Monty Python Live (mostly)

Monty Python Live (mostly)
The opening of the first reunion performance.
Company	Monty Python
Genre	Comedy
Show type	Sketch show, musical
Date of premiere	1 July 2014 (2014-07-01)
Final show	20 July 2014 (2014-07-20)
Location	The O₂, London
Creative team
Written and conceived By	Graham Chapman John Cleese Terry Gilliam Eric Idle Terry Jones Michael Palin
Other information
Slogan	"One Down, Five to Go"
Official website

Monty Python Live (mostly) (also billed as Monty Python Live (mostly): One Down, Five To Go) was a stage show by the Monty Python comedy group in the The O₂ in London in July 2014.

Overview

In 2013, the Pythons lost a legal case to Mark Forstater, the producer of their second film, Holy Grail, over royalties for its musical adaptation Spamalot. They owed a combined £800,000 in legal fees and back royalties to Forstater. To pay these, a reunion show was proposed. It soon became apparent to the group that owing to his theatrical experience with the creation of Spamalot (and because his schedule was free), Eric Idle was best suited to supervise the production. He envisaged an extensive assembly of the best-known Python sketches; to facilitate costume changes, they would be linked by short video clips and elaborate routines of the troupe's songs. The latter would be performed by a full chorus line, choreographed by Arlene Phillips. The music was to be arranged and conducted by Idle's long-time collaborator, John Du Prez.

The ten stage shows were held on 1–5 and 15–20 July 2014. The first night of the show sold out in 45 seconds of being available to purchase.

All five surviving Pythons performed on stage together for the first time in 34 years, with archive footage of Graham Chapman interspersed throughout the show. The three-hour show had a 30-minute intermission. Some of the sketches were updated to include contemporary references. Carol Cleveland, who appeared in many of the original TV episodes, assisted by playing additional characters, as did newcomer Samuel Holmes, who was given several lead roles, some of which were originally played by Chapman. Eddie Izzard made a small guest appearance as a 'Bruce' on the final night, as well as having appeared the previous evening as the 'Blackmail' special guest. There were also surprise cameos by (amongst others) Stephen Fry, Mike Myers, and Professors Brian Cox and Stephen Hawking. Robin Williams was scheduled to be the 'Blackmail' special guest for the final night but declined, as according to Idle he was "suffering from severe depression" at the time, which ultimately contributed to his suicide in August 2014. When the show was released on DVD, it was dedicated to Williams.

The last of the ten performances was broadcast in the UK on Gold TV and internationally in cinemas by Fathom Events through a Dish Network satellite link on Sunday 20 July 2014. The filming of the performance was directed by Aubrey Powell. The film was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and streaming on 11 November 2014.

Critical reception

Critical reviews of the show were generally positive.

The negatively tinged review from the Daily Mail was incorporated into the last show with John Cleese and Michael Palin mocking the newspaper and its editor, Paul Dacre.

Cast

The Pythons

• John Cleese
• Terry Gilliam
• Eric Idle
• Terry Jones
• Michael Palin

with

• Graham Chapman (archive footage)

Also featuring

• Carol Cleveland
• Samuel Holmes

Special guests (in the 'Blackmail' sketch)

• Stephen Fry - on the 1 July show
• Lee Mack - on the 2 July show
• Bill Bailey - on the 3 July show
• Noel Fielding - on the 4 July show
• Matt Lucas - on the 5 July show
• Warwick Davis - on the 15 July show
• Simon Pegg - on the 16 July show
• David Walliams - on the 18 July show
• Eddie Izzard - on the 19 July show (also appearing as a celebrity 'Bruce' on 20 July)
• Mike Myers - on the 20 July show

Cameos (pre-recorded)

• Professor Brian Cox
• Professor Stephen Hawking (In the 20 July show, Hawking is seen in the audience following his recorded appearance.)

Sketches and songs

According to Dominic Cavendish at The Telegraph

Act One

• Overture
• 'One Down, Five To Go'/TARDIS animation
• Llamas
• Opening Sequence
• Four Yorkshiremen
• Flying Mouth (animation)
• The Fish-Slapping Dance (video)
• World War Fish (animation)
• Penis Song (Not the Noël Coward Song) - expanded with a vagina verse and a bum verse
• The Naval Medley/Ypres 1914
• Colonel Stopping It (video)
• Batley Townswomen's Guild Presents the Battle of Pearl Harbour (video)
• David's Fig Leaf (animation)
• The Last Supper
• Every Sperm Is Sacred
• Protestant Couple
• God Complaining About the Show (redubbed footage from Monty Python and the Holy Grail)
• Silly Olympics (on screen video from Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
• Vocational Guidance Counsellor
• The Lumberjack Song
• Charles Atlas-Dynamic Tension (animation)
• The Philosophers' Football Match, first half (on screen video from the second Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus episode)
• Bruces
• Bruces' Philosophers Song
• The Philosophers' Football Match, second half (on screen)
• Crunchy Frog
• Blood, Devastation, Death, War And Horror
• I Like Chinese

Act Two

• 2nd Overture
• Spam Lake (dance routine)
• Sit on My Face
• The Death of Mary, Queen Of Scots
• Penguin on the Television
• Gumby Flower Arranging
• Camp Judges
• Full Frontal Nudity (animation)
• Albatross
• Nudge Nudge
• Nudge Rap/Blackmail (dance routine)
• Blackmail
• Miss Anne Elk
• Conrad Poohs and his Dancing Teeth (animation)
• Spanish Inquisition
• Galaxy Song
• Brian Cox and Stephen Hawking°
• Venus / Portrait People Dancing (animation)
• The Silly Walk Song (dance routine)
• Argument Clinic
• I've Got Two Legs
• Captions
• Spam / Finland
• Pet Shop / Cheese Shop / Come Back To My Place
• The Exploding Version of the Blue Danube (on screen)
• The Lady Eating Pram / Musical Statues (animation)
• Christmas In Heaven
• encore: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

°Song was later released as a single by Stephen Hawking

External links

• 2014 interview on return to live shows