Entertainment‎ > ‎

Comedy As Monty Python Stage Show Announced

posted 21 Nov 2013, 08:14 by Sam Mbale   [ updated 21 Nov 2013, 08:15 ]

"A little comedy, a lot of pathos, some music and a tiny bit of ancient sex" is promised in the newly announced Monty Python Live Reunion Show next July, which will be the first time the veteran comedy team have performed together since 1980.

 LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 21, 2013) (REUTERS) -  The remaining members of British comedy group Monty Python have announced they will do a live, one-off stage show in London next year.

It will be the first time they have performed together in more than three decades.

The gadget spec URL could not be found
They Pythons: John CleeseMichael PalinEric Idle, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam, came onto stage at a packed news conference at the Playhouse theatre in London and all started talking over each other.

It took British comedy actor Warwick Davis to restore order before cracking the next joke and pretending that Qatar was to host the one-off show, having a dig at FIFA's decision to host the 2020 World Cup there.

The last time the Pythons performed together was at the Hollywood Bowl in 1980 and it has been 40 years since they last performed on stage in the UK.

They will hold their show at London's O2 stadium on July 1, 2014.

"We just thought it would be fun to try and do one and see if we were still funny and that is our intention, so far, just to do the O2 and see if we can fill it," said Idle.

"I think you can expect a little comedy, a lot of pathos, some music and a tiny bit of ancient sex," he added.

They Pythons are all in their 70's and have a combined age of 357 years.

Palin said far from becoming sensible in their old age, they continue to embrace sillyness.

"We do make each other laugh still. Actually we quite enjoy getting together to be very silly, I didn't think it was possible to be silly over seventy, but actually it is easier and very necessary," said Palin.

The comic team had a hugely successful series Monty Python's Flying Circus which ran on the BBC between 1969 and 1974. They went onto to make films "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975),Monty Python's Life of Brian" (1979) and their final film "Monty Pythons The Meaning of Life" (1981).

Sketches from the TV show are loved around the world, with fans being able to recite them by heart. Among the most popular are "Dead Parot" and the "Lumberjack Song".

Cleese said the new show will include old favourites, but he hopes there will also some new material, or at least an updating of original material.

"People really do want to see the old hits, but we don't want to do them exactly in a predictable way, so it is going to be a sort of mix up I think," he said.

On the enduring global popularity of Python humour, Palin said: "It's not topical, a lot of it is physical, a lot of it is very silly and I think that it seems to be universal."

"Sillyness is always funny really," said Jones.

The Pythons, including Graham Chapman who died in 1989, met at university. When they first created sketches for Flying Circus TV show, they had no idea they would become a global phenomenom, who some dub the Beatles of comedy.

"The way it was greeted I think has been shocking, an amazement to all of us and the fact that it still goes after forty years is actually thoroughly astounding and I think they are genuinely modest about the reaction of the press and everybody," said Idle about the frenzy news of their upcoming show created when it was leaked earlier this week.

Tickets for the show go on sale on November 25 priced between 27.50 pounds and 95 pounds.


Comments