Spamalot 11-01-08

SmittenwithClay at the Clayboard came up with the first report for the matinee:

I got a call from GrandmaJane
stagedoor!! mob of people, came out for the stagedoor!!
nice hair, white hoodie someone took pictures
The whole cast was back lots of enthusiasm, standing O, clapping during the last song

Here comes Zippy888 also at the Clayboard:

My recap from the Saturday matinee, Nov 1, 2008:

- The whole cast is now back together! What a show! Rick Holmes is now back. Yay!
- Launcelot said "Sorry?" instead of "What?" during the door scene.
- Clay swishes up his tabard when he's get excited about the announcement of "musical theatre!" and jumps up and down excitedly.
- YES!! Clay did STAGE DOOR!! He was wearing Roots Canada Sweatshirt and blue track pants (I think.) My mum got a picture with Clay. I took it and he even signed our MOAM CD Cover. What a guy! Clay forgot to give back the CD cover and my mum got distracted and he put it on my mum's head when her back was turned to him. If you don't know my mum, she's really short!! Stage Door was packed with people, about 3-4 rows deep.
- Yes, clayheaven and I have videos and a pic. Please wait for them.
- Clay was laughing so hard during the guard scene when he's on the floor; we can see him 'cos we were sitting in the front row. He was shaking with laughter on the floor. He was watching Launcelot and Herbert and Herbert's father up on the stairs.
- Clay did an interesting dance in the finale no. He did a stomp, lift the leg and do a half-twist, repeat on other leg. Repeat action. Very cute!
- Clay widened his eyes at us when he was singing "KOTRT" - we were dead centre, row A!!! First time ever!
- Got spat on by the King! Watch for it if you ever sit in the front row.
- The Knights of Ni did the Sarah Palin joke and also the lipstick on the pig.
- During the Tim the Enchanter scene, he said "Oh, Tim. What a silly name!" LOL I soiled my armour and I was so scared...." He then took his tabard and rubbed his bottom furiously. LOL

Also from Zippy888 at the Clayboard, here is Clayphan's matinee video:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/zros8i

Ms Marmalade at the ClackHouse gave this report:

butterflyshine at CV wrote:
Hello all! Amee (AJ30) and I just got back to our hotel from the matinee today. All I have to say is that it was amazing! All the original cast members were there...and yes that means that Rick is back!! The show was great today. Clay especially looked like he was having an amazing time up there. It was really great to see Rick though because the Knights who say Ni was just not the same without him. I mean don't get me wrong his fill ins were great but Rick is the best. All of the cast members seemed to be having a great time up there. I think when there is a larger crowd they seem to feed off of the audience more. Tom Deckman is so cute as well. I love the part when he gets so excited when Sir Lancelot comes to rescue him. Too Cute!! Very exciting news, there was a stage door but Clay was out there for no more than 30 seconds (or that's what it seemed like). He seemed very rushed. He was wearing his white Roots Canada shirt (which I really liked since I'm Canadian...lol) I said nice shirt but he didn't hear me. Amee (AJ30) got a picture with him and it's such a great picture of him. That was our first time seeing him so close and all I have to say is that he is DRAW DROPPING HOT in person. I mean I didn't think that he could get much cuter but he succeeded....lol. Well we are off to get food before the next show. So we will be back to recap some more from tonights show.

Nicki503 at the Clayboard reported that SecretlyLovesClay wrote:

From the Saturday matinee.............SO FUNNY!!!!!

I am surprised no one else mentioned this, but maybe they didn't "get" it all..........here is all of it......

During the Not Dead Yet scene, Lancelot is supposed to sing, "My name is Lancelot, I'm big and strong and hot......occassionally I do, some things that I should not." But instead he messed up and sang, "My name is Lancelot, I'm big and strong and hot.........I'm big and strong and hot..........and that's all I've got to say."

It was sooooooooooo funny!!! BUT THEN.............

During the Prince Herbert scene, when Herbert, Lancelot and the father are in the tower, Herbert climbs out the window and says his usual, "Hurry brave Sir Lancelot" and then the father and Lancelot talk about killing the wedding guests and then Herbert is supposed to say, "I am ready Sir Lancelot, just climb on over and ahhhhh" as he is falling, but instead he said, "I am ready Sir Lancelot, that's all I've got to saaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy" as he is falling. OMG, it was sooooooooo funny!!! I could not stop laughing!!! And then I noticed that while Clay was laying "dead," his tummy was going rapidly up and down and realized he was laughing hysterically and could not stop! He laughed throughout the entire rest of the scene!!! All the way up to where he has to get up and sing, "He's going to tell." He was STILL laughing while he was singing that - oh it was so funny!!!

Now on to the 8PM performance:



From Austenfan at the Clayboard, Saturday evening performance....

Those Pre-Marathon fireworks must have travelled over to the Shubert cause Clay and the entire cast were red hot on fire tonight...Yeehah....Jenny Hill replaced Merled Dandredge tonight. Jenny was terrific. Really funny. She did lots of her own original ad libs and with great scatting and lip purses. She actually got spontaneous applause during the Camelot lounge scene. Clay did not catch the armor....I actually prefer Jenny Hill to Merle. Tonight with the full cast back except for Merle and long time cast member Jenny Hill doing such an outstanding Lady Of The Lake - we got that everyone is on the same page, just having a blast kind of feeling. Just magical tonight.

Lots of cheers for the Tower and laughs on every phrase. Timing was perfect. Music except funny lines instead of notes. Incredible rhythm. Great extended double take by Clay on responding to the Kings 'I am looking for men' with I had a feeling. Audience laughed for ages. For Not Dead Fred, Rick (back yay!!!) swung his legs from side to side on the 'Scotch dancing' bit and Clay once again imitated his dance. Clay's chicken entrace got big cheers. Idol Of My Age got great cheers as well. Those piercingly high yodels blew the audience away.

When the Camelot ladies appeared Clay grabbed for the ladies' rear and came quite close to contact...The mace womand did their thing and Clay bent his knees and shook what his mama gave him, up and down and back and forth. Mama was very generous. The Cocktail Waitress gave Clay a kiss on the cheek and he stuck his tongue out...Love me some dancing tongue. Dice Lady wrapped her napkin/scarf behind Clay's neck and slowly moved it back around to Clay's chest. Dance of the Seven Veils part 1...Course with that strapping lad you might need seventeen veils.

When Grail Lady turned to give Clay his lantern he presented her with a lovely red flower. .So sweet...and she smiled demurely. Just awww....as she and the other Grail ladies left waving good bye, he pointed at her and smiled like crazy and she waved right to him...Then the Find Your Grail Sway...Clay leaned back with his legs a bit bent, his back far back and his arms way up in the air, one finger pointing. His head bobbing as he swayed in deep contemplation of his grail...Bend backwards and snap...Bend backwards and snap...

We once again got a start of tongue with slomo horse riding and then the tired/shaking from exhaustion of holding up those lovely thighs (understandable) but can always use more tongue. Little staccatto knee moves as he got lower and lower. Mild funky dance tonight with side to side hip moves more subtle. Much more hip and funky and Broadway would have exploded with coolness and that would have been a shame. So playing it cool tonight.

Can Can Lady kind of scraped and clawed at each of Clay's shoulders...me thinks there's a Can Can dancer whose trying to see some skin too...can't blame a Can Can girl for trying...Clay once again pulling his tabard forward, tighening the fabric grip on the back....trying not to let Can Can lady have anything to grab on to but I think that may have backfired into revealing more back end for her joy and amusement. Tights anyone? Tights on a tight end....

Soiling involved a scrunching of his tabard forward, trying to contain himself methinks (impossible Clay, just impossible - reavealing the nice shapely rear view all the more. Legs open, with one side sunk down. More holding the tabard forward and tight with Clay's arms, giving 'rear view emphasis'. And legs held together, with almost no knee bend as Clay swirled and twisted his derriere and legs in a nice slow dance of soil prevention.

For YWSOB, the new 'cutesy' dance with alternating kicks to the side and back. He lowers his voice to emphasize 'sh*tty' on 'they'll say it's sh*tty and refuse'. We got a Grande Piano Tunic Flip. Wooh...waistband and above once again. The Can Can girl wanted skin and she got it. To quote Christopher Sieber's 'Father' - Heh, heh, heh. YWSOB literally brought the house down....That house went so far down it hit Magma...The core of the Earth was exposed tonight, among other things. Maybe that explains the heat on that stage. NJU men and families were cheering and whooping. There was applause before he even started the Bottle Dance...the stomp was so stompin people erupted right then. Even more applause as Clay crossed his feet and turned and knelt down and that front leg went forward and he pulled the other leg over with pure thigh strength. Everybody went wild. Papa's in Israel could hear Clay shake the world with those high kicks....then kneeling down, hands over heart....glorious applause and then turning on a dime to serious, beseeching and concern for the King's benefit.

The Guards were quite wobbly again. Playing it all very clueless. Nice to see Guard 2 (David Hibbard smile and react more). Every line got a laugh. Clay almost doubled over into a question mark on his kooky laugh when he realized he was supposed to guard the Prince. "I thought you meant HIM (ponting at Guard 2). Cause it would indeed be daft to guard him when he's a guard. Another familiar, buddy slap at the Father until all knowing, but may not so much Guard gets back to serious business. He picked up the spear ribbon and swirled the end around just slightly...a tease... oh that teasing spear...then he picked up two ribbons and stretched them out and then he pulled them right up to and across his eyes as he examined those ribbons with such intensity. Or maybe Guard 1 needs glasses. Those eyes should never be covered up but in service of great comedy, I can handle a momentary lapse of ribbon coverage.

Clay's scrunched up pouty, squinty eyed looks had the audience guffawing so you'd think there was an earthquake. Props to Tom Deckman for some inspiringly funny faces as Herbert. Loved his saying 'I thought he meant me with such amazement after Father says 'Who are you?' and he answered I'm your son. Clay does that too...Clay's expressions are a story unto themselves.

West Side Story dances...oh we go the eye....flirty, come hither eyes. Mouth puckered, almost blowing little breaths on the audience...He got it...He got it.

Clay's deadpan 'Oh brother' look when Tim (Rick Holmes) did his 'B'low me....lies the cave' was absolute classic and went on for quite some laugh time. Brother Maynard was exquisitely, overly proper English Clergy. You could feel his nose pointing up in the air without even looking at him. Now for a completely different sung Amen - so reverent and sweet, like a formal church choir, lilting and beautiful and the Knights sung Amen in answer, not repeating the same melody, but in harmony to Clay. 'Get Your Hand Off My Knee' got a more quiet reaction as the audience was still enjoying 'Amen'.

A man was the peasant tonight. Clay held out his hand to shake but this peasant was too busy basking in 'Peasant' glory. As Clay put out his hand the peasant 'kissed' his Arthur award. Clay did a wonderful 'mifffed' look. To miss a handshake so peasant could kiss a foot...ooh....he di'int. Yes he did.

The white suit was most cooperative in its form fitting, brilliant and happily translucent quality. I just love a good tailor or better yet, a bad one. The finale dance had Clay and Patsy (David Hibbard) and Bedevere (Wally Dunn) doing this funky chicken arm moves while turning and stepping back, alternating each leg going back and round. Then a hip circles, thrusting forward in an area of interest. Round and round you go....Then they all leaped in the air with arms fully up. At Always Look On The Bright Side of Life, Clay turned back towards the dancer in back of him again and did kind of a sideways 'bump' with her. That dancing fool....And a circle round on one foot as they backed up off the stage. Audience on their feet at the end and just glowing. I did hear someone at intermission say 'He was really good (not sure who yet) and then ' He's much taller than I thought...who could she possibly mean? Hmmm....

Nice crowds for stagedoor today and lots of excitement. People still got pics and signatures despite the big crowd.