Licence to thrill with Spamalot

Forty five members of Leyland Methodist Music and Drama Group are in rehearsal for the musical comedy, having been given special permission for the licence from America.

So secret was it, they were asked to keep the news to themselves for 16 months while the professional production was on tour.

“We are all big Monty Python fans, so when we saw that the licence was being released, we decided to apply for it”, said Ryan Scott, who is assistant producer and in charge of lighting. We had to them about our society and previous productions we had done.

“Other society’s applied for it and didn’t get it, so we feel very priviledged to have the licence. We’ve not heard of anyone else in Lancashire getting it, so it is special.”

In total there will be 45 people involved – a cast of 26 and the rest are made up of crew and band members, all aged from 15 to 79.

Spamalot is based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Like the film, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian Legend.

Ryan added: “It’s really good fun to work on, it’s absolutely bonkers.

“There’s lots of songs such as Look On The Bright Side Of Life, He Is Not Dead Yet, Knights of the Round Table, Find Your Grail, with some things expanded from the film to suit the stage. We’ve got quite an experienced cast, so the quality will be good.”

The show runs from September 13 to 17 at Leyland Methodist Community Centre. Tickets £10.