During mid-winter break, my family took a trip to New York City, which included going to see two Broadway musicals: “Spamalot” and “Back to the Future the Musical.”

“Monty Python’s Spamalot,” based off of the 1975 movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” is a revival of the 2005 Tony-winning musical, with music written by John Du Prez and book and lyrics written by Monty Python original member Eric Idle. The plot of the musical is similar to its source material, with King Arthur and his knights of the round table searching for the Holy Grail in medieval England. There are new additions such as The Lady of the Lake being a more important character and Lancelot’s sexuality, and the removal of some original scenes such as the three headed giant and the bridge of death. The original production of “Spamalot” was highly successful, with it lasting on Broadway until January 2009 and winning several awards, so it was bound to be revived at some point, with this production of Spamalot started out at the Kennedy Center, then moved to the St. James Theatre in New York City.

One of the main appeals of the show is the cast. With the original 2005 cast including stars such as Tim Curry and Christian Borle, the revival had a lot of star power to live up to, and they did not disappoint. The cast includes a myriad of well-known Broadway stars, such as:

• James Monroe Iglehaert, known for his role as the Genie in the musical adaptation of “Aladdin;”
• Leslie Kritzer, who you might recognize as Delia from “Beetlejuice the Musical”
• Alex Brightman, a personal favorite actor of mine, and known for his starring roles in “School of Rock the Musical” and “Beetlejuice the Musical”
• Jonathan Bennett, who while this is his Broadway debut, he is known for playing Aaron Samuels in the original “Mean Girls”
• Christopher Fitzgerald, known best for playing Ogie in “Waitress”
• Ethan Slater, who you might recognize as Spongebob in the “Spongebob Squarepants” musical 

Now, while recognizable names will guarantee ticket sales, the audience also needs to be engaged. And “Spamalot” most definitely knows how to keep people entertained. First of all, the script is jam packed with Monty Python-esque jokes, and even the ones carried over from Holy Grail are as funny as ever. They have kept a lot of jokes from the original production, but also modernized some lines. Notable changes made include references to TikTok, Ozempic, dating apps, and actors such as Daniel Radcliffe and Lea Michele. But the best parts of the show are the parts when the actors don’t follow the script, and have free rein to improvise. One of the best moments of this comes from Alex Brightman who, in this specific scene, is playing the main Knight who says Ni. During this scene, he tells King Arthur that they are no longer the Knights who say Ni, and begins to say the long string of sounds that his character says in Holy Grail, which is supposed to be the new name for the Knights who say Ni. But, instead of finishing the line, Alex decides to break character and ask the band what his line is. He continues this bit by asking his co-star Jonathan what his line is, and while Jonathan tries not to break character, Alex proceeds to ask every actor on stage what his line is. Once he is done, James Monroe Iglehaert, the actor playing King Arthur, mirrors everything he says as if that is the name for the Knights who say Ni. And, if this wasn’t funny enough, Iglehaert unintentionally calls someone the wrong name, prompting Alex to tell him he’s glad that James at least knows some of their names. The best part of this scene? Alex changes it every night, and while he does have some lines he uses often, you would probably never see the same scene twice. Now, while I do admit I might be a bit biased, given the fact that Alex Brightman is my favorite Broadway actor, he is not the only one in the cast with amazing improvisation skills. The stars being able to come up with jokes on the fly keeps the show fresh and entertaining, and will most definitely crack you up. “Spamalot,” incorporates the audience in interesting ways. Not only does it create an atmosphere where people are encouraged to clap along to songs, but the show’s climax heavily involves one particular lucky member of the audience who gets to come on stage and deliver the grail to King Arthur. And finally, the show ends with a sing along of “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.”

Even if the Monty Python style of humor is not something you are a fan of, the costumes and set will leave you awestruck. It reminds me of shows such as “Moulin Rouge,” where the big set pieces are flashy and dazzling. This is most notable in songs such as “Knights of the Round Table” and “His Name is Lancelot,” when the neutral gray and brown of the castle background is overshadowed by vibrant costumes and set dressings. The show even has its own big set piece, a giant Star of David that drops down from the ceiling during Sir Robin’s big number “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway.” 

There are a few criticisms that could be used against the show. First, given that “Spamalot” is an adaptation, it does have to deal with the weight of being such. The main complaint I heard about a lot of adaptations is that they stay too faithful to the source material, and I feel like this could also apply to “Spamalot.” The plot is very similar to Holy Grail, and while there are additions, it really depends on the person watching the show if they think it is different enough from the movie. And secondly, “Spamalot” is not for everyone. Unlike shows that can please an audience no matter who the people in the seats are, like “Wicked” or “Hamilton,” I feel like you need to like the Monty Python style of humor to enjoy this show, which not everyone will. This could make the show more appealing to you, but there is a reason it was not nominated for a large amount of Tonys this time around. Even though a show having a lot of Tonys does not mean it is good, Tonys are usually given to shows that, along with being the best of the year, a lot of people like. 

Sadly, Spamalot closed on Broadway on April 7th, only having 17 previews and 164 performances. On the bright side though, the show will be going on tour starting fall 2025. If one is interested in the work of the actors in this show, a good amount of members of the cast have upcoming events. James Monroe Iglehaert will be playing Louis Armstrong in “A Wonderful World,” which is opening on Broadway November 11th of this year. Leslie Kritzer, while not having any announced upcoming performances, is nominated for a Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Alex Brightman will be playing one of the Dromio twins in the Shakespeare Theater Company’s production of “The Comedy of Errors,” which opens September 10 of this year. And lastly, Ethan Slater will be playing Boq in the movie adaptation of “Wicked.”

“Back to the Future the Musical”, playing at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City, is a musical adaptation of the 1985 movie of the same name. It first premiered at the Manchester Opera House in March of 2020, then moved to the West End in 2021, earning the show seven Olivier Award nominations and winning Best Musical before the production eventually made its Broadway debut. While it does not have as much star power as “Spamalot,” the cast is led by up and coming Broadway actor Casey Likes and Tony–winner Roger Bart, playing Marty McFly and Doc Brown, respectively. 

The main way “Back to the Future the Musical” appeals to the crowds, outside of the material it’s based on, is its special effects. The aesthetic of the set is similar to Shanghai Disneyland’s Tron Lightcycle Power Run, which is thanks to Director John Rando being inspired by the ride. If you have heard anything about this show, you have heard about the DeLorean, an almost perfect recreation of the original “Back to the Future” DeLorean that seems to be able to get up to 88mph, swerve, and even fly. This, of course, leaves the audience wondering how any of this happens within the confines of a Broadway stage. First, the “Back to the Future” team had to figure out how to make the car. What they did was 3D scan a fanmade recreation of the DeLorean from the movie, then modeled the onstage DeLorean based off of that scan, then  scaled the car down 10% because it was too big to fit in the wings of the stage. Once they had the car, though, they had to make it move. A Playbill article explains that, “As for achieving that 88 mph speed, Hatley quickly learned that the real estate limitations of a West End or Broadway stage would require some outside-the-box thinking. Hatley’s Delorean is not covering ground via its wheels like a real car. Instead it’s connected to machinery under the stage floor that allows it to move with pre-programmed precision—more or less the same technique that allows automated scenery to move itself on and off.” The car’s special effects are also aided by how lighting is utilized in the show. The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into the theater is the lights spilling onto the walls of the theater, which is meant to make the audience feel like they are inside a time machine. But outside of transporting the audience into this world, the lighting also has a technical purpose. According to a Mental Floss article, “Its bright lights that spill out into the auditorium cause audience members’ pupils to get smaller. Hatley said this helps hide the upstage mechanics that make possible the DeLorean’s most impressive moments.” Along with this, Finn Ross installed an LED wall at the back of the stage and a scrim in the front, with the car in between to help convey the feeling of the car driving quickly while remaining on stage. The main question that theatergoers have after watching this show, though, is how the car is able to fly. Surprisingly, this is a practical effect–the car seems to be able to fly, lean towards the audience, and turn 360 degrees. This is thanks to the special effects team The Twins FX. However, everybody from the production team who knows how the car flies has been sworn to secrecy. Many people online theorize that it can fly thanks to a hydraulic arm or hydraulic lift built into the stage, and according to the New York Times, the car has a certain device that allows the car to spin for stunt turns, and pneumatic equipment like a hoverboard that helps tilt the car. But, at this point, we have no real answer as to how this stunt is pulled off.

While the special effects were the main part of the show I loved, I have to mention the cast’s improv. Unlike “Spamalot,” which had improv baked into the show, the “Back to the Future” improv that occurred when I saw the show was not planned out at all. In the show I saw, right after the Act 2 opener, we return to Doc Brown’s house, which is two halves that come from opposite sides of the stage. But in this scene, half of the house did not appear. Instead of panicking, though, the actors made a joke of it and were able to improvise until the house got fixed. I think this is important because an actor’s ability to improvise is important on Broadway since it is live theater and you can’t guarantee what will happen every night, and I think both of these shows highlight this. 

Outside of the special effects, however, the rest of the show feels very average. A lot of the songs felt very similar to other 2010s and 2020s musicals, and one or two songs dragged on for too long. This doesn’t make the show bad, it just isn’t anything revolutionary. 

Besides the two shows, I also stagedoored both musicals. For those who aren’t familiar with the term, it is when people wait outside the stage door exit of the theater for actors to come out and sign their Playbills or merchandise. 

I ended up stagedooring “Spamalot” twice. The first night, I met a lot of the cast, notably James Monroe Iglehaert and Jonathan Bennett, and the second time, after Saturday’s matinee, I met almost all the same people plus Leslie Kritzer, who was the reason why I stagedoored twice. Overall, it was one of my favorite stagedoor experiences. First of all, the crowd was super friendly, to the point where I spent a lot of time after Saturday’s matinee talking with people who were also there for Leslie Kritzer. Secondly, all of the cast members who came out were social with the crowd, answering questions from fans and cracking jokes. One of the cast members even started talking to someone about their shared experience at NYU. It seemed like the actors genuinely enjoyed talking with their fans. In general, I had a great time, and it reminded me of how loving the Broadway community is.

However, the “Back to the Future” stage door was very different. Before I go forward, I want to express that this was not at all the fault of the actors or security, they were all very pleasant and were doing their jobs. The problem came with the other people around me at the stage door. While at the “Spamalot” stage door everyone was very respectful of each other, at the “Back to the Future” stage door, people were quite literally pushing to get to the front. At this stagedooring, I noted a lot of things that I would advise readers to not do if planning to stagedoor. A few examples include how one specific person at the front used their position to get 10 Playbills signed for their friends and that I heard two people in front of me complaining about me reaching over them to get my Playbill signed despite the fact that this is a very common thing people do while stagedooring. The most worrying, though, is how fans interacted with one specific actor. When Casey Likes, the actor playing Marty McFly, initially came out, he said that he had to go back inside to do an interview but wanted to do a few big selfies with the crowd so he didn’t have to do individual selfies. However, after he did the selfies and eventually came back, people still asked him for individual selfies. While he did tell them that he had already done selfies with the group, he did eventually give in and did a few individual selfies. This is probably the worst thing I saw, and while at first it might not seem that bad, you have to take into consideration that in our modern society with social media, if Casey Likes had said no, these people might have taken to whatever social media platform and complained about him, thus giving the actor a bad reputation for simply having boundaries. In this situation, the actor does not get a choice even though the boundary he put up about selfies is being disrespected. This can lead to actors deciding not to come out and see fans because they feel uncomfortable. For example, “Spamalot’s” Alex Brightman doesn’t stagedoor because he has received death threats before and has talked about how it is a very anxiety-inducing experience for him. While death threats and not wanting to take individual selfies are two very different situations, it can show what happens when an actor doesn’t feel safe. 

Overall, both shows were excellent, and I recommend both. If you want to see “Back to the Future” the Musical, tickets are here, and while Spamalot has closed as of this article being released, it is going on tour in 2025, and if you are able I would recommend getting tickets.