Post by tylerlennon2007 on Apr 15, 2024 12:21:29 GMT
Apologies for the lateness on this one, I've been having an absolute time of it (negative connotation) but I am here now to say that I had the pleasure of being able to see Troupe 900's opening performance of their spring musical, Monty Python's Spamalot: School Edition, along with some other people from 2055 (we gotta support the troupes and we're ALSO doing Spamalot), and I would like to give a review about it, as I've done for previous shows. This does contain spoilers for the musical so, if you have not already seen it and want to see it first, I'd recommend finding a recording of it before reading this review (or just coming to see our show on May 2nd, 3rd, or 4th ).
Plot Synopsis
Based on the motion picture "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", Spamalot follows King Arthur and his knights of the round table as they go on a God-given quest to find the Holy Grail- A cup that God misplaced and also a flimsy metaphor for self-discovery.
As they go on their quest, several of the knights are faced with varying side quests of self-discovery, such as Sir Robin discovering a passion for musical theater and Lancelot coming out as gay. Eventually, the Grail is found in the audience and the show ends with a wedding.
As they go on their quest, several of the knights are faced with varying side quests of self-discovery, such as Sir Robin discovering a passion for musical theater and Lancelot coming out as gay. Eventually, the Grail is found in the audience and the show ends with a wedding.
Individual Cast Performances
Asterisk denotes stand-out performances
Asterisk denotes stand-out performances
Joshua Frechette as King Arthur - Very good casting. I can't imagine this troupe picking a better choice, in terms of acting and whatnot. While maybe taken a bit too far in certain scenes, the overacting aspect of the character is something that an actor really needs to be willing to go for, which he certainly did.
*Breanna Simon as Patsy - One of the stand-out performances by far. First off, her lower singing range is very impressive. That can be a tricky thing whenever characters are cross-gender casted in musicals but I found myself at several points leaping with joy in my seat at how she really went to the bottom of her range for this role. The background acting was also really good (and important with a character like Patsy who's there nearly the whole show but doesn't have many lines- Like a silly version of the Emcee from Cabaret) and both me and James (our Sir Robin) found ourselves laughing hysterically over small background moments- Moments which also managed not to upstage whatever the focal point of the scene was as well. This girl should be on Broadway, that's all I have to say, really.
Sarah Venable as The Lady of the Lake - Like King Arthur, this is a character you definitely NEED to overact for. Again, maybe this aspect was taken a bit too far in some moments, but I'd much rather see a Lady of the Lake go too far than not far enough. Vocal performance was very good (Whatever Happened to My Part? was definitely one of the stand-out numbers) and it's always a pleasure to see Sarah on stage.
Sebastian Ragosta as Sir Robin - Sebastian is very good at playing this type of character- A bubbly, nervous, wholesome sort of guy, like the character he played in Spider's Web. While maybe not the best vocal performer on the cast, he was a very good Sir Robin and the charisma he carried (especially in moments such as the instrumental breakdown in You Won't Succeed on Broadway) through the show was absolutely infectious.
Luis Garcia as Sir Bedevere and Mayor of Finland - Even being the least focused-on Knight, Bedevere in this production felt absolutely essential, as though something would fundamentally break down without him in the group. Beyond that, his performance as the Mayor in the Finland song was really good. While maybe not an overall stand-out, that number sets the tone for the whole show, more or less, so I'm glad that moment was handled so well, in no small part due to Luis' performance.
*Riley Golden as Sir Galahad - Another stand-out of the show, Riley as Sir Galahad made me really and truly care about a character that I had no strong feelings about beforehand, being familiar with both Monty Python and the Holy Grail as well as Spamalot. She perfectly nailed down the slightly annoying energy that the character requires in early scenes when he falls into his rants about class without losing the meaning of the words said, a balance which surely cannot be easy to pull off as effectively as she did. While ultimately overshadowed by the more big and sprawling numbers in the show, The Song That Goes Like This was a very charming number in large part due to Riley's performance on it, and I'm very glad this casting decision was made (something which is not necessarily intuitive due to Galahad being male).
*CJ McGuire as Sir Lancelot - I fully did not realize that CJ is ripped. With that out of the way, this was another stand-out performance in the show. CJ perfectly embodied the douchey, macho air that Lancelot carries throughout the show without it feeling too jarring when the more flamboyant, queer part of the character is revealed in His Name Is Lancelot (which was my favorite number in the whole production). Even after this side of the character is revealed, he doesn't feel fundamentally different in any way, which would've been an easy trap to fall into. Background acting was also notably good with this performance.
*Ayden Stencil-Raddatz as Prince Herbert, Not Dead Fred, and Tim the Enchanter - The contrast between Prince Herbert (and Not Dead Fred, since they're pretty similar characters) and Tim the Enchanter is crazy. This versatility is not new nor necessarily shocking (see the bubbly SpongeBob versus the evil Oliver Costello), but it was very impressive nonetheless. He did an incredible job in every role but the biggest stand-out to me was that of Prince Herbert. Cards on the table, it had not clicked in my head what exactly the deal with Prince Herbert was (he's a twink, that's it) until I properly saw it play out, so thank you Ayden for making me realize what the character was going for. Vocal performance was amazing as always and I can't wait to see where he goes after high school (hopefully Broadway).
Shelby Wilson as Historian and Angel - Barring the opening narration, the Historian opens the show, so it's important to have an effective Historian, which she definitely was. Vocal performance as the Angel was also amazing (not surprising but still appreciated) and Find Your Grail ended up being my second favorite number (second only to Lancelot) out of the whole show despite the fact that, musically, I don't like the song (it sounds too much like Take Me Home, Country Roads). Excellent work, per usual.
Martin Trentadue as Herbert's Father - Perfectly embodied the 'angry dad' type of character without being too miserable to listen to, which is a VERY tricky balance to strike properly, so the absolute tip of my hat to Martin for pulling that off.
And, finally, the ensemble as a whole (*John Redway, Xander Radomski, Zay Martin, Chloe Hodges, Rey Trombetta, A. Oldfield, Lilyanne Rzesutko, Logan Small, Boyd Daniels, Michael Braden, *Joshua Hittler, Piper Lindfors, Grace Parker, Kenzie Shackton, Cassie Kemp-Gary) - I'm sure I could write each and every ensemble member their own paragraphs but for the sake of time, I'll just say that the ensemble was very impressive, especially when you consider how much doubling there was with roles (I'd argue even more than most shows). Every single person in the ensemble felt essential at one point or another, and overall it was just a very good cast.
*Breanna Simon as Patsy - One of the stand-out performances by far. First off, her lower singing range is very impressive. That can be a tricky thing whenever characters are cross-gender casted in musicals but I found myself at several points leaping with joy in my seat at how she really went to the bottom of her range for this role. The background acting was also really good (and important with a character like Patsy who's there nearly the whole show but doesn't have many lines- Like a silly version of the Emcee from Cabaret) and both me and James (our Sir Robin) found ourselves laughing hysterically over small background moments- Moments which also managed not to upstage whatever the focal point of the scene was as well. This girl should be on Broadway, that's all I have to say, really.
Sarah Venable as The Lady of the Lake - Like King Arthur, this is a character you definitely NEED to overact for. Again, maybe this aspect was taken a bit too far in some moments, but I'd much rather see a Lady of the Lake go too far than not far enough. Vocal performance was very good (Whatever Happened to My Part? was definitely one of the stand-out numbers) and it's always a pleasure to see Sarah on stage.
Sebastian Ragosta as Sir Robin - Sebastian is very good at playing this type of character- A bubbly, nervous, wholesome sort of guy, like the character he played in Spider's Web. While maybe not the best vocal performer on the cast, he was a very good Sir Robin and the charisma he carried (especially in moments such as the instrumental breakdown in You Won't Succeed on Broadway) through the show was absolutely infectious.
Luis Garcia as Sir Bedevere and Mayor of Finland - Even being the least focused-on Knight, Bedevere in this production felt absolutely essential, as though something would fundamentally break down without him in the group. Beyond that, his performance as the Mayor in the Finland song was really good. While maybe not an overall stand-out, that number sets the tone for the whole show, more or less, so I'm glad that moment was handled so well, in no small part due to Luis' performance.
*Riley Golden as Sir Galahad - Another stand-out of the show, Riley as Sir Galahad made me really and truly care about a character that I had no strong feelings about beforehand, being familiar with both Monty Python and the Holy Grail as well as Spamalot. She perfectly nailed down the slightly annoying energy that the character requires in early scenes when he falls into his rants about class without losing the meaning of the words said, a balance which surely cannot be easy to pull off as effectively as she did. While ultimately overshadowed by the more big and sprawling numbers in the show, The Song That Goes Like This was a very charming number in large part due to Riley's performance on it, and I'm very glad this casting decision was made (something which is not necessarily intuitive due to Galahad being male).
*CJ McGuire as Sir Lancelot - I fully did not realize that CJ is ripped. With that out of the way, this was another stand-out performance in the show. CJ perfectly embodied the douchey, macho air that Lancelot carries throughout the show without it feeling too jarring when the more flamboyant, queer part of the character is revealed in His Name Is Lancelot (which was my favorite number in the whole production). Even after this side of the character is revealed, he doesn't feel fundamentally different in any way, which would've been an easy trap to fall into. Background acting was also notably good with this performance.
*Ayden Stencil-Raddatz as Prince Herbert, Not Dead Fred, and Tim the Enchanter - The contrast between Prince Herbert (and Not Dead Fred, since they're pretty similar characters) and Tim the Enchanter is crazy. This versatility is not new nor necessarily shocking (see the bubbly SpongeBob versus the evil Oliver Costello), but it was very impressive nonetheless. He did an incredible job in every role but the biggest stand-out to me was that of Prince Herbert. Cards on the table, it had not clicked in my head what exactly the deal with Prince Herbert was (he's a twink, that's it) until I properly saw it play out, so thank you Ayden for making me realize what the character was going for. Vocal performance was amazing as always and I can't wait to see where he goes after high school (hopefully Broadway).
Shelby Wilson as Historian and Angel - Barring the opening narration, the Historian opens the show, so it's important to have an effective Historian, which she definitely was. Vocal performance as the Angel was also amazing (not surprising but still appreciated) and Find Your Grail ended up being my second favorite number (second only to Lancelot) out of the whole show despite the fact that, musically, I don't like the song (it sounds too much like Take Me Home, Country Roads). Excellent work, per usual.
Martin Trentadue as Herbert's Father - Perfectly embodied the 'angry dad' type of character without being too miserable to listen to, which is a VERY tricky balance to strike properly, so the absolute tip of my hat to Martin for pulling that off.
And, finally, the ensemble as a whole (*John Redway, Xander Radomski, Zay Martin, Chloe Hodges, Rey Trombetta, A. Oldfield, Lilyanne Rzesutko, Logan Small, Boyd Daniels, Michael Braden, *Joshua Hittler, Piper Lindfors, Grace Parker, Kenzie Shackton, Cassie Kemp-Gary) - I'm sure I could write each and every ensemble member their own paragraphs but for the sake of time, I'll just say that the ensemble was very impressive, especially when you consider how much doubling there was with roles (I'd argue even more than most shows). Every single person in the ensemble felt essential at one point or another, and overall it was just a very good cast.
Costumes + Makeup + Hair
Per usual for this troupe, the costumes and hair and makeup were incredible. Also, I was not made aware until afterward that some of the ensemble had borrowed our costumes, and I find that very charming.
I don't know who exactly to credit for the makeup as I don't have my playbill on me and I'm having trouble finding that information online but the makeup was very good!! The normal stage makeup for the general ensemble and most of the Knights did its job effectively (and was vaguely amusing to see up close after the show, as should be standard for stage makeup), and the more out-there examples (such as King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake) were also very good looking and fit the characters perfectly.
The costumes (Astrid Turner, Lauren Morahan, and Soda Goudy) were VERY good, even more-so than usual for this troupe. The Knights in particular were all very distinct without looking dumb (which is VERY hit or miss with productions of this show), The Lady's various outfits were all iconic, the Angel looked really good, and Prince Herbert's costuming was hilarious (in a good way). Very strong work from everyone who worked on the costume crew for this show.
I don't know who exactly to credit for the makeup as I don't have my playbill on me and I'm having trouble finding that information online but the makeup was very good!! The normal stage makeup for the general ensemble and most of the Knights did its job effectively (and was vaguely amusing to see up close after the show, as should be standard for stage makeup), and the more out-there examples (such as King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake) were also very good looking and fit the characters perfectly.
The costumes (Astrid Turner, Lauren Morahan, and Soda Goudy) were VERY good, even more-so than usual for this troupe. The Knights in particular were all very distinct without looking dumb (which is VERY hit or miss with productions of this show), The Lady's various outfits were all iconic, the Angel looked really good, and Prince Herbert's costuming was hilarious (in a good way). Very strong work from everyone who worked on the costume crew for this show.
Blocking/Staging + Choreography
This is my second show I've seen directed by Ms. Wills and, like Spider's Web, blocking and staging were very good. There were many instances in the show where actors very easily could've upstaged each other but I didn't notice any and, overall, it was just nice to look at, with very little stage space gone to waste.
One of my favorite bits of that sort of thing was during the Tim the Enchanter scene. The ladder bit was very funny to me and I'm also always just glad to see something risky done on stage without some terrible accident occurring.
To my knowledge, the whole show was student choreographed by JT Thomas, like with SpongeBob. I'm not sure if it's because she wasn't two-timing choreography with acting in the show or because of general improvement or a mix of both but the choreography in this show was a HUGE step-up from that of SpongeBob. That's not to say that the SpongeBob choreography was bad, obviously, but this show was a major improvement in that respect. My absolute props to JT.
One of my favorite bits of that sort of thing was during the Tim the Enchanter scene. The ladder bit was very funny to me and I'm also always just glad to see something risky done on stage without some terrible accident occurring.
To my knowledge, the whole show was student choreographed by JT Thomas, like with SpongeBob. I'm not sure if it's because she wasn't two-timing choreography with acting in the show or because of general improvement or a mix of both but the choreography in this show was a HUGE step-up from that of SpongeBob. That's not to say that the SpongeBob choreography was bad, obviously, but this show was a major improvement in that respect. My absolute props to JT.
Tech (Lights/Sound/Set/Props)
The lighting (Keegan Brisard and Amanda Green) wasn't much to write home about, but I absolutely do not mean that in a bad way. I did not notice any lighting mishaps and the lighting always fit the scene as well as lit up everything that needed to be lit up. I was never left struggling to see what was happening. Also the lighting during Whatever Happened to My Part? was cool.
Sound (Ashlee Padilla, Syd Sikorski, and Aiden Stoefen) is always hit or miss with high school shows but the night I saw at least didn't have any sound issues that I caught. With the exception of characters sometimes being drowned out by the instrumental tracks at the very start of a few songs (which is pretty unavoidable and was always quickly fixed), I never had a hard time hearing anyone due to mic issues or music malfunctions. I also did not notice any sound cues missed. Good work on all fronts there.
The set (Will Banaszak, Elizabeth Frizzle, Atlas Lehr, and Autumn Christy) was very cute. It was never too much nor two little and the higher platform in the back got a lot of good usage. I also quite liked the cartoony look that the bricks of the castles had.
I don't have a ton to say in respects to the props (Will Banaszak, Elizabeth Frizzle, Atlas Lehr, and Autumn Christy), but the sign that said "MAKE SPAM, NOT WAR" in Find Your Grail had me laughing hysterically and I still get a good chuckle out of it every time I think about it. Apart from the very unfortunate moment where the censored bar fell over during the kiss between King Arthur and Lady of the Lake, I didn't notice any prop malfunctions, meaning there either weren't any or they were hidden well. Either way, massive props (get it?) to the crew for keeping that in order.
And, of course, the uttermost tip of my hat to stage manager Jordan Pescio and assistant stage manager Sloane Magaziner for running a show of this scale so smoothly. So many things could've gone so wrong but mishaps were seemingly kept to a minimum, at least from the audience's perspective, so really good job on keeping things in order. The tippiest tip of my hat to the both of you.
Sound (Ashlee Padilla, Syd Sikorski, and Aiden Stoefen) is always hit or miss with high school shows but the night I saw at least didn't have any sound issues that I caught. With the exception of characters sometimes being drowned out by the instrumental tracks at the very start of a few songs (which is pretty unavoidable and was always quickly fixed), I never had a hard time hearing anyone due to mic issues or music malfunctions. I also did not notice any sound cues missed. Good work on all fronts there.
The set (Will Banaszak, Elizabeth Frizzle, Atlas Lehr, and Autumn Christy) was very cute. It was never too much nor two little and the higher platform in the back got a lot of good usage. I also quite liked the cartoony look that the bricks of the castles had.
I don't have a ton to say in respects to the props (Will Banaszak, Elizabeth Frizzle, Atlas Lehr, and Autumn Christy), but the sign that said "MAKE SPAM, NOT WAR" in Find Your Grail had me laughing hysterically and I still get a good chuckle out of it every time I think about it. Apart from the very unfortunate moment where the censored bar fell over during the kiss between King Arthur and Lady of the Lake, I didn't notice any prop malfunctions, meaning there either weren't any or they were hidden well. Either way, massive props (get it?) to the crew for keeping that in order.
And, of course, the uttermost tip of my hat to stage manager Jordan Pescio and assistant stage manager Sloane Magaziner for running a show of this scale so smoothly. So many things could've gone so wrong but mishaps were seemingly kept to a minimum, at least from the audience's perspective, so really good job on keeping things in order. The tippiest tip of my hat to the both of you.
Closing Thoughts
I think this is definitely the best production I've seen this troupe put on and my second favorite (second to John Lennon and Me, which will just always have a very special place in my heart) as well. It far exceeded any expectations I had going in and I'm glad that the many seniors got to go out on such a high note.
ALSO I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO PUT IT BUT THE HARMONIES AT THE END OF ALL FOR ONE WERE REALLY PRETTY
With love,
Tyler Hogan from Troupe 2055
ALSO I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO PUT IT BUT THE HARMONIES AT THE END OF ALL FOR ONE WERE REALLY PRETTY
With love,
Tyler Hogan from Troupe 2055