WABASH – Thomas DeMarcus plays four roles in “Monty Python’s Spamalot” and understudies for one. “It feels like I play a whole lot of characters,” he said during a telephone interview Friday from New Orleans. The Tony Award-winning musical arrives at the Honeywell Center’s Ford Theater Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25, $35 and $45, and may be purchased at the box office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, by calling 260-563-1102 or visiting www.honeywellcenter.org “Spamalot” is the musical comedy based on the 1974 film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. It is a parody of the King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table legend. Eric Idle, a member of the “Monty Python” team, wrote the musical’s book and lyrics and collaborated with John Du Prez on the music. The four roles DeMarcus plays includes the mayor, Sir Bedevere, Mother and Concorde. He understudies the role of King Arthur. DeMarcus said the mayor is only on stage for about two minutes, then is never seen again. Concorde is on stage for about three minutes, then, like the mayor, is never seen again. The main role DeMarcus has is that of Sir Bedevere, one of the Knights of the Round Table. He said the role of the mother feels like he’s on stage for awhile, but that could be because he’s in drag for that role. “Sir Bedevere is sort of the mad scientist of the group,” DeMarcus said. He’s the kind of guy who has a lot of ideas, but maybe only about 5 percent of them work. Ultimately, DeMarcus said, Sir Bedevere has no idea of what’s going on. “He is more MacGruber than MacGyver, but he’d like to be more like MacGyver,” DeMarcus said. Asked to compare and contrast “The Holy Grail” and “Spamalot”, DeMarcus said, “I personally think (‘Spamalot’) is just as funny. It takes the basic plot of (‘Holy Grail’).”The movie, however, he said, doesn’t have a heart. It’s just about five guys who are seeking the Holy Grail. In the Broadway show, DeMarcus said, they actually do have to find the grail, and there’s a wedding. “We joke that because it's a musical, there has to be a wedding,” he said. In fact, there are two weddings. “Spamalot” won the Tony in 2005 for Best Musical. DeMarcus said the music is very tongue-in-cheek, and makes fun of many well-known Broadway shows. “It’s a musical for people who aren’t musical fans,” he said. “... It’s more in the line of ‘The Producers’ where you have a spoof of a lot of things.” The mayor sings a song that has nothing to do with the rest of “Spamalot”. Anyone who has not seen “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” may be confused, DeMarcus said, but anyone who has seen the movie will understand the humor. “Definitely be prepared to laugh for two hours,” he said. “There is some drama, but it’s based on the absurdity,” he said. DeMarcus toured with “Spamalot” last year as well. In his second year, he’s playing different parts than last year’s tour. “It was a totally different show for me this year,” DeMarcus said. “I had to relearn the show. It was a challenge in that it was a different show (for me), but I still had to make it rewarding for the audience.” Regardless of the roles he is playing, DeMarcus has a favorite part of the show, which is in Act I. During the musical number “Find Your Grail”, where the whole show kicks off, the Lady of the Lake is telling King Arthur and the knights to find their grail. In the middle of the song, while the knights are riding horses made of coconuts, there is strobe lighting and they move in slow motion. “It’s fun to see the audiences’ faces, it’s fun. I love that part,” DeMarcus said. “I guarantee that you will have a good time,” he said. “If you’ve see ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’, some of the parts will sound familiar. I hate to say that some guys don’t go see theater, but there’s a lot in this show for everyone.”
