Spamalot Extends in Chicago; Shifts B'way Dates

The upcoming Monty Python musical Spamalot is shifting its Broadway schedule by one week to accomodate a week-long extension of the show's Chicago tryout. The tuner will now run at Chicago's Shubert Theatre through January 23 and begin previews at Broadway's Shubert Theatre on February 14 in preparation for a March 17 opening.

Spamalot, which is being billed as "lovingly ripped-off" from the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, features a book by Eric Idle based on the screenplay he co-wrote with fellow Monty Python creators Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Michael Palin and music and lyrics by Idle and John Du Prez. The stage show includes three songs from the 1975 Monty Python and the Holy Grail film.

Headlined by David Hyde Pierce, Tim Curry and Hank Azaria, Spamalot also stars Douglas Sills, Michael McGrath, Steve Rosen and Sara Ramirez. The ensemble will include Christian Borle, Brad Bradley, Thomas Cannizzaro, Kevin Covert, Jennifer Frankel, Lisa Gajda, Jenny Hill, Emily Hsu, Abbey O'Brien, Daniel Pearce, Ariel Reid, Pamela Remler, Greg Reuter, Brian Shepard, Rick Spaans and Scott Taylor. As we previously reported, originally announced cast member Jesse Tyler Ferguson has left the project to appear in William Finn's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee off-Broadway.

Directed by Mike Nichols and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, Spamalot will begin previews at Chicago's Shubert Theatre on December 21.