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The Spamalot Diaries
- Narrated by: Eric Idle, Alan Tudyk
- Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins
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The Spamalot Diaries
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Summary
The inside story of what it took to bring Monty Python and the Holy Grail to Broadway as the unlikely theatrical hit Spamalot, told through actual diary entries from the legendary comic performer, founding member of Monty Python, and New York Times bestselling author
On March 17, 2005, Spamalot debuted on Broadway to rapturous reviews for its star-studded creative team, including creators Eric Idle and John Du Prez, director Mike Nichols, and stars Hank Azaria, David Hyde Pierce, Sara Ramirez, Tim Curry, and more. But long before the show was the toast of Broadway and the winner of three Tony Awards, it was an idea threatening to fizzle before it could find its way into existence.
Now, in The Spamalot Diaries, Eric Idle shares original journal entries and raw email exchanges—all featuring his whip-smart wit—revealing the sometimes bumpy, always entertaining, path to the show’s unforgettable run. In the months leading up to that opening night, financial anxieties were high, with a low-ceiling budget and expectations that it would take two years to break even. Collaborative disputes put decades-long friendships to the test. And the endless process of rewriting was a task as passionate as it was painstaking. Still, there’s nothing Idle would change about that year. Except for the broken ankle. He could do without the broken ankle.
Chronicling every minor mishap and triumph along the way, as well as the creative tension that drove the show to new heights, The Spamalot Diaries is an unforgettable look behind the curtain of a beloved musical and inside the wickedly entertaining mind of one of our most treasured comic performers.
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Critic reviews
“Idle provides a rollicking account of the making of his Broadway musical Spamalot. . . . [and] an irresistible and unfiltered ode to the art of live theater. Fans will love this tantalizing glimpse behind the curtain.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Quite simply wonderful . . . This is so much more than a making-of book; it’s also a portrait of Eric Idle in the kind of detail that a more traditional memoir of Spamalot’s creation might not have provided.”—Booklist
“Spirited and exceedingly witty . . . Idle’s observations are sharp and clever, and his descriptions of his time in New York City are evocative. It’s exciting and very entertaining reading. . . . The backstage story of one of the most successful musicals will appeal to theater buffs and fans of Monty Python.”—Library Journal
What listeners say about The Spamalot Diaries
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- S C DYKES
- 14-10-24
Who’s idea was this?
If you had commissioned Eric Idle in 1970 to write a spoof of a theatrical memoir, this might have been the result. This entirely unironic, sentimental and self-congratulatory diary does nothing for Idle’s legacy and succeeds only in diminishing Spamalot’s appeal (I needed to re-listen to the original cast recording to remember how brilliant the show actually is.)
I kept preparing for Idle to reveal his whole account to be a parody. How else to explain endless passages of needy self-affirmation? Every neurotic “luvvie” cliche is here - including a huff at being bumped from first class to coach on a flight to New York. Really? No advice from an editor to excise this kind of entitlement? It’s a joke, right? Sadly, not.
We are offered too few insights into the creative process (the short section on "Cutting The Cow" is a welcome exception, particularly composer John Du Prez's plaintive email arguing for the song's restoration.). There is surprisingly little struggle here given the well-documented birthing pangs of previous Python projects, only the odd tiff leading to ever greater triumphs. And even his tributes to others are a generalised gush unworthy of the talents of Mike Nichols, Tim Curry or any of the countless other names Idle idly drops here.
As an audio-book it zips along merrily with Idle's gleeful narration, a barely suppressed chuckle ever-present. I only wish I'd had half as much fun as he seems to be having reliving the delight with which his every quip was greeted and idea received.
Thank you, Eric, for your amazing body of work and I hope this publication earns you a few more pennies, but my recommendation to any Python fan is to steer well clear or instead go to Michael Palin’s diaries which in comparison appear genuinely self-aware ... or far less smug at any rate.
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