By Rachel Summerhalder
I have been a fan of Monty Python since a young age, so I was really excited to go review Not The Messiah, written by Eric Idle and John Du Prez. Based on the 1979 Monty Python movie Life of Brian, Not The Messiah adds orchestration and singing to tell the story Brian. Brian is born in Roman-ruled Judea, and is mistaken for the Messiah by the people in his city.
The cast of Not The Messiah is fairly small, but extremely talented. Brian is played Anthony Thomas Buck, and he did a great job as the mistaken Messiah. He played Brian with just wnough angst and not too much whining to make him an enjoyable character. Mandy, his mother, played by Marcie Jacobson, was funny to listen to, although her accent seemed inconsistent throughout the show. Judith, Brian’s love interest, is played by Angie Chatelain Avila. The two work well together, and one of my favorite moments of the show is a duet between these two that had me almost rolling on the floor. Rounding out the four main characters is Reg, who is played by Ryan Paskins. Reg is used often to create extra characters to fill in the show. The MC, played by Dave Hanson, along with Brandon Rufener, who plays Character and thinks that he is the MC, help to move the story along with narration and some funny songs. The cast is finished up with the Naughty Chorus, consisting of Margo Watson, Kaisa Carlson, Natalie Easter, April Tritchler, Bradin Wilhelmsen, Michael Jensen, Jim Dale, and Thomas Moore. The chorus added some extra volume to many of the songs, and were also part of some fun jokes that wouldn’t have worked with just the main cast. I noticed early on that one of the chorus members would lick her finger every time she went to turn her page, and found it to be rather distracting. Although there were very few cast members, their voices filled the theater and were well matched. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to all of the songs, and laughing at many of them.
The show is set up in a concert style, with the singers standing behind music stands and the orchestra, the Utah Wind Symphony, is located onstage with the performers. Because of the set up, there is no scenery, but a scrim at the back of the stage was lit with different colored lighting and moving lights. This helped to make the stage more interesting to look at throughout the show.
The Utah Wind Symphony was a great addition to the show. They played well together, and the sound never overpowered the singers, which can be a problem with a live orchestra. They were located behind and to the left of the four main characters, which generally worked. I was watching a dress rehearsal, so I realize that not everyone was in performance mode, however, there were two flutist in the orchestra that were goofing around with each other whenever they weren’t playing. It was extremely distracting, especially considering that they were seated just next to the leads.
The orchestra wasn’t in costume, but the rest of the cast was. It was nothing fancy, but it worked for the type of show. The women were all in black dresses, and the men were also in black. The only exceptions to this were the MC and character, who wore tuxes and various other costumes throughout the show, and Mandy, who wore a turquoise scarf.
I really enjoyed Not The Messiah, and I think most adults, particularly Monty Python fans, will enjoy it as well. It is definitely PG-13, so I would be cautious taking anyone under 13, although I think some of the humor will go over their heads. There is some swearing and some sexual innuendo, so definitely keep that in mind. Not The Messiah is running two nights only, April 5 and April 6, but it is worth going to see if you are looking for a fun night out.
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The Grand Theater present Monty Python’s Not The Messiah by Eric Idle and John Du Prez
The Grand Theater, 1575 South State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
April 5 and 6 at 7:30 PM
Tickets: $7-$15
The-grand.org or call 801-957-3322
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