On a quest to obtain the Holy Grail, King Arthur and his knights approach a French castle and alienate its occupants.
These Frenchmen are tough. They toss a cow over the battlement and flatten one of King Arthur’s loyal subjects. Of course, it’s not a live, milk-giving animal. It’s a stuffed cow. But it’s a creature with some pedigree. It appeared in the Broadway production of “Spamalot.” And now it’s being used for the same show at Cornwall Central High School.
What’s the connection between the Great White Way and Dragon Drive? The answer is James Cariot. He worked behind the scenes when the show was on Broadway, and years ago his son and daughter were members of the high school drama club.
Mr. Cariot visited the high school set and made suggestions for special effects. And there are a lot of them. Early in the performance, a doubting Englishman questions Arthur’s authority. “How did you get to be king?” the subject asks. “I don’t remember voting for you.”
Explaining that there was no election, Arthur recounts the story of the Lady of the Lake and the magic sword. But his tale isn’t convincing until the mystical lady actually emerges from the waves.
We noted other clever devices at Thursday night’s rehearsal of the first act. But this isn’t a show where you come out humming the special effects. Director Tony Ravinsky waited several years till he had the perfect cast for the show. He has several excellent singers and a surprising number of talented dancers. And, of course, the show is hilarious. Why else would someone throw a cow over the side of a castle!
It helps if you’ve seen “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” But it’s not required. The show will be presented at the high school on Thursday through Saturday (April 4-6) at 7 p.m. and on Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door or can be bought on line at cchsny.booktix.com.
Cast: Brendan Ahmed, Quinn Andrews, Emma Blacksmith, Julia Brice, Ben Carter, Hilary Conto, Cameron Franke, Joe Giardina, Cameron Growney, Jessica Henry, Caleb Johnson, Maggie Kelly, Akelish Kootala, Harrison Kulic, Jade Lee, James McGill, Daniel Polanco, Luke Reid, Aniya Russell, Josh Sandler, Lillie Urgent
Chorus: Cassie Ackerman, Quinn Andrews, Eleanor Babbitt, Margaret Babbitt, George Bailey, Eliana Barth, Justice Batista, Maitri Bijur, Emma Blacksmith, Thomas Bloise, Max Brooks, Rose Bywater, Sophia Cappa, Ben Carter, Laura Castellano, Sofia Castro, Jake Cerone, Hilary Conto, Stephanie Correia, Elizabeth Corrente, Will Crow, Emily Davis, Ava Desharnais, Jack Donlon, Lauren Galante, Joseph Garcia, Isabel Gaztambide, Dorian Gray, Cameron Growney, Gretchen Guttenberg, Marissa Hart, Abby Henry, Kayla Hughes, Samantha Jacopino, Briana Jean-Marie, Maggie Kelly, Kylie Kokakis, Krishna Kootala, Akelish Kootala, Harrison Kulic, Jade Lee, Brianna Lewis, Jasmine Lyle, Loundy Martes, Sofia Mazza, Layne Meltzer, Patty Pettus, Aneeka Phadnis, Alex Raposo, Allison Reel, Luke Reid, Deidra Rene, Rachel Roopchand, Gabrielle Sanchez, Abby Schewtschenko, Kaila Schrader, Lucas Smacchia, Christian Sanchez, Zachary Stach, Autumn Thiell, Joy Usen, Caroline Valle, Karisma Vergara, Emma Watson, Davien Welton, Josh Wozniak, Ariel Yarmus, Hannah Zollner, Gabriella Zwickel
Orchestra: Carson Aguilar, Jonathan Arcangel, Elisabetta Aversa, Jacob Baker, Natalie Celentano, Liam Demaria, Sereen El Jamal, Kathryn Gagnon, Brianna Gayle, Louis Glickman, Leia Haines, Olivia Hansen, Maddy Hommel, Zachary Hommel, Joshua Keller, Abigail Kroemer, Daniel Leem Alex Lindquist, Grace Maxson, Kieran Maxson, Greg Moretto. Saba Paracha, Victor Perez, Angelica Pierre, Angela Qiu, Hannah Reinle, Camille Seliquini, David Stingle, Jack Teague, Elena Teague, Simon Uhl, Turner Warren, Sam Wozniak, Jessica Wu
