Lakeland’s spring musical, Spamalot, performed March 27 through March 30, rocked the Bradley stage and left the audience cheering for more. The sarcastic, Monty Python-inspired musical tells the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table and their quest for the Holy Grail through music, dance and slapstick humor. According to Director Charlie Krebs, the cast was hard at work for more than nine weeks, tweaking the play to perfection. Krebs pushed students to their fullest potential, yet the cast still had a fun time.

“Rehearsals were fun! We were always laughing and having fun. And everyone was encouraged to give advice on what we should do,” said freshman music and psychology major Nathan Miller.

The audience was invited to interact with the musical’s cast by saying some of the famous linesand clicking coconuts (to resemble the sound of galloping horses) with Patsy, played by Miller. One lucky audience member was even brought to the stage to help find the Holy Grail. Each performance, the audience member sitting

in seat B15 was in for a stunning surprise when the search for the Holy Grail led the cast under his or her seat after discovering a cryptic clue carved in stone.

Throughout the show, die-hard Monty Python fans and budding fans alike were invited to say Spamalot’s most famous lines along with the cast members. They were aided by a local middle school student, Ian Haen, dressed as a court jester, who held up colorful cue cards for certain words, including “shrubbery,” “’Tis but a flesh wound” and “I’m not dead yet!” The audience seemed excited about their opportunities for interaction with the actors onstage.

“My favorite scene as the show went on was my own look on ‘The Bright Side,’ because it seemed to be a little different every night (mostly my fault). But also because it was just a happy song and everyone loved it,” said Miller.

The peppy musical number included a memorable chorus, during which the court jester invited the audience to whistle a bright refrain after each line of the well-known tune. It was, without a doubt, the climax of the audience’s involvement in the show.

“My favorite scene would have to be the gay wedding,” said freshman writing major Mayce Bacon, “because it was fun and supported gay rights.” The scene Bacon talks about was the brief implied union of Sir Lancelot, played by junior instrumental performance major Ben Johnston, and Prince Herbert, portrayed by junior writing and vocal performance major Brittany Beckmann, who sang a song while cross-dressing.

The majority of the audience enjoyed the musical, but as freshman psychology major Ashley Lehman stated, “A lot of people didn’t like it, and that’s because they didn’t watch the movie beforehand.”

Like any good musical, Spamalot ended with a wedding, as the Lady of the Lake pointed out in “Song That Goes Like This” and its refrains, a gentle tune that broke the fourth wall by asking the audience, “Where is the song that goes like this?” King Arthur, played by grad student Allan Fett, and the Lady of the Lake, played by freshman music and psychology major Brittney Koerner were wed in holy matrimony.

The audience was enthralled by the outstanding performance by the cast and crew, and gave a standing ovation at Friday’s performance.