The production, an adaptation of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, is being presented by Ogden’s Ziegfeld Theater Company.
The director is Eb Matson, who has brought other Ziegfeld productions, such as “Rocky Horror” and “Addams Family” to the Egyptian. He is also artistic director for the company.
KPCW asked him how he handles material that has a large, devoted fan base.
“I always try to stay true to the iconic things, and really pay homage to what came before. You’re not gonna get any better than the troupe of Monty Python doing Monty Python. You just have to try to get to the same level there. When it came to the iconic bits and everything, we really tried to stay true and get the rhythms and how they do the back-and-forth banter down, so that way it just came kinda effortless between our actors. And then within those bounds, they themselves had the movement to play around and find things for themselves without detracting from what came before.”
Actor Caleb Parry plays King Arthur.
“He’s kinda the straight guy of the show, and when we started everything, Eb turned to me and he said, ‘He thinks he’s in a production of ‘Camelot, the Musical.’ And so play him like that.’ And I said, ‘All right, cool.’”
He said the cast includes a Lady of the Lake with some strong vocals, and some amazing improv-trained performers.
“Everything around me is chaos, and I just stand in the middle. It’s really, really fun. And it’s been a blast to watch them improvise and play and all of us find our rhythms. And really with Monty Python, the hard work, it’s already there, right, and all you have to do is not screw it up. It’s been so fun. You can literally hear the audience quoting the lines as you say them, or before you say them, especially the coconut bit with the swallow and the Black Knight and all those wonderful bits are in there. And people just eat it up. It’s so, so fun.”
The pandemic forced theater companies around the world to shut down. But Parry said now, both the performers and audiences are excited to return to the communal experience of theater.
“You take something away, you realize how much you miss it and need it, and that’s what we’ve been experiencing a lot, I think, lately, is people are—our hearts need that entertainment. We need that connection. We need that human feel and touch. And that’s what theater is providing again. And in a lot of ways, it’s been so wonderful, because—at first, it was like, crap, is theater going away forever? Is this the death of theater as we know it as live entertainment. And now that it’s back, it’s back really strong. And that has been so comforting and wonderful.”
Caleb Parry and Eb Matson from the production of “Spamalot.”
For information about days, times and ticket prices, you can go online to “parkcityshows.com” or call the Egyptian at 649—9371.
