'Spamalot' is hilarious, outrageous, still relevant

King Arthur of Britain and company

A few good men

"It's only a flesh wound" guy and Arthur

SPAMALOT; Grant Theatre; 1575 S. State St., Salt Lake City; book and lyrics by Eric Idle; music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle; directed by Jamie Rocha Allan; musical direction by Michael G. Leavitt; May 17-June 9; 7:30 p.m.; running time 2 hours

SALT LAKE CITY — Hilarious. Outrageous. Pretty out there.
The spoof of Camelot and Broadway musicals everywhere, the production of "Spamalot" at the Grand Theatre, is absolute sweet escapism.
The story is familiar in the way that family stories tell the "absolute truth" of what happened with a little exaggeration and humor.
It's offbeat, fairly naughty and bold.
(Don't go if you don't have a generous sense of humor. All bets are off with this show.)
King Arthur of Britain is played by David Hanson, riding confidently onto the stage on his nonexistent steed, accompanied by his right-hand man and faithful servant, Patsy (played masterfully by Scott Butler), who is clicking coconuts together to make the horse noise.
Arthur is looking for men to serve as his Knights of The Roundtable and finds a handful of men including Sir Robin played by Britty Marie, Sir Dennis Galahad, played by Jake Trumbo, Sir Bedevere, played by Stephen Sherman, and Sir Lancelot, played by Trevor B. Dean.

King Arthur of Britain explains who he is to

The Lady of the Lake and girlfriends

He finds the beautiful Lady of the Lake, played by Olivia Custodio, charming, lovely and his soulmate (except her name is Guenivere, uh oh).
He sets off on a quest to find the Holy Grail and along the way he meets the scary Knights of Ni (led by Tristan B. Johnson), Tim the Enchanter (Carson Kohler) and hears the Voice of God (Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin).
Those who loved the original 1975 Monty Python Spamalot film will enjoy revisiting the strange people and strange situations which include the soft cuddly white rabbit who ultimately tears off the head of a soldier, and the wagon full of dead men with "Not Dead Fred" among them.
Familiar signature songs, "Run Away," "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life," and "I'm All Alone" are well done.
Arthur and the Lady of the Lake sing "The Song That Goes Like This" with heart and passion.
The diva's lament is woeful as a very angry Lady of the Lake realizes she's been bypassed in the story.
"Whatever happened to my part?" she demands.
If you're already a Spamalot fan, this is for you. If you're not yet a fan, here's a chance to see why this musical won Best Musical on Broadway in 2005 and launched the careers of several comics who played in it.
It's a classic born in this 100 years.
Just be aware that the scenes with the gay prince and Sir Lancelot and the male ensemble are somewhat shocking — even for today.
But it's all meant in fun.
The songs, the dances, the action and the dialogue is all done with precise timing.
The cast expressions are delightful to watch.
The costuming and the sets and props are clever and unique.
It's totally enjoyable.