Regional theaters are such a fantastic part of the theater community. For people who don’t live in the city or people who want to get out for a few days, regional theaters offer great productions. And one of the best I’ve ever seen is Spamalot at the Mac-Haydn Theatre in Chatham, New York. A small theater in the round, many would assume that all the theater has to offer is the usual summer stock. I went into the production having no clue what it would really be like, only having seen the performance of the original Broadway cast at the Tony Awards. And I was absolutely blown away.
The cast was incredibly talented, featuring many performers who are destined for fantastic careers in the theater world. Connor Hubbard (Lancelot), Madison Stratton (Lady of the Lake), John Anker Bow (Arthur), Paul Wyatt (Sir Robin), and Gabe Belyeu (Sir Galahad) especially shone, giving performances that were more memorable than some I’ve seen on Broadway.
Though the theater is small, all the space is utilized, with the actors moving around quite a bit. I also have to commend the lovely set design and costumes, which added to the story and still stayed true to the humor and wit of Monty Python.
In my opinion, it’s always hard to take a Tony winning Broadway show (no matter how long ago it won), and transform it into something that will do well on a smaller scale and with a different audience. However, here it was pulled off marvelously.
If you can, Spamalot is running through August 20th, before Hello, Dolly! plays from August 24 - September 3. Their productions are not to be missed, and I will definitely find myself back at one of their productions in the near future.