200,000 NEW TICKETS GO ON SALE FOR SPAMALOT

On Wednesday 8 August 200,000 new tickets will go on sale for the London production of the award-winning and record-breaking hit West End musical Monty Python’s SPAMALOT taking bookings at the Palace Theatre through until 1 March 2008.

Award-winning TV stars Peter Davison and Bill Ward are currently leading the London cast (Davison as King Arthur and Ward as Sir Lancelot) alongside the Olivier Award nominated Hannah Waddingham as The Lady of the Lake, Robert Hands as Sir Robin, Steven Kynman as Herbert, Graham MacDuff as Sir Dennis Galahad, Andrew Spillett as Patsy and Tony Timberlake as Sir Bedevere.

Directed by Mike Nichols, Monty Python’s SPAMALOT is "lovingly ripped-off" from the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. Telling the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and their quest for the Holy Grail, Monty Python’s SPAMALOT features a chorus line of dancing divas (and serfs), flatulent Frenchmen, killer rabbits and a legless knight.

Book and lyrics are by Eric Idle with a Grammy Award-winning score by Eric Idle and John Du Prez. Other members of the Monty Python’s SPAMALOT creative team include Casey Nicholaw (choreography), multiple Olivier Award-winners Tim Hatley (sets and costumes) and Hugh Vanstone (lighting) and Acme Sound Partners.

In Autumn 2007 the London production of Monty Python’s SPAMALOT will lead an international search for its next Lady of the Lake with new TV entertainment show West End Story hosted by Swedish broadcaster TV3. Devised by Anna Carrfors Bråkenhielm, the nine-part live series begins with open auditions in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo, culminating in a series finale in February 2008 when the winner will be announced. The programme will see a panel of experts from the world of musical theatre from the West End and Sweden draw up a shortlist of twelve hopefuls from open auditions. Each week one contestant will be voted off until there are four left. The last four will be flown from Stockholm to London to begin rehearsals for the role of Lady of the Lake with the cast of Monty Python’s SPAMALOT, returning once each week to Sweden to face the judges and viewing public in a live TV special.

Monty Python’s SPAMALOT received its first performance at the Palace Theatre in London’s West End on 30 September 2006. Monty Python’s SPAMALOT continues to play at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway having won more Best Musical awards than any other show in 2005. A new production opened at the Las Vegas Wynn earlier this year and 23 November will see the premiere of the Australian production in Melbourne.