*PRESS RELEASE* FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 3/17/16 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Contact: Andrew Rothman From: Chagrin Valley Little Theatre 40 River Street Chagrin Falls, OH 44122 Phone: 440-247-8955 E-mail: cvlt@cvlt.org <mailto:cvlt@cvlt.org> Website: www.cvlt.org <http://www.cvlt.org/> PHOTOS available for download at www.CVLT.org/promo <http://www.CVLT.org/promo> Chagrin Valley Little Theatre presents MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT April 1-30 A musical parody that asks you to 'always look on the bright side of life' CHAGRIN FALLS, OH – The Chagrin Valley Little Theatre will present 13 performances of the musical comedy SPAMALOT, written by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, on the main stage at 40 River Street in Chagrin Falls, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays April 1-30 (not including April 3). "Always look on the bright side of life." We should all heed the advice of this musical number from SPAMALOT, the irreverent parody of the King Arthur legend, which was "lovingly ripped off" by Monty Python's own Eric Idle from their 1975 comedy juggernaut "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." This semi-adaptation of the film went on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2005. CVLT's staging is directed by Michael Rogan and choreographed by Jen Justice, with musical direction by Lynne Provance. The show offers a cast of broadly goofy characters, including rude Frenchmen, cancan dancers, killer rabbits, catapulting cows, the Lady of the Lake (and her Laker Girls), along with the knights of the "very, very round table," who are on their quest to find the elusive Holy Grail. "SPAMALOT is the exploration of silly with dialogue and dancing," Rogan said. "The humor builds. The more seriously the actors take their roles, the funnier it is. British humor is situational. You have these characters placed in absurd circumstances. Americans, on the other hand, get their humor thrown at them. They expect a punch line. Audiences can also expect some bawdy British humor, such as the obligatory girl in her underwear being chased by an older man." Fans of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" can also expect references to classic television skits like the Lumberjack Song, Spam, and the Dead Parrot will be easy to spot. And musical theater lovers can see some of Broadway's cherished musicals skewered along the way, including spoofs of Andrew Lloyd Weber, Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, Man of La Mancha, Les Misérables and The Producers. "The difficult thing about directing SPAMALOT is that it is iconic," explains Rogan. "It has significant die-hard fans who expect to see certain things. You can't mess with it. It has to be pure. Usually, I take pride in adding something to a play that's not scripted - to improve upon it. In this case, I can't, or I'll risk alienating the audience. The play is entirely in the dialogue and there are no throw-away lines." The director is confident in his actors' energy and in the quality of the comedy. He adds that his favorite Monty Python character is the "French Taunter," who fans of the original film will recall ruthlessly thwarts King Arthur's efforts to overtake a castle with his silly epithets and an outr-r-r-r-ageous French accent. CVLT's cast includes Don Bernardo as 'King Arthur', Brian Diehl as 'Patsy', Brian Pichola as 'Sir Robin', Collen O'Leary as 'Lady of the Lake', and Max Macesich as 'Sir Lancelot' and the 'French Taunter'. Ron Davis is 'Sir Galahad', Jim Wolf is 'Sir Bedevere', and Rob Walter is 'Historian' and 'Not Dead Fred'. The ensemble includes Alison Arko, Elyse Mulvaney, Ellie Kelly, Evelyn DeLiso, Alana Benedict, Kevin Cline, Rollin Devere, III, Dave Mantle, Travis Reilly, Ricarda Harnischmacher, Genny Vince, Brenda Willis, Ben Mulvaney, Tom Mulvaney and John Barron-Wright. Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights throughout April, and 2 p.m. April 10, 17 and 24. Tickets are $20 for adults and $16 for seniors and students. Discounts are available for groups of 10 people and more, including fundraising opportunities. Visit CVLT in person or online at CVLT.org for tickets, or call 440-247-8955 between 1-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. CVLT is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and supported by the Ohio Arts Council. CVLT is a proud member of the American Association of Community Theatre and the Ohio Community Theatre Association. ###