Brian & celebrating 40 years of python.

Written by the Creators of Spamalot, Eric Idle & John Du Prez

Starring Eric Idle (baritonish) with guest appearances of fellow Pythons Michael Palin, Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam, Carol Cleveland & Neil Innes with William Ferguson (Brian), Shannon Mercer (Judith), Rosalind Plowright (Mandy) & Christopher Purves (Reg) and John Du Prez conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus with bagpipes and some sheep.

The feature will be shown in cinemas across Europe for one night only on March 25th.

To view the list of screening venues & to book tickets, click here!

Monty Python will celebrate its Ruby Jubilee later this year on stage, in print and on television in London, Hollywood and in New York. As well as performances of An Evening with Without Monty Python at the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre (23 September - 4 October) and at the Town Hall New York (6 - 10 October), the publication of a new book, Monty Python Live! and a new 6 part documentary series - Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut) scheduled for transmission on October, London will host, for one night only on Friday 23 October 2009, the European premiere of Eric Idle and John Du Prez's Not The Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall.

The legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and their quest for the Holy Grail will be told for the last time Sunday, October 18th, 2009 in Costa Mesa. Monty Python's Spamalot, the 2005 Tony Award winner for Best Musical will end its reign on the road.

Produced by Boyett Ostar Productions and directed by Mike Nichols, Monty Python's Spamalot features a book by Eric Idle, music and lyrics by the Grammy Award-winning team of Eric Idle and John Du Prez and choreography by Casey Nicholaw. Spamalot is based on the screenplay of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" by Monty Python creators Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin.

When Monty Python's Spamalot closes, the national touring production will have:

Played a total of 1,435 performances, 183 weeks in 101 cities.

Been seen by 2.5 million people and grossed $170,586,675

Used over 1,840 coconuts, supplied by the Coconut King in Florida.

Directed by Tony Award®-winner Mike Nichols, with a book by Eric Idle and music and lyrics by the Grammy Award-winning team of Mr. Idle and John Du Prez, Spamalot tells the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they embark on their quest for the Holy Grail. Flying cows, killer rabbits, taunting Frenchmen and show-stopping musical numbers are just a few of the reasons audiences everywhere are eating up Spamalot.

Directed by Tony Award®-winner Mike Nichols, with a book by Eric Idle and music and lyrics by the Grammy Award-winning team of Mr. Idle and John Du Prez, Spamalot tells the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they embark on their quest for the Holy Grail. Flying cows, killer rabbits, taunting Frenchmen and show-stopping musical numbers are just a few of the reasons audiences everywhere are eating up Spamalot.

Well before the advent of the blog, there was Monty Python. Before the Internet, before video games, before the Walkman, before me, there was Monty Python.

In 1969, Monty Python debuted on BBC with six members: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. In the 40 years since, they have released several films, including The Life of Brian, and The Quest for the Holy Grail, to name a few, not to mention albums, stage productions, and solo endeavors.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the dawn of that new age of comedy. To commemorate this (slightly holy) event, The Independent reports the remaining members of the troupe, sans Cleese, will reunite at the Royal Albert Hall in in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, on October 23rd. Cleese will be unable to attend due to previous engagements, and Graham Chapman passed away in 1989 of spinal cancer.

It seems fitting that I was just spending the afternoon the other day watching several hours of behind the scenes features on my Blu-ray copy of Monty Python's Life of Brian, as news from the Python camp today is that the gang is getting back together to celebrate their 40th Anniversary later this year. According to The Independent, four of the main six stars -- Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam -- will get together for the first time in over a decade to take part in the musical adaptation of Life of Brian, called Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy). John Cleese will be unable to attend due to a previous engagement and as you probably know, Graham Chapman died in 1989. Idle, who stars in the production which he co-wrote with composer John Du Prez, said: "It is rare you get to be silly on a mass scale. It...

Where has the time gone?

The Independent reports that Monty Python will celebrate their 40th anniversary this October. As part of the festivities, Royal Albert Hall will host a one-night-only performance on the 23rd of Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy). You may have heard of this -- it's Eric Idle and John Du Prez's wildly funny 1-hour oratorio based on Monty Python's Life of Brian. But this one-night-only deal is even more irresistible than usual -- Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Terry Gilliam will perform in it. Unfortunately, John Cleese can't make it, which is a damned shame.

Nevertheless, here I thought that I was lucky that Idle's first cousin is Toronto Symphony Conductor Peter Oundjian, which led the world premiere to happen right in the T-Dot.

As Idle describes the oratorio: "It ranges in reference from Handel, through a naughty Mozart duet, to the Festival of Nine Carols,...

Monty Python will celebrate its Ruby Jubilee later this year on stage, in print and on television in London, Hollywood and in New York. As well as performances of An Evening with Without Monty Python at the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre (23 September - 4 October) and at the Town Hall New York (6 - 10 October), the publication of a new book, Monty Python Live! and a new 6 part documentary series - Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut) scheduled for transmission on October, London will host, for one night only on Friday 23 October 2009, the European premiere of Eric Idle and John Du Prez's Not The Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall.

"Monty Python's Spamalot" opens 8 p.m. today at the Fisher Theatre, 3011 W. Grand Blvd., in Detroit. 313-872-1000. $37.50-$90.50. Through Feb. 15. Lovingly ripped off from the classic film comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot is a new musical directed by Mike Nichols, with a book by Eric Idle and an entirely new score created by Eric Idle and John Du Prez. http://www.montypythonsspamalot.com/spamalot_tickets_info.php...

"Monty Python's Spamalot," the popular musical lovingly ripped-off from the internationally famous comedy team's most popular motion picture, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," will open Center Theatre Group's 2009-2010 at the Ahmanson Theatre of the Los Angeles Music Center, July 7 through September 6, 2009, it was announced today by Ctg Artistic Director Michael Ritchie. The Ahmanson production marks the first time the international hit comedy will be presented in Los Angeles. John O'Hurley will star as King Arthur. Directed by Mike Nichols, "Monty Python's Spamalot" features a book by Eric Idle, based on the screenplay of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" by Monty Python creators Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, with music and lyrics by the Grammy Award-winning team of Idle and John Du Prez. Casey Nicholaw is the choreographer. "Monty Python's Spamalot" is the winner of three 2005 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Director,...

Monty Python's Spamalot is to end its successful Broadway run in January.

The curtain will come down on the stage adaptation of comedy film Monty Python + The Holy Grail at the Shubert Theatre on 18 January, after 1,582 performances, according to BroadwayWorld.com.

The cast has included Tim Curry, David Hyde-Pierce and Clay Aiken, who currently plays Sir Robin in the production.

The show opened at the Shubert in March 2005 and it went on to win multiple Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards later that year for Best Musical.

Estimates suggest the show, written by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, will have grossed more than $175 million (GBP94.5 million) when its run ends. It will have been seen by more than two million people on Broadway.

Kenneth Grahame's enduring children's classic meets Monty Python in Terry Jones' energetic and whimsically eccentric version of "The Wind in the Willows".

While things get a tad murky and chaotic toward the end, terrific characterizations -- Jones recruited former Flying Circus mates Eric Idle, John Cleese and Michael Palin to do their colorful stuff -- help keep things light and amusing.

Entering an indifferent family feature market after spending a prolonged period on the shelf, it's not likely the Columbia release will generate a flurry of moviegoing activity, but it could do some breezy business once it blows into video stores.

Jones cleverly eschews animations and the Jim Henson's Creature Shop route in favor of good old-fashioned human beings with minimal animal accouterments to convey the intriguing inhabitants of Grahame's English countryside.

There's the ever-squinting Mole (Steve Coogan), whose subterranean home has been destroyed by those nasty Weasels. Accompanied by good friend Rat (Idle) and the crusty but wise old Badger (Nicol Williamson), Mole pays a visit to the flamboyant, motor car-obsessed Mr. Toad (Jones), who has been scammed out of the stately Toad Hall by the diabolical Chief Weasel (Anthony Sher).

Mole, Rat and company race to stop the slippery characters in their plot to level their idyllic terrain and transform it into a heavily industrialized, Weasels-Only zone.

Given the novel's original turn-of-the-century publication, there are all sorts of sociopolitical interpretations to be made here, but Jones, aside from referring to the Weasels as "Thatcher's children" in the press notes, steers clear of heavy-handedness.

Instead, he presents a classic good vs. evil scenario that is spiced up by a few goofy song-and-dance numbers and a whole slew of seasoned performances. In addition to entertaining turns by Jones, Idle, Williamson and Sher, Cleese is on hand as Mr. Toad's not-so-helpful Lawyer. Palin rises to the occasion as the Sun.

Although things begin to run out of steam during a prolonged railroad sequence, there's plenty to appreciate. Doing double duty, production and costume designer James Acheson dresses the characters in a British music hall assortment of stripes, checks and plaids, while the architecture is reminiscent of fellow Python member Terry Gilliam's Rube Goldberg-style animation.

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

Sony Pictures Releasing

Columbia Pictures

Allied Filmmakers presents

A John Goldstone production

Director-screenwriter: Terry Jones

From the novel "The Wind in the Willows":

by Kenneth Grahame

Producers: John Goldstone & Jake Eberts

Director of photography: David Tattersall

Production and costume designer:

James Acheson

Editor: Julian Doyle

Music score: John Du Prez

Original music and songs: John Du Prez,

Terry Jones, Andre Jacquemin,

Dave Howman

Color/stereo

Cast:

Mole: Steve Coogan

Rat: Eric Idle

Toad: Terry Jones

Chief Weasel: Anthony Sher

Badger: Nicol Williamson

Mr. Toad's Lawyer: John Cleese

Judge: Stephen Fry

The Sun: Michael Palin

Running time -- 87 minutes

MPAA rating: G...