Theatre Aspen students take on ‘Spamalot’

Theatre Aspen is hoping to introduce its students to the humor their parents grew up with through its production of “Monty Python’s Spamalot.”

Theatre Aspen’s spin of the Tony Award-winning musical will open on Thursday, Nov. 9 at the Aspen District Theatre.

Students in 7th through 12th grades will put on a school edition of “Spamalot” that “smooths out a couple of the roughest edges,” said Vanessa Strahan, director of Theatre Aspen Education. It is a slightly reworked version of the 2005 musical-comedy that’s based on the 1975 film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

“Parents who grew up with Monty Python and want to expose their kids to that type of humor, then this is a great opportunity to do that,” she said.

“Spamalot” is a satirical take on the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It first opened on Broadway in 2005 and received 14 Tony Award nominations; it won three, including best musical. 

Strahan has wanted to produce “Spamalot” for a long time because of the humorous nature of the show. It has brought out the “comedic and dramatic instincts” of the students she’s working with and is a show that will appeal to all ages, she said.

“The music is like classic big Broadway, which I think is always fun, and it gets very engaging and has a lot of silly, goofy energy, which these kids have in leaps and bounds,” Strahan said.

The show has pushed the 23 student actors in a way other shows haven’t, she said. It’s a bigger show than the ones students have done in the past – both in terms of line memorization and being able to execute the lines well while on stage – and the song and dance numbers have challenged them.

Theatre Aspen’s educational program stages six productions throughout the year and also offers after school classes and spring and summer break acting camps. It works with students in elementary, middle, and high school who get instruction from theater professionals like Strahan, who has worked as a director, choreographer, and performer at several theater companies in Chicago before she came to Aspen.

Students have been rehearsing for eight weeks. Performances will begin on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Aspen District Theatre in the Aspen Elementary School. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and teachers. Tickets can be purchased at theatreaspen.org.