'Spamalot' rides again
The show runs through Tuesday (Jan. 27) at Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St.
This review by longtime Charlotte arts critic Lawrence Toppman was published by The Charlotte Ledger on January 21, 2026. You can find out more about The Charlotte Ledger’s commitment to smart local news and information and sign up for our newsletter for free here. Ledger subscribers can add the Toppman on the Arts newsletter on their “My Account” page.
Review: Monty Python’s ‘Spamalot’ returns to Belk Theater with its familiar mix of absurdity, musical parody and knowing silliness intact
by Lawrence Toppman
I heard three types of laughter Tuesday during the return of “Spamalot” to Belk Theater.
The first were laughs of recognition, as fans greeted an old friend they know so well that they can repeat lines and sing along with musical numbers. The second were laughs from newbies, who roared at the corny puns, broad sight gags and silly situations for which Python has always been famous. And the third came from people who, worn out by the lunacy prevailing in the real world today, were happy to escape to an even nuttier one for two and a half hours.
I’m hardly unbiased, as “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” remains the only film I’ve watched twice consecutively in a movie theater. The fourth-wall-breaking foolery, exaggerated humor and self-referential jokes hold up nearly as well onstage as onscreen. The show seems as fresh now as it did 21 years after winning the Tony Award for best musical, though a few clunky jokes held over from the 1975 screenplay have not aged well.