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A Whole Lot of Spamalot “H
South theatre department takes the stage for their Fall musical Spamalot.
ysterical.” “Different.” “A show for all!” “For those who need a laugh.” “Magical.” South’s theatre department took the stage this past Thursday, Friday and Saturday for their performances of Monty Python’s Spamalot and everyone has a different way to describe it. “Spamalot” is the tale of King Arthur’s quest to find the Holy Grail. It’s a combination of Monty Python’s movies and skits, including Monty Python the Quest of the Holy Grail and The Life of Brian. “Choosing Spamalot was a decision made by me, Mrs. Brockhoff and Mrs. Markley. When we look at scripts, we figure out which one will fit every element of the show with the kids we have right now,” said Kyle Lackey, Director. From younger cast members, to a dance captain, to a homosexual couple, this year’s musical introduces new elements to South’s theatre department. Grace Atchison, sophomore and Dance Captain, has always loved theatre, dance and singing. Being a Laker Girl was the perfect role to incorporate all the things she loves into one. The Laker Girls are the backup singers for the Lady of the Lake, Anna Preuss, senior. “We all get along really well. We all love the same things, same goals, and we aren’t afraid to be ourselves in front of each other,” Atchison said. As Dance Captain, Atchison had to be at all the choreography rehearsals and learn and write all the Laker Girls’ parts. One part that Atchison believes wowed the crowd the most was the company number, Knights at the Round Table, which features most of the cast. “It’s really high energy! Most people in the show are featured in certain parts of it and overall just a really fun number,” Atchison said. Cole Bracken, freshman, was the lead role of Lancelot in “Spamalot.” Lancelot is one of the Knights at the Round Table in the musical. He has a romantic relationship with Prince Herbert, played by Maxwell Flanigan, senior. “I think it’s really cool that we have a homosexual couple in the show, because it’s a good way to
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represent the community and it’s in a fun, lighthearted way,” Anna Lettera, junior, said. Bracken has had experience in theatre for five to six years before the musical. He auditioned for musicals around Kansas City, such as Gladstone Theatre in the Park and theatres in Atchison, and was thrilled to get a lead role as a freshman. He said, “I can’t believe it. I still can’t believe it. I’m very shocked, but at the same time very happy with myself.” But Bracken wasn’t the only young cast member. According to senior Colton Richards, who played King Arthur, this year’s show was filled with younger members, which had its perks. “We have a really young theatre department this year. There is a huge f lood of new people and we are having to focus on basic a lot more. It grounds us to build from the ground up, rather than having precedence of bad habits. We are starting fresh and making new habits that I hope will improve the department,” Richards said. Learning basics would not have been possible without cast, crew and pit working together to make the learning process and musical successful. According to Elizabeth Brockhoff, Choral Director, it’s easier to work with a cast and crew when they have the same vision of “we want to put on the best show.” Without crew, there’s no cast or vice versa. “When people are supportive of each other, there’s this good vibe of, ‘We are struggling here, but we are going to get it,’ or ‘Oh that was great! We should do it again.’ It’s a lot of time and work to put together a show of two hours for a performance that we do three times,” said Brockhoff. The cast and crew of “Spamalot” described “Spamalot” as: “Hysterical.” “Different.” “A show for all!” “For those who need a laugh.” “Magical.” And if you saw the show, you probably feel the same way.
People should come to see all the hard work to make this moment happen.
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by HAILEY DEEDS