Quiana Attends Spamalot In New York

Quiana Parler attended the Sunday screening of Spamalot in New York, and accompanied Clay out to the stage door to greet fans.

Clay returned the favor on Monday night when he attended "Just Move On", a tribute concert for the late Tammy Faye, put together by Sean McDaniel (member of Clay's band), Ben Cohen and Jeffrey Self. Quiana's performance at the show drew a standing ovation. A YouTube cap of Quiana's performance is posted below:

Clay at "Just Move On" - courtesy BroadwayWorld.com.

Official Fanclub: Spamalot Contest

The official fanclub has a new contest up, giving the chance to win some cool Spamalot related prizes. First 4 people who answer the questions asked correctly wins, so get cracking everyone!

Details are available on the OFC contest page.

02/20/08 18 Comments

In honor of Clay’s role in Monty Python’s Spamalot, the Clay Aiken Official Fan Club is running a Spamalot Goodie Bag Contest! The OFC has drafted 7 trivia questions about Spamalot and the first 4 members to answer all 7 questions correctly will receive a Spamalot goodie bag packed with tons of cool Spamalot merchandise! Visit the Fan HQ page for contest details, trivia questions and official rules. Happy Spama-guessing!

Tidbits 2/20

• A few articles about the first American Idol 7 top 24 performance show last night:
• Denver YourHub -

  Third, Garrett: Very nice, he's got a lock on the "tween" vote. He has the same pre-maturity Clay Aiken had. You gotta wonder what he'll be like after a few weeks of molding. I hope we get to see.

• Point-Spreads.com -

  The cream de la cream in my opinion was 17 year old Murray, Utah native David Archuleta . This kid looks like a kid but brings a singing voice that would make even Idol alum Clay Aiken green with envy. After dazzling the judges and viewers with his rendition of Shop Around, an amazed Simon Cowell said, “When you got it, you got it. That was by a mile the best performance of the night.”
  

• HHE - Hip Hop Elements via MTV -

  Nikki Blonsky "I watch it because I'm a singer and I like to see what else is out there. I like to see my competition! I was a big Bo Bice fan, voted for Bo. I was a Clay Aiken fan. I loved 'em all. Jordin Sparks, I was a big fan of hers. So everybody who I voted for did pretty good.

• Asheville Citizen Times -

  The season comes into full swing tonight as we finally get a serious listen to the 12 men who made it through auditions and Hollywood week to be here tonight. So far, the talent I have seen this season is the best since Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard battled it out in Season 2, with Studdard coming out the victor.

• TV Squad -

  David Archuleta (17, Murray, UT) - "Shop Around," Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
  David sounds like his voice hasn't even dropped yet when he's talking but man does he have a powerful singing voice. [...] This is a kid that grandmothers and little girls alike will fall in love with. The same older appeal that Clay Aiken had with the cutes to lure in the chiclets, too.

• Carolina On My Mind - Clay & Quiana in New York to support each other -

  Quiana attended Sunday's show and accompanied Clay for the stage door gathering in Shubert Alley following the final curtain. Clay's fans are hers, too; so there was a "homecoming" atmosphere as she greeted old friends from the concert trail.
  
  On Monday, Clay was in the audience as Quiana was featured on the song "Just Move On" in the one-night musical Big Tent, the Tammy Faye Bakker story, at the Metropolitan Room.
  
  Big Tent was co-written by Ben Cohen, Sean McDaniel, and Jeffrey Self. Quiana received a standing ovation for her song, which you can view at YouTube: Just Move On.

UNICEF: Clay Aiken's Mexican Holiday Album Coming Soon

UNICEF will release Clay Aiken's 2007 Christmas photo album soon, according to a post at UNICEF FieldNotes. In December, Clay traveled to Mexico to visit kids participating in UNICEF programs in the Central American country, as part of his duties as UNICEF ambassador.

It's been awhile in the making, but we've just put the final touches on Clay's album of photos from his holiday visit with kids at UNICEF programs in Mexico.

Everyone who donated $50 or more to Clay's appeal for Mexico will be getting a link to a PDF of the album this week via e-mail -- and signed copies for folks who were able to give $1,000 or more will be going out by postal mail shortly.

Keep your eyes open for yours, and let us know what you think!

What's Hot From Spamalot 2/19

Another day and more hot stuff from Spamalot!

• First, a new Clay Aiken's Blog question for you:
  
  

  2.18.08: Are you a Monty Python fan?
  
  Until about three months ago, I thought Monty Python was a person. No Lie. It wasn’t until I first saw Spamalot that I was even exposed to Monty Python. But, in learning more about it and being exposed to the Python humor, I can totally see why people have been captivated by it for so many years. It really is a special sort of comedy all its own, but it really has stood the test of time. I know that people who laughed at Monty Python in the seventies are still laughing at it today. And, more importantly, a whole new generation has been able to experience it through this show, and they laugh just as hard!

  If you've missed the first six questions asked of Clay, you can also find them at this site.
  
  
• Broadway Grosses - Spamalot Spamalot gross sales increased 12.4% from the week of 2/10 to 2/17. Total gross sales for February 10 were $623,348 and for February 17, $826,303. The following graph shows the sales since the beginning of the year:
  
  
  
  
• I'm growing to love the fan reviews more and more, and here's a great one from hippoga at the Clayboard:

  I feel like I was in touch with The Clayboard through intermission reports this past weekend but I still wanted to share a brief (will try to be brief!) recap of a wonderful, long weekend in NYC! We arrived on Thursday Feb 14th and spent our Valentine Day evening at the stage door. It was fun to start our trip seeing "streetclothes Clay" with fans and friends just the same way I saw him the last time I was in NYC at the CBS Early Show in Decemer 2005. He was even wearing the same puffy, black coat! I had him sign my homemade Sir Robin bear!
  
  Our first show was Friday night Feb 15th. We spent the first part of the day on a bus tour of NYC and we wondered when we passed by the UN if that was where Clay went for UNICEF meetings. Then off to left side Row D seats directly under Clay in the tower! I just read a report that talked about "besotted Claymates" and I am not ashamed to say that's what I was throughout this first show! I've seen Spamalot on tour so I had a point of reference and knew when I would see Clay. He was "spot on" as the British say! A hilarious guard with lots of scientifc knowledge and then a confused "dead collector" who didn't have quite the right idea of what a knight was! I found that I could not use my binoculars because I needed to see his whole body. Every movement and gesture was perfect for whatever character he was portraying. I laughed and laughed at the whole play and enjoyed it completely. Clay's dancing was so much fun-whether in a group number with the ensemble or doing the hula or quick steps in his show-stopping number by himself. Of course we know Clay is a comedian from his concerts but I loved the laughs from the audience and after how well he "soils his pants", I may never think of the "pants of perfection" quite the same again! LOL!! How could it be over so soon? I was just grinning and so delighted in how much I loved him...and the show! Somehow we made it to the stage door in time and I was able to get my Playbill signed and get an Aiken wink! He was being snarky to the girl beside me because someone had said you could see him breathing in his "death scene" and he winked at me....and I swear I have no memory of this but in the video I winked back!! I also asked him if the UNICEF offices were at the UN and he said not anymore and gave their new address.
  
  I arrived in NYC with tickets to three shows and our second show was the Saturday matinee. We were now right side row B and I was on the aisle. A wonderful seat! And now I really appreciated how much "in character" Clay is throughout the show. He and Lance sing "we'll have girlfriends by the score" when they go off to be knights and I loved watching Clay around the lovely ladies at Camelot. I think he even leered at a nun! And at his dancing Jewish ladies! So funny! This was the show when he lost one of his coconuts in the second half. It came off the string and went into the orchestra pit! Clay still rode his horse just fine! How could it be OVER so soon!!?? I had some photos of all the cast members and got quite a few autographs after the show.
  
  OK-now we have decisions to make. To enjoy other sites and plays while in the big Apple....or see Clay again? Well, that took about one second and I was online buying a blocked view seat right side on row A for Saturday night! I could see everything I wanted to see except for Clay on the piano in his solo. I thought about asking King Arthur to move a bit but thought better of it! Now in this seat, I could really see but couldn't quite "lip read" the little comments Clay makes throughout the play to his fellow knights and Patsy while in character. I loved how he petted his "horse" when he dismounted at the French castle. Yep, besotted Claymate who loved everything he did checking in! He was right in front of me in his top hat and tails in the finale and that was a mighty fine sight to behold, too! One of my friends wanted me to get her Playbill signed this night while she took pictures so I did get him to sign it but I wasn't quick enough reaching back for it and he threw it in the crowd!!! The little turkey!!! I grabbed one of the photos I had in my purse and reached out as far as I could and yelled "I lost her Playbill, she will kill me!" and he reached back, took the photo and signed it! She was happy with the signed picture (or I would have given her my Playbill!) and I am still alive and writing this "brief" report!
  
  Sunday morning at breakfast with my new Canadian friend, she mentioned that she was going to that matinee, too. In about two seconds this time, I was off with her to the box office and got a standing room ticket for the Sunday matinee. I was dead center and could use my binoculars! Clay from head to toe was a perfect fit in the view! I really enjoyed seeing the whole play from the center. I could see Clay when he was moving and dancing in the ensemble numbers all the time. I also saw Clay break character for the ONLY time of the whole weekend including the lost coconut! The knight who said "Ni" added Kosovo independence to his speech and the audience roared and he ad-libbed some more. King Arthur totally lost his composure and Clay NEVER grinned big enough to show teeth but he was really struggling to stay in character and a couple of BIG smiles played over his face! SO CUTE! I think this was the performance when he was told to "skip a bit" that he actually turned a page in the "Book of Armaments" but I 'm not sure but he did turn it one time! SRO is also a great "seat" for getting to the stage door! So I got my program signed!
  
  Can it possibly be Sunday night already!!?? Back on the left side, row E. Met new Clayboard friends and was sitting directly across the aisle from Quiana and Roger W. New friends had met friends and family of Christopher Siebert (Sir Galahad) and they said he said after two weeks "Clay owned the role". This made us grin from ear to ear! I tried to memorize every movement at this show. "Migratory" and "regulations" were two of my favorite pronunciations Clay did with his "Geiko lizard inspired" accent! Clay is Sir Robin. That's all you can say. He IS that timid fellow who loves singing and dancing and chasing the ladies! I could listen to him exclaim "Oh yes" all day when he learns they are to put on a musical! And his speech about the special people who are on Broadway had the audience rolling in the aisles! This Sunday night crowd just loved him....can we call them "besotted" too, perhaps?
  I am so glad Sir Robin found his Grail at the end! YIKES, I just realized I never mentioned his dimwitted comments about the Holy Grail/vessel being a boat/dinner cruise!! OH, so funny, especially when the cymbal clangs and he looks in the orchestra pit. I could lipread him saying "that makes no sense" (I think) from my close seat! It was very nice of Clay to sign autographs that night since it was raining. I have never enjoyed a walk in the rain back to the hotel until that night! I was grinning and looking on the "bright side of life" and trying to figure out a way to get back closing weekend!
  
  Sorry for this long story! I have enjoyed reading recaps of folks who have seen the show several times and how they say he has grown into the role and how his dancing is so effortless. I can add that he was a great ensemble member when he was part of the ensemble and he was a show-stopping soloist when he was on his own! I bet learning the bottle dance did make him sore! LOL! But he also crouches down very far when riding his slow motion horse (a nice view from the front row!!!) and that was probably tough on the muscles, too! Here is my only "original" contribution! I don't think we've seen what lies BEHIND the Shubert Theater stage door....

  
  
  
• This is a great review by Bubbles1904 at The Clayboard. Of special interest is her comments about Christopher Sieber (Sir Galahad) and the great things he had to say about Clay.

  I sat next to a good friend of Christopher's at Saturday's evening show. He was very friendly and I asked if he had seen the show before. That's when he mentioned they (he and wife I assume) were good friends of Christopher's from way back and were here to see it again. We talked a bit and then the show started. He was loving it, all parts. At intermission, the wife stayed behind when he went out and we talked a bit. I mentioned my sister and I were here because we were big fans of Clay. It was then that she started talking about what a great guy Clay was. They had met him back stage before that day. She had so many wonderful things to say about Clay but I couldn't write them all down to remember them. The one word I keep remembering is that Clay is so "humble". And she mentioned how great he is with the families and people around there. They had a friend with kids that they were taking backstage and I think that was the kind of thing she was talking about, how good Clay is with kids (as we all know very well.) She talked about Christopher and how he came over from the London show with Hannah because Hannah was nervous coming over here by herself. He'll only be in the show for 6 weeks and then on to do Shrek but I think he and Clay have connected and will stay friends. She mentioned that Christopher came over expecting to not really like Clay because of how Clay got on the show, not being on Broadway ever before and he figured Clay would have an attitude. That's where the humble kept coming in. He was so impressed with Clay from the very start and told her that within the first 2 weeks of the show, Clay owned the part of Sir Robin. And that's coming from someone who has been in Spamalot for a long time and knows what the part entails. I was so excited to hear this. They have really connected and have a blast now. Clay is so unassuming and not affected by all that he has accomplished in the past 5 years. I'm sure Christopher had expected it would have all gone to Clay's head. He was impressed by what a great guy Clay is. (All he would have had to do is just ask us, right?) I was just so excited to have talked to her and learned all about the expectations they had about Clay.
  
  I also mentioned we had come to town because it was my birthday and we wanted a Clay weekend for my birthday. She said, Oh we should see if we can get her backstage. I about flipped. They were going backstage with their friend and her kids and must have someone working backstage. A younger man came out at half time looking for them. She asked him if could see if we(my sister and I) could come backstage with them. He did check it out but said there was already a lot of people going backstage so they couldn't do it. It really would have been amazing but I was really just thrilled that she even thought of it. I was happy with all the good words she had about Clay. My sister was to the left of me and sort of heard what the lady was saying and was getting butterflies just thinking about it. Does make for an exciting evening. I still had half a show to watch which of course was wonderful. Everyone has recapped things so well I won't go into thatbut I really loved watching Guard Clay being so serious while the other Guard was cracking up. I can still hear things in my head. Just wish they'd make a DVD so I can watch it over and over.
  
  A couple other things about our weekend. My sister had never been in NYC so we did the double decker bus tour and looked around a bit. We were watching for Spamalot signs on the busses but figured they had been changed by now. Then she caught one bus with the sign. It was exciting to see. Took a few pictures but they ones here already are better than mine. The last day we went to Grand Central Station before heading to the airport. Our hotel was The Roosevelt on 45th at Madison and only a block and a half from Grand Central. Was great to look around. I was taking pictures just cause I'd never been there before. Haven't taken the subway either so went in where the subway was and suddenly stopped. There were huge Spamalot poster with the "What a Difference a Clay Makes!" on them. When people get off the subway, they see Clay. How exciting. There was one along one side with 2 other posters and in another spot, 2 Spamalots along with other posters.
  
  I did get my Playbill signed by Clay and took a few pictures after the shows. Not sure how to get them on here but others are soooo very good, not sure mine are that exciting. Just exciting for me to know I was close enough to get pictures.
  
  Hope this wasn't too long. It was a great weekend. Only saw 2 shows but would love to get to others. Wish I lived closer. Enjoy the show. Hope everyone gets to see it at least once. After seeing it, all the recaps bring visuals to my mind and smiles to my face. Thanks for listening.

  After reading this, I have to say that I have been so impressed with how the people on Broadway have opened their arms to Clay. They treat him so kindly, and it is especially noticable when you compare it to how some people in the music industry have treated him. In Christopher's case, any preconceived ideas disappeared immediately when he got to know Clay and saw what a great guy he is. Even those in the Broadway audience are so open to accepting Clay for the great talent that he is! And its about time!!! This has to make Clay feel so good and so welcomed. And it gives me such a warm feeling inside. Thank you Broadway!!

Tidbits 2/19

• Broadway Bears program a huge success - Clay's Sir Robin bear was auctioned off for an unbelievable $17,000:
• Playbill -

  The Spamalot bear — signed by Clay Aiken and David Hyde Pierce — raised the most money at the annual Broadway Bears fundraiser, which was held Feb. 17 at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill on West 42nd Street.
  
  The Spamalot bear brought in $17,000 for the annual event, which benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Broadway Bears XI — hosted by Bryan Batt — earned a total of $127,000 for the charitable organization.

• Theater Mania -

  Forty specially-made bears, each dressed in original, handmade costumes representing the theater's most legendary characters, were auctioned. Top bids for bears were the $17,000 Spamalot bear signed by Clay Aiken and David Hyde Pierce; the $9,000 Lion King bear signed by Tom Alan Robbins; the $8,000 Cyrano bear signed by Jennifer Garner, Kevin Kline, and Daniel Sunjata; the $5,000 Little Mermaid bear signed by Sherie Rene Scott; and the $5,000 Wicked bear signed by Idina Menzel.

• MTV takes a look at six seasons of American Idol -

  Season Two: 2003
  
  WINNER: Ruben Studdard
  
  RUNNER-UP: Clay Aiken
  
  CULTURAL IMPACT/LEGACY : By casting Ruben, Clay, Kimberley and Frenchie, "AI 2" broadens America's definition of "pop-star image." Fans eat it up. However, by voting on voice over looks, the season ends up being fairly predictable, where the singer who deserves to go home each week does. The final Ruben/Clay showdown is a tight race (one that Seacrest calls a "photo finish"), and although Studdard is the victor, Aiken ultimately wipes the floor with him in record sales. The disqualified Frenchie ends up paving a path that several "Idol" contestants (including Aiken) will follow once their pop music careers stall: Broadway. Speaking of struggling singers, in 2007, Ruben wins a new title: First "Idol" to be dropped by a record label. Ouch.

• Via Brightstar of CH, posted at The Clayboard by LoveOMC -

  back from a wonderful evening at the Metropolitan Room. Sean McDaniel, and Ben Cohen performed the music from a new play called: Big Tent-the Tammy Faye story. What a fabulous evening. The playwright was there very, young and talented. They had a variety of Broadway actors perform,and they were awesome. Quiana performed the last number and was fantabulous.
  she received the nights only standing O.
  
  Clay was there, he was seated at the last moment. he looked awesome, purple v-neck, brown tie, brown shirt,hair brushed oo to side. everyone behaved. no one bothered him. I could was seated facing Clay and the stage, from where i was sitting he really seemed to enjoy the show.

  At YouTube is a video of Quianna singing "Just Move On" from the musical.

• Nothing here today
  

NYC Official City Guide Has Good Spamalot Article

Every time I read another article that has such good things to say about both Spamalot and Clay, the smile on my face gets wider and wider! And now the NYC Official City Guide has gone a posted an article that has increased my smile factor even more! The article, And Now For Something Completely Silly... Monty Python's Spamalot, by Elliott Richards, includes a long list of reasons why Spamalot leaves people in stitches every night:

Knights without horses prancing to the clip-clopping of coconut shells; an empty-headed King Arthur searching for the Holy Grail; a killer rabbit (and a giant wooden one that serves as a Trojan Horse for the Middle Ages); a nasty and flatulent French Taunter defending his castle against the Brits; and a gaggle of fearsome Knights who say "Ni!" - these are only some of the elements that ensure Monty Python's Spamalot status as Broadway's most slaphappy musical ever.

And, of course, we know that Clay adds to Spamalot's humor in a variety of ways. Richards comments about Clay and his fans in the article:

One of those woolly-tighted knights is being played through May 4 by Clay Aiken, the runner-up in 2003's "American Idol," whose various parts include the neurotic and cowardly Sir Robin. Aiken has drawn his own largely female fans - the "Claymates" - who are besotted by whatever he does onstage at the Shubert.

Though it is true that Clay's fans have been cheering on their "idol of this age", non-Clay fans have also been enjoying Clay's humor and great acting ability in the show.

Hannah Waddingham also comments about her co-star, "He's taller than I thought he was and he's also quite strapping. I expected him to be 5' 6" and quite puny." Strapping is indeed a good way to describe Clay!

In addition to the article, a picture of Clay as Sir Robin is included.

What's Hot From Spamalot 2/18

Today at "What's Hot", we have a ton of really hot pictures of Clay at The Stage Door taken by several fans. Included in these pictures are some of Quiana, who was in town. These pics of Quiana were taken by mustbeeme on Sunday:



These pictures are taken by toni7babe and can be seen at The Clayboard.



Madison228 at The Clayboard has a great review from both Sunday shows:

I went to both shows yesterday (Sunday 2/17, matinee and evening) and had such a wonderful time! I saw the show on the Saturday night of opening week - Clay has grown tremendously in his role since then. The biggest difference is that he is SO much more comfortable with the dancing now. He looks totally at ease up there now, which I think makes it easier for him to do more ad libbing/reacting throughout the show (which is hard to do when you're still so focused on what you have to do next!).

For the matinee I was sitting in the back of the orchestra, surrounded by NJU. I saw no empty seats in the orchestra, and all the SRO slots were full. I did get one good laugh as two older couples were walking down the aisle to their seats - one woman turned to her husband and asked "is this a comedy?". How the HECK do you pay hundreds of dollars for theater tickets to see Monty Python's Spamalot and yet have no idea whether it is a "comedy" or not?!?!? (Reminds me of a time several years ago when I saw Baz Luhrmann's "La Boheme" on B'way and the guy sitting next to me was surprised to discover that it was an opera....)

The audiences for both shows were great, but Sunday night felt especially enthusiastic. It's so fun to be in a theater surrounded by people who are laughing and enjoying themselves - the actors on stage must really thrive on this kind of energy from an audience. I was in the front row for the evening show, surrounded by Clay fans. I actually don't think these are the best seats to see the show from, but you certainly do notice certain things up there that you can't see from farther back!

So, a bunch of random observations from both shows.

When Clay enters the guard tower for his first scene, he spent a minute or two looking out of a little slot (which is below the window where he does his scene) at the audience. I wondered if he was looking to see where Quiana was sitting! As others have mentioned, when he's in the window doing his lines he is playing with the strap of his helmet. At the part where they're talking about the sparrow using a "line of creeper" to carry the coconut, he holds the strap like he is demonstrating how the sparrows could do it.

The Bring Out Your Dead scene is just outstanding. Clay is so cute with his dirt smudges and his excitement about enlisting at Camelot so he can "dress up and dance". Something I didn't notice before: when Not Dead Fred jumps up off the cart and starts his "I'm not Dead Yet" number, Clay gives Lancelot his money back again! Also during this number, Clay is playing a triangle, hitting it with a metal stick with a hole at the end. When he sings the line about "keeping an eye on Lance", he looks through that hole in the end of the metal stick. Very cute.

During the All for One number, when Clay starts singing his little bit, he hands his chicken to Patsy. What I never noticed before is that Patsy (who has started a little fake campfire that they're all gathered around) puts the chicken on a stick over the campfire, as if he's cooking it.

The Camelot/Knights of the Round Table number is great - Clay is so much looser in this scene. He's dancing up a storm, and really reacting to what is going on around him. Others have mentioned him mimicking the girls when they are waving those fake mace things around; he was also mimicking the nun and monk when they're doing their big dance number. I thought this was very in character for Sir Robin who is really into the whole "singing and dancing" part of being a knight!

I have to say that the men sitting around me found the French taunter scene to be one of the funniest parts of the show - they seem to love that potty humor!

(Meant to add that during the matinee I was sitting behind five 30-somethings. One of these gals was a huge Monty Python fan and seemed incredulous that Clay Aiken was in the show. Needless to say she was laughing like a maniac and cheering for him by the end of the show.)

I didn't realize that David Hibbard (Patsy) also plays the "Mayor" (lead singer during the opening "Finland" number) and the second guard with Clay during the guarding Prince Herbert scene. He has a very loose physicality about him that is most apparent during the charming "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" number which is such a homage to Singing in the Rain - he even does some of those signature Gene Kelley slide moves during the dance!

You Won't Succeed on Broadway was a show stopper both times yesterday - he got huge applause, well deserved of course. The only difference I noticed from opening weekend was that the pause between the end of the first part of the song and the time he sits down at the piano was shorter. And he didn't seem to be in so much pain during the bottle dance!

Rick Holmes, who plays Lancelot, the French Taunter, the Knight of Ni and Tim the Enchanter, is also very talented. He dances up a storm during his big "His Name is Lancelot" number (which others have referred to as a tribute to La Cage Aux Folles but I see as a spoof of Hugh Jackman in The Boy from Oz, right down to the costumes!). At the matinee, his Knight of Ni made reference to independence for Kosovo (as others mentioned, midtown was full of loud honking cars and flags, celebrating the event) which really cracked up the King, who couldn't speak for almost a minute. In the evening, he quoted Roger Clemens, saying that he never took steroids/human growth hormone. There must have been some kind of inside joke there, because one of the other Knights of Ni was laughing so hard his body was shaking, and Tom Deckman (as one of Sir Robin's minstrels at that point) had to look away and then bite his hand. It's fun to see them having so much fun with each other on stage.

I've got to give some kudos to the dressers. There are a LOT of very quick costume changes during this show. I don't know HOW they manage to switch wigs on Clay so quickly when he goes from Sir Robin to Brother Maynard and then back to Sir Robin again, all in a matter of minutes! And they have his head mic to worry about too. (I did notice that he keeps his "mail armor" suit on under his Brother Maynard robe...)

The coconut dancing in the scene before Tim the Enchanter appears is just excellent - Clay looks like he is having so much fun!

Both of yesterday's peasants seemed very surprised to be called up on stage and they were VERY discombobulated as the actors were moving them around, singing to them, handing them things, asking their names, etc. But it was very funny when Clay (who is the Knight furthest away from the peasant on stage) went to shake the guy's hand (during the evening show) and the guy didn't notice him. He (Clay) did this very funny look like "ok then" and stepped back, but it was totally in character and very cute!

The finale is another great number. When Clay comes out is his tux and green sparkly vest his eyes are so shiny and beautiful and so very very GREEN! At the end of this number, Clay and David Hibbard/Patsy are over on the left. At one point it looked like Patsy would do a funny little dance move and then Clay would imitate him.

Clay got huge applause during both of his curtain calls, but especially the Sunday night performance. I'm so proud of him!

One final thing, at the stage door after the matinee, a girl near me mentioned that she had been there on opening night and had seen Roger Ebert in the audience with his wife. She had been told that his wife is a Clay fan. I hadn't heard this before - anyone else see him that night?

All in all it was a wonderful weekend, worth the 8+ hour round trip bus trip!

I forgot to mention that Quiana looked fantastic at the stage door after the matinee. At that point she hadn't seen the show yet (she was at the evening performance). She spent time talking with several fans. The girls behind me couldn't figure out who she was (not a member of the cast) and why so many people seemed to know her!

Edited to add another funny little thing I haven't seen mentioned in other recaps (since it doesn't involve Clay!). At one point during the big Knights of the Round Table number, the chorus guys come out carrying shields. Each shield has a letter on it. They line up and the shields spell out "MOLECAT". Ooops, not right, so they rearrange themselves and spell out "CAMLTOE" (which gets a big laugh). Oops, so they rearrange again and finally spell out "CAMELOT".

Madame President from The Clayboard also has some gorgeous pictures for us:





Here's another review from Clayzthe1 at The Clayboard has a review from Sunday, 2/17:

My oh my what a day yesterday turned out to be! I went to NYC from Virginia for the weekend and caught my first Spamalot play (Sunday) at the matinee show. I had never seen Monty Python before, and I knew very little about the storyline. I must admit, I read all of the wonderful reviews here, but I was very excited to finally see the play for myself to make my own observations.

My friend and I did not have center orchestra seats. We sat in right orchestra six rows back. We were able to see most things that were occurring on stage very well. Except for the occasional actor that would walk over to the far right corner of the stage, the view was great! It was exceptionally great for Clay's opening scene as the guard in the tower. His mannerisms and gestures are so funny! He is 100% believable in all of the roles and I found myself laughing for most of the night!

I did hear him say "come to daddy" quite clearly during the ogling/flirting scene. It was very entertaining to watch! I also thought that it was fantastic when the Knights of Ni alluded to the flag waving going on outside. The audience loved that...the theater roared with laughter for an extended length of time.

When the Best Peasant was picked and went up on stage, she did not shake Clay's hand. She didn't mean to exclude him, but it was comical to watch the way that Clay played it off. It was seat D101 that was the winning seat for the matinee. It was a younger girl that appeared completely unsuspecting! As the play was coming to an end, I heard people (NJU's) around me and beside me that said..."that American Idol guy is really good." That was music to my ears. The fact that Clay is being recognized for his talents and hard work is a wonderful thing, regardless of where they remember him from.

After the show, I headed out to the stage door and managed to get the 2nd to last spot on the rail. I was able to see Clay walk out and down the line very clearly. When we all saw Quiana, it was a welcomed surprise! I saw her take a picture with someone and she smiled/waved at all those that recognized her. What a great day that won't be soon forgotten! I can't wait to do it all again in a few weeks!

And here are some really nice pictures of Clay that Clayzthe1 took at The Stage Door:

Sir Robin Bear Winner Tells Fan About Her Experience

The winner of the Sir Robin Bear, who has asked to remain anonymous, gave stripedshirt from Clayversity a summary of her exciting experience! This summary was posted by Rainlover at The Clayboard:

Posted by stripedshirt at CV:

Overnight, the winner of the Sir Robin Bear responded to me. This person requested to remain anonymous, but was willing to share the experience of the bid, and I have permission to do so. It's a wonderful recap.

Read & enjoy:

I have never taken part in anything so exciting! I had talked to the young man that was handling my bid there a couple of times during the day and it was all I could think about all day long. I was the top pre-bidding leader, but knew that amount was not going to be enough to put Sir Robin to the top where he deserved to be. During one of my conversations earlier in the day, I had agreed on a top of $6,000, but had said if it got near that amount, I would want to be notified. I had been given a time that they projected Sir Robin's bidding would start and I understood it would be near the end.

As the evening wore on, I was getting nervous as it was a few minutes past the time I had expected Sir Robin's auction to begin --- and then the phone rang! I am not sure the exact amount the bidding was at when I received the call --- I think $5,000, but all I know I was quickly saying yes, to $6,500 and just kept saying okay to each figure quoted to me. At $15,000 I almost stopped, and told my phone contact, "wait" and then said go for it. I must admit I was relieved when I was told they were giving the final warnings and it looked like I might have it at $17,000. Then yes!!! I cannot describe the joy I felt to know our Sir Robin Bear made it to $17,000. I do not know who the other bidders were, but I hope we made Clay proud. My phone contact was very excited and so was I.

All I could think about was Clay Aiken deserved to have his Sir Robin bear go for the highest amount. Clay has given us so much these five years and this is just a small way to add to the awareness of how important Clay Aiken is to all of us. I am asking stripedshirts to post this for me and when I have received Sir Robin (the bear), pictures will be taken and posted.

Our Sir Robin Broadway Bear will then be donated to BAF for their next gala.

Wow, what an extremely generous fan to make certain that Sir Robin got the top bid and who then will donate it to the next BAF Gala! Clay fans are amazing!

Sir Robin Broadway Bear Goes For $17,000 Bid

The 11th Annual Broadway Bear auction was held on Sunday, and a total of $127,000 was raised, with the top winning bear being Sir Robin of Spamalot. The Sir Robin Bear, which was signed by both Clay Aiken and David Hyde Pierce, sold for $17,000. Photos of all bears, including Sir Robin, and the top bid for each bear, can be found at Broadway.com An interesting tidbit about the Sir Robin Bear that can be found just under its picture is:

This was the hair-raising moment, ladies and gentlemen! The live audience up against the telephone-bidders, this Bear was the highest-winner of the evening! Plus, the rubber chickens cluck and lay-eggs!

Ellenpoppy at The Clayboard tells us that stripedshirts at CV was at the auction and posted the following:

I had a good feeling one of the fandom had won. To the winner, I will tell you that your winning total brought a collective gasp all around BB King's when the gavel was slammed onto the podium, & I was shrieking like crazy when the winning bid. was announced. What a triumphant moment!

When the Sir Robin bear was brought out to the auction, David Hyde Pierce wasn't there to help sell it - but due to schedule conflict, he couldn't. His picture was on the screens, holding the signed bear, then it transitioned into a picture of Clay dressed as Sir Robin, holding the rubber chicken.

The opening bid started at $3000, bringing 'ooohs' from the audience. The host of the show said, "This will separate the men from the boys....or the chicken from the egg", referring to the bear. In less than 2 minutes - barely under 1.5 minutes I'd say - the bids shot straight up to the teens. People were bidding hard & fast. I'm sure jaws were dropping as the nos. climbed, & the auctioneer was trying to keep up w/ the paddles & the shouts coming from her assistants who manned the phones & the bar, where there were additional bidders. It was just WILD!

Description of the materials for Sir Robin Bear, as per the Playbill I received & from having talked to the designer herself:

The chain metal was made with a painted knit. The shoulder & elbow guards are painted leather stretched over a thermoplastic base, studded w/ metal grommets. The robe is handpainted, complete w/ brown paint stains at the hem (to give it the 'distressed, sloshed-in-the-mud' look). The boots were formed w/ heavy paper, covered w/ painted leather. The belt is painted ribbon & lase on a leather base. The hair was teased w/ gel, & the rubber chickesn came from the Abracadabra Superstore. The rubber chickens squawk when squeezed & lays an egg.

The bear is just exquisite. ALL of the bears on display, were absolutely stunning, but of course, we only had eyes one...Lastly, I absolutely ate up the reactions of the Auctioneer, the Event Organizer, & the Bear Designer.

The Auctioneer couldn't believe it. Maybe she didn't care, or expected something else - but from my reading, she didn't think Robin would get the biggest bid...The Designer, Brionna McMahon was the last one I spoke to. She was glowing w/ happy disbelief at how Sir Robin got so much money when in the past, the most one of her bears ever got, was $4000. & she's been contributing to BCEFA Broadway Bears Fundraiser for yrs & never saw anything like this. I gave her a hug, & said, 'I had a good feeling about your bear. You have bragging rights now'. She herself is also a fan of David Hyde Pierce - I'm sure she's now getting how Clay's name has help boost all interest...

Congratulations to the lucky winner of the autographed Sir Robin Bear, as well as to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Tidbits 2/18

LBFCA gives us "Stick Figure Spamalot"

• Detroit Free Press via Newsday - interview with LaKisha Jones who is starring in "The Color Purple" on Broadway -

  Question: Fantasia was in “The Color Purple” and now you are. Clay Aiken is in “Spamalot.” Tamyra Gray did “Rent.” It seems like “American Idol” has taken over Broadway. Is this the direction you saw yourself heading in?
  Answer: I did not. I had seen “The Color Purple” after I got pulled off “Idol,” and I thought I’d love to be in it. But I never thought I’d have a chance. And then I got the call to audition when I was on tour. It’s been a great opportunity for me. ... But the schedule here is crazy. I’m doing eight shows a week. This is really, really totally different from “Idol.”
  

• Las Vegas Review Journal calls "Celebrity-bashing 'TMZ on TV' tacky, tasteless" -

  The show is nothing more than poorly lit, unflattering footage of celebs, often accompanied by tacky, "Blind Date"-style graphics, that unnamed TMZ staffers -- Needy Blonde Girl, Clay Aiken Lite and Stoner Dude, along with Easily Excitable New Yorker, who appears via a low-rent webcam -- submit to try to make Levin laugh.

• Broadway.com Buzz - Clay is still on the front page with a picture and caption that says, "Q&A: A knight to remember! Clay Aiken, of American Idol fame (and worship!), is holding his own as Sir Robin in Broadway's Spamalot." Click on the picture and it takes you to an older article about Clay.
• Idol Thoughts: Idol Madness Final Four: Clay Aiken vs. Bo Bice - Clay is losing big time in this. You can vote as many times as you want.

• Nothing here today
  

Chicago Claymates: Clay on "Good Day, Chicago" Tomorrow

According to Jazzgirl at Clayversity, Clay will be interviewed on FOX WFLD-TV's Good Day, Chicago tomorrow. Chicago & area Claymates, please tune in and cap this for us!

For Chicagoans, I just heard on the local Fox station (WFLD) that Clay will be "interviewed" (their words) tomorrow on "Good Day, Chicago". I checked the website and this program airs from 5 -9 AM.

---

Update 2/18 - recap posted by demeter at CV. Download the cap at ClackUnlimited.

I just saw Clay on my TV!!!! Good Day Chicago.

It was a quick promo and I was not expecting it so I didn't hear when during the show they will be interviewing him.

I saw him singing during the finale with the girls dancing behind him. I had my tape ready but was not expecting it so early. I don't have a way to cap so I hope somone will be able to get it.

ETA: Another promo. He was the runner up on American Idol but he's number one on Broadway in Spamalot. Next... a behind the scenes interview.

ETA: Oh, he looked so good on my TV. The interview was the same as others I've seen. It seemed like it was a combination of all the others. It included Clay singing "The Idol of My Age", the dancing bit with the butt wiggle, and the last bit of singing that I think was on the other clips.

The interview part included the difficult choreography and thinking about the steps and how exhausting it is, the rasberry when talking about being cut from high school musicals.

Plus they had the anchor comments which were all positive then they went on to talk about the other Idols who have appeared on Broadway, plus the touring companies. But Clay they really talked about taking Broadway by storm and that he has had a very successful recording career and now is a Broadway star.

I hope someone capped this.

Tidbits 2/17

• Clay mentioned by Justin Guarini on the TV Guide Channel's Idol Wrap. From the CB's OLMass:

  It's interesting how Claynguage is creeping into the media. I was just watching Idol Wrap with Justin Guarini and Kimberly Caldwell on the TV Guide Channel. They were discussing Kyle (You Raise Me Up). Deborah Byrd was on and they were discussing his elimination. Deborah said she would have liked to watch him grow as an artist. Kimberly then said she would have liked to have seen how they would have changed his style. Justin then added, "They would have Clayed him up!" It was a good mention, not mean-spirited in any way. Clay is still the standard by which other contestants are measured.
  

• San Francisco Chronicle - American Idol trivia -

  13) What charity does Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken represent?
  
  A. UNICEF
  
  B. Bubel/Aiken foundation for kids with autism
  
  C. Let's All Play camp for kids with disabilities
  
  D. All of the above
  
  Answer: D.
  

• Greensboro News Record - famous "heroes, stars, athletes" visit Greensboro - reference to Clay hosting an American Idol viewing party for Fantasia Barrino during AI3 -

  Clay Aiken — The American Idol runnerup hosts an Idol viewing party at the coliseum. May 26, 2004.

• Blend Music ... isn't a very big fan o "Idol" -

  American Idol has become just another travesty blanketing the gap between the real marvels and the clowns, the real superheroes and the lackeys. Next to Thom Yorke, Clay Aiken can just juggle. Next to Joanna Newsom, Kelly Clarkson can just whine.

• Carolina On My Mind - Claymates "tuned into 'Spamalot'"

  Not only are Clay Aiken message boards enjoying after-the-show recaps, but intermission cell phone reports are keeping fans back home in the know as they check off the days before their own trips to New York to see their favorite singer in "Spamalot."

• Clay - The Man - Clay, "Mysterious and Magical"