Ready for a spring comedy to break up the winter blues? Then prepare for the spring musical, Spamalot. Lakeland’s student actors, along with the Stagecraft and Theatre Production classes, have been prepping for the upbeat show for months.

According to Charlie Krebs, associate professor of theatre and communication, the musical is filled with unexpected plot twists and comedy. It follows the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table; the show is entirely centered on the 1970s movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but Lakeland has added its own twist by giving the musical a Vegas theme.

“I have always loved ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail,’ and when I found out the rights were available, I knew I had to do it,” says Krebs. “And it’s never been done locally. The closest shows have been in Milwaukee or Appleton.”

When asked about the modifications in Lakeland’s version, Krebs explained, “One of the twists we will put on it is to make it very audience participatory. Cue cards will be held up so the audience can say all the famous lines with the actors. The stage will be transformed into a huge castle and painted gold as we present the show with a big ‘Vegas Baby’ theme.

“The scenery is going to be largely a castle, but with a Vegas twist. Many of the props are just like from the movie, and we’ve had a lot of fun with them: the Trojan Rabbit, the Killer Rabbit, the holy hand-grenade, shields, holy grails and a lot of coconuts. The costumes will be partly from the Dark Ages: tunics, armor, peasant clothes. [The other costumes are] from Las Vegas—very showy.”

With a large musical production comes copious hours of preparation. According to Krebs, working around students’ schedules and other events in the theatre has been one of the biggest challenges for the musical team.

When compared to the production of the musical Camelot, performed at Lakeland College five years ago, Krebs explained, “That story focuses on Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot, but the story of Spamalot focuses more on the antics of the Knights of the Round Table who follow King Arthur’s lead. Also, Camelot is very serious and dramatic, whereas Spamalot is very funny and a farce.”

“The list of unexpected encounters is too long to convey, but each plot twist outshines the previous,” concluded Krebs.

The musical will be performed March 27, 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m. and March 30 at 2 p.m. in the Bradley Theatre.