There’s something about British comedy that tickles me –  and it may just be the amount of cleverness it takes to be so wonderfully silly. As someone who grew up quoting slabs of Monty Python (my dad still has “Hello Bruce!” as the message tone on his phone), I’ve long been a fan of the musical Spamalot. Lovingly ripped off from Monty Python’s 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail (by none other than Eric Idle himself), the musical’s original run on Broadway in 2005 earned 14 Tony Award nominations, three of which it won, including Best Musical. I had the pleasure of attending a dress rehearsal of Holiday Actors’ January 2025 season of Spamalot, and I’m delighted to report that this production – in the company’s 40th anniversary season – contains all of the silliness I anticipated and more!

Riley Holcombe, assisted by Neil Phipps, in their directorial debut, have skillfully carved out moments for each member of the cast to shine. Directing the sheer volume of lead and cameo performances of iconic Monty Python characters (Not Dead Fred, Mrs Galahad, the voice of God, the Black Knight, the French taunters, the Knights of Ni, Tim the Enchanter, the guards and Prince Herbert, among a score of others), in a style of comedy many of the young cast may not have been familiar with, would have been no mean feat and was expertly done. I had many embarrassingly loud laughs at unexpected moments, thinking things like, “Why is someone dressed as a frog and why does it make total sense that someone is dressed as a frog?” Riley and Neil should also be commended for their role in casting women in traditionally male roles - not in the school musical “because there weren’t enough guys” kind of way, but because they were legitimately the best and funniest for the role.

Similarly, choreographer Holly Allgood, assisted by Alicia Linsley, demonstrated they understood the assignment by creating choreography that was clever, interesting and inclusive. Featured dancers each had moments to impress us, but the cast as a whole were tight, well-rehearsed and looked like they were having the time of their lives. The sheer energy that grew throughout the production was joyous to watch.

The lead cast were exemplary. Taine De Manser, as King Arthur, has, despite his young age, proved himself a veteran of the stage in his 8th production with Holiday Actors. His characterisation is delightfully and hilariously nuanced, and his vocals are rich and strong. It’s fitting that he is pursuing musical theatre professionally, and I feel fortunate to have been able to watch him and so many other young performers go from strength to strength each year from the audience.

Ruby Nelson, as King Arthur’s sidekick/horse Patsy, has flawless comedic timing, and you wouldn’t know she’d never even heard of Monty Python before auditioning for the show. The four knights (Amy Hughes as Sir Robin, Dan Duffy as Sir Galahad, Archie Buchanan as Sir Lancelot and Mia Copland as Sir Bedevere) all had their individual moments of hilarity and starpower, and when the leads sang together in harmony - wow! What a treat. I’ll give a particular shoutout to Dan Duffy who delivered each line with the exact cadence I knew and loved so well from Holy Grail –  that proved to me there was at least one true Python fan in the show!

As the Lady of the Lake, Tazmyn Reuel’s vocals were something else. There aren’t many people on the planet that can sing this challenging role, and she nailed it – from Broadway-style, to opera, to jazz scat.

This, of course, brings me to the show’s vocal director, Maja Pearson. Maja is well-known to Warrnambool audiences as a singer and performer in her own right, but it’s her years of experience as a singing teacher and vocal director that is undoubtedly the reason why this show sounds so good. Despite the score’s complex harmonies, tricky vocal keys and varied musical styles (as well as the occasional issue with microphones that can happen in a rehearsal) the cast were blended, booming and loving it.

Speaking of the score, I would be remiss if I failed to mention musical director Beau Nieuwveld’s phenomenal 17-piece orchestra. Even before the show began, I was delighted to find the band on stage, in costume, playing baroque-style arrangements of some of my favourite 90s hits. During the show, they remained in character and continued to be an excellent source of comedy as they interacted with the actors. As a 40 year anniversary show for Holiday Actors, I was especially delighted to recognise so many familiar faces within the band, including veteran contributors to the company’s summer production. Beau Nieuwveld may be a relative newcomer to Holiday Actors, but he brings a wealth of skill and experience, and has done an incredible job honing these talented musicians into a well-oiled machine as they traverse multiple genres on a whopping 45 different instruments.

Of course, no production of this magnitude “just happens”. It takes an army behind the scenes with producers, stage managers, backstage crew, sound technicians, costumes, makeup and hair, set design and construction, and marketing and publicity, among many other contributors. The props in this show are particularly wild and I was delighted to see a convincing “la vache” being fetched, as well as all rabbits involved - both trojan and killer.

All in all, Holiday Actors’ production of Spamalot hit all the right spots. I immediately went home and told Mum that she needed to get a ticket for Dad. This is a show for Monty Python lovers, comedy lovers and theatre lovers; as well as those who just love their community and want to support the local youth and the enormous team of volunteers who work tirelessly to help them live up to their enormous potential.

By Aradie Blake

Aradie is a Holiday Actors alumni, theatre and comedy lover, music teacher as well as a co-director for the upcoming Holiday Actors’s alumni production of Come From Away performing at the Lighthouse Theatre in May this year.