Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...As a longtime student of this piece--which had its pre-Broadway tryout in Chicago in 2004--I'll say this. If you've not had the previous pleasure--and the comedic delights of "Spamalot" in the middle of a grey midwestern January are multifarious--you can go and see this new local version and rest assured you will be getting the full Idle monty. The only diminishment from the original Broadway production is the ticket price. The only thing you'll miss is all the money leaving your pocket."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Director William Osetek’s production, which moves with great speed and an impressive lightness, is a tremendously zesty, smartly reinvented, often cleverly updated take on the 2005 Broadway original. The show, which deals with nothing less than life and death issues, also comes decked out with Pythonically off-kilter riffs that lurch from political philosophy and Arthurian legend to adolescent fart jokes and wacky pratfalls, and from inspired wordplay (confusing “alms” and “arms,” and “kneel” and “Neil”) to leggy showgirls in Super Bowl halftime mode, and a slew of zany Broadway homages ranging from “Fiddler on the Roof” to Andrew Lloyd Webber. And that’s just for starters in a work that understands that myths keep man alive, and the invisible fourth wall in the theater is meant to be punctured."
Pioneer Press - Highly Recommended
"...In the long grey post-holiday slog, "Spamalot" provides a bright respite of inspired crazy. Catch it while you can."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Still, packed as it is with old Python bits and songs (plus some newer tunes by John Du Prez and Python Eric Idle), the show is entertaining. Graced with fine comic actors like Sean Allan Krill, Bradley Mott, and Matthew Crowle, Drury Lane's energetic revival radiates talent and joy."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...Pulling out all the stops, William Osetek and his creative team have mounted a regional production of Eric Idle’s 2005 Tony Award-winning musical that is as impressive as the much-loved Broadway original. Glitzy and filled with spectacle, bawdy humor, bad puns and sight gags, this version of the “musical lovingly ripped off from the motion picture ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’” will please both audiences unfamiliar with the film as well as the most ardent Monty Python fans."
Chicago Stage Review - Highly Recommended
"...Drury Lane Oakbrook’s regional premiere production of Spamalot is a joy to behold. Director William Osetek is unafraid to cast a herd of talented actors and dancers, some of whom only stampede the stage for a few big scenes. There are more costumes in this one production than most theatre companies use in five years; Costume Coordinator Maggie Foss and Costume Manager Erika Senase must be exhausted from such a monumental undertaking so well executed."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...
Drury Lane has lavished its attention on this staging, making such big production numbers as “Knights of the Round Table” and “His Name Is Lancelot” into giddy showpieces. At the center of Osetek’s fine version stands Kortemeier’s Arthur, an eternal straight man maintaining unruffled poise in the face of utter nonsense. Kortemeier and Matthew Crowle, as Arthur’s servant Patsy, lend a human dimension to the otherwise farcical proceedings. And the reliable Sanders plays a set of mostly Cleesian characters (Lancelot, Tim the Enchanter, the French Taunter) with the manic dignity of his great predecessor."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Spamalot is a marvel that blends Pythonesque comedy with Broadway musical elements that plays as a clever spoof of a spoof resulting in a manically wonderful night at the theatre. Matthew Crowle, Sean Allan Krill, Jackson Evens and Adam Pelty were particularly amazing. The first regional production of Spamalot is a major success. I’m sure Drury Lane Theatre will earn the rights to more based on this terrific production. Even folks who hated Spamalot before loved this production. Don’t miss this fun show."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...I first saw the show at the Cadillac Palace before it headed to Broadway and while it had a standout cast, the Drury Lane Theatre under the direction of William Osetek has assembled talent with a capital “T”. The performers should be headed to New York, but then we would lose so many talented professionals."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The musical numbers fun as well. While “Bright Side” is the most memorable ( and you will go out either humming or whistling this one), there are numbers that will have you rolling in the aisles. In fact, while many people have asked, “How can one see a show like this more than once?”- I tell them “It was just as much fun for me this time as the first because the cast modifies and changes things and with all the laughter ( I know that the people around me knew I was there) we miss a few lines, so on the second time around, we laugh at what we missed the first time. This is a production that SHOULD NOT BE MISSED! Period! from the glorious sets (Christopher Ash), lighting ( as close to perfection as I have ever seen on a local stage by Jesse Klug) and costumes from the West End production ( how about that Chicago!) handled by Maggie Floss, you will see the glitz of a major Broadway production in the very intimate setting known as Drury Lane Oakbrook."
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
"...All of the actors are fully charismatic and bring a ton of characterization to their parts: Robin (Pelty) is sweet and funny with his fear of actual fighting. Galahad (Krill) is charming but not irritating with his pretty boy looks and demeanor. Lancelot (Sanders) is entertaining with his tough boy act to hide his hidden interests and Bedevere (Mott) works well to round out to the cast."