Center Theatre Group Blog

On Monday night, over fifty SPAMALOT fans gathered at the Borders in Westwood to hear their King, John O’Hurley, star of SPAMALOT, pontificate about the musical, his two bestselling books, his dogs, his son, his brothers, his father, his teachers, his wife, his aversion to reality television (despite having performed quite successfully on Dancing with the Stars), and his career on stage and on the small screen.

One thing I learned about John O’Hurley on Monday was that the man is a pro. That morning he had woken up at 6 am to tape an interview with KTLA. He then went into a studio and shot six back-to-back episodes of Family Feud (which he hosts concurrently with his role in SPAMALOT) and, refusing the car service CTG had offered to him, drove himself to Westwood where for over ninety minutes he spoke about his life, answered many questions from fans ranging on all topics, and autographed books, CDs, and T shirts. He even took pictures with fans, including two guys who arrived at the Borders ten minutes after the event had ended! John O’Hurley is truly a class act.

The Westwood Borders was under a bit of renovation so we had practically the entire back half of the second floor to ourselves. The stage was in front of huge western-facing windows, so as John spoke we could glimpse a magnificent sunset behind him (we also had a clear view of the takeout Thai place across the street).

Around 6:45 pm the fans started rolling in. Though one could imagine in one’s mind what the stereotypical SPAMALOT fan would look like, these patrons did not conform to any predetermined look or category. They were young and old, small and large, male and female; people with no interest in the show but loved John’s books, or his role as Peterman on Seinfeld; a few people who were just in the Borders buying books or getting coffee and decided to see what the fuss was all about. Some were wearing SPAMALOT gear, and many came bearing O’Hurley’s books and the SPAMALOT cast recording CD; two men even came wearing bejeweled armor, in case the King was besieged in Westwood.

After some initial silliness involving a piano bench, the Marketing Team was able to set up a station with an Enter to Win box for T shirts and a grand prize of a pair of tickets to the show. We ultimately gave out seven shirts, and the tickets went to a lovely couple named the Algots who had yet to see the show. Gooooooo Algots!

John’s speech was great - humorous, intelligent, inspiring, and best of all, promotional. Highlights included an imitation of his father’s laugh (silent, with occasional snorting); a story from his ragtag youth in which he spelled Columbus “Columbum” in a public art project; and the tale of how he found out that his first book had made the New York Times’s Bestseller list on the same day that his son was born. He also read an excerpt from his latest book, Before Your Dog Can Eat Your Homework, First You Have to Do It, which was hilarious and which everyone reading this should buy if they haven’t already. (And if you’ve already bought it, buy another copy! What, like you won’t want to read it again?)

All in all, the event was a major success on multiple levels, and we thank our good friends at Borders as well as King Arthur himself, John O’Hurley, for putting together such a fantastic evening of fun.

Bailey Pennick is Center Theatre Group’s Press Intern for Summer 2009. She is majoring in English at UC Berkeley.

Our experiences with musical theatre are personal.  We pull for our favorite characters and lament when the curtain finally comes down after the last bows, but the one thing that sticks with us as we walk out of those large double doors are the songs.  As we get into our cars (or walk down the stairs to the subway) it’s hard to shake a song that has entrenched its emotion, lyrics, and melody into our heads.  Whether it is simply catchy or exceedingly grand, a musical number that touches you cannot be forgotten.

If you would allow me to (semi) channel “High Fidelity” for a moment, here are my all-time “top three” Broadway musical numbers to date:

“Somewhere” - “West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. Performed by characters Maria and Tony

This song is musical perfection.  The rising energy and sweeping use of the string section create a whirlwind of emotion that only Leonard Bernstein can produce.  This heart-breaking musical score starkly contrasted with beautiful lyrics that embody all of the hope and love that Maria and Tony have for each other immediately allows the audience to relate to the character’s forbidden love and what a struggle it would be to truly obtain freedom.  Another aspect of this song that sets it apart from all musical numbers is the fact that it is so short; at less than two minutes long, the overflow of emotion pouring out of “Somewhere” showcases its brilliance.  There is no fanfare, no dancers or fireworks, just two beautiful voices in a perfect moment.  In the same musical number we can experience their feeling of undying hope and the inevitable hopelessness for their love.

Other noteworthy numbers in “West Side Story”: “Something’s Coming” (Tony), “Tonight” (Tony, Maria, Ensemble), “Maria” (Tony)

“And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” - “Dreamgirls” by Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen.  Performed by the character Effie White

What makes this song so outstanding is that it is a love song (or more specifically a torch song), but it clearly focuses more on the empowerment of the singer.  Effie stands as a woman alone; without her friends/former backup singers or her lover, and this song proves that she does not need them.  Starting with just Effie’s trembling voice, the vulnerable lyrics coming out of her mouth transform into a powerful statement of self confidence and righteousness with the entire orchestra behind her: “Tear down the mountains, / Yell, scream and shout. /You can say what you want, /I’m not walkin’ out.”  The amount of power behind her words as she is being left by everyone she knows is admirable and completely unforgettable in this musical.

Other noteworthy numbers in “Dreamgirls”: “One Night Only” (Effie and Company), “Family” (Effie, C.C., Jimmy, Lorrell, Deena, Curtis)

“See Me, Feel Me/ Listening to You” - “The Who’s Tommy” by The Who (Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff). Performed by characters Tommy and Ensemble.

As any good musical knows, a powerful finale is the only way to go and “The Who’s Tommy” is no exception.  As a boy who not only reached maturity, but also gained back his ability to see, hear, and speak, Tommy cries out to the audience (the world) to pay attention to him: To see him!  Feel him! Touch him! Hear him! He has been reborn and he is ready to live his life among people he can finally interact with.  This intense emotional release comes in the form of “Listening to You” the second half of this final number.  The audience can experience the power that Tommy had over his followers as they repeat the same lyrics over and over.  The unison is haunting: “From you I get opinions. / From you I get the story.”  This complete control that Tommy has over the ensemble is mesmerizing.  As a listener, you get trapped in the lyrics being repeated until suddenly you become part of the mob that expects answers from Tommy.  There is a feeling of uneasiness as the show ends because Tommy’s life is clearly not over, instead it’s just beginning.  The fact that this song can make you question about what happens to Tommy after the curtains come down and the house lights come up is very powerful, just as Pete intended.

Other noteworthy numbers in “The Who’s Tommy”: “What About the Boy” (Captain Walker and Mrs. Walker), Pinball Wizard (Local Lads, Cousin Kevin, Ensemble), “I’m Free” (Tommy).

Blogmaster question:

What are your all-time three favorite musical numbers?

For all of you Spamalot and Monty Python fans out there, Eric Idle and Hank Azaria (Spamalot original cast, The Simpsons) will be teaming up for an evening of Pythonesque humor in Hollywood this September.

Whet your absurdist whistle with Monty Python’s Spamalot, playing the Ahmanson Theatre beginning July 7! Tickets are available now. No Chief Wiggum, but we’ll take Seinfeld’s John O’Hurley as King Arthur any day!

In case you missed the SPAM-tastic festivities at the Ahmanson this morning, here are some choice photos from today’s SPAMAPALOOZA event. We celebrated Spamalot tickets going onsale with an April Fool’s Day Fair, complete with costumes, wandering minstrels, mimes on unicycles (you read that correctly), cow-toss and killer-rabbit-hoops games, a Spam-can hunt, and a giant foot (you read that one correctly, too).

View many more photos here.

Emcee Josh Venable from Star 98.7 was our excellent host for the day. Here he is with our knight in spamming armor.

Folks were lined up around the Ahmanson to be the first to get tickets for SPAMALOT as it makes its L.A. premiere.

Hundreds of patrons played carnival games - including a Killer Rabbit toss - for Spamulous prizes. Here is one of the pesky critters mid-flight.

Eager contestants got dolled up for our King of Fools competition, wearing their best and most ridiculous outfits for a cash prize of $350.

View more.