Michael Palin to play God at Spamalot

Michael Palin as God

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Herewith a Missive: Michael Palin wins public vote to play the role of God on the Spamalot UK Tour at The Empire Theatre in Liverpool

Monty Python legend Michael Palin has beaten off stiff competition from Brian May, Professor Brian Cox, Hugh Bonneville, Michael Ball and Eric Idle to appear on screen during each performance of Spamalot at The Empire Theatre in Liverpool from May 11-16 as part of Monty Python’s Spamalot UK Tour.

‘The Spamalot Charity Gods’ has been created to raise-a-lot of shillings for the charities supported by the actors who are playing God while the show is on tour across the country from January to June.

Michael Palin took time out of his busy schedule (of travelling through a large and expensive extensive forest for some TV show or other) to film the part of God, which will be shown during each performance of Spamalot when the UK tour visits Edinburgh. His nominated charity is Action for Stammering Children.

The role of God features in Spamalot when King Arthur and the Knights of The Round Table are given their quest to find The Holy Grail.

Sir Howard Panter (says he’s a real Knight! as if), producer of Spamalot for Ambassador Theatre Group, said: “It is a wonderful opportunity to be able to bring friends of the show in to the role of God in this way, so that we can help such deserving causes while making audiences laugh at the same time.”

As well as Michael Palin appearing as God, actor and comedian Joe Pasquale is returning to the role of King Arthur and actor Todd Carty returns as King Arthur’s faithful manservant Patsy, after playing the roles in the West End production.

Lovingly ripped off from the classic film comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot is a kind-of new musical with a book by Eric Idle and an entirely new score for the new production, (well, almost) created by Eric Idle and John Du Prez.

Spamalot tells the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and features a bevy (or possibly a brace) of beautiful show girls, witch burnings (cancelled due to health and safety) not to mention cows, killer rabbits and French people. The show features fantastic tunes more magical than a Camelot convention, including He Is Not Dead Yet, Knights of the Round Table, Find Your Grail and of course the Nation’s Favourite Comedy Song (Reader’s Digest Poll 2010 - before it went bust), Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.

The new UK tour, which was previously on at The Playhouse in London’s West End and is directed by Christopher Luscombe, follows Eric Idle’s acclaimed performance of ‘Always Look On The Bright Side of Life’ at the 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony – the world sang along, and Spamalot audiences get the opportunity to do so too! During the West End run, there were been 21 on-stage moustache incidents, three suspected cases of swine flu (French pigs!), one outbreak of nits and 92 pairs of coconuts used.