The last time Eric Idle\u2019s Monty Python and the Holy Grail<\/em> spoof musical Spamalot<\/em> landed at a major Los Angeles venue a decade ago, he played the show\u2019s tweedy historian, who sets the scene for the Arthurian legend with a seriousness entirely unfit for the absurdist romp to follow.<\/p>\n It was a perfect role for the Monty Python\u2019s Flying Circus<\/em> alum, to whom dry humour comes as naturally as breathing.<\/p>\n But when Spamalot<\/em> made its long-awaited return to LA on March 24 at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, Idle took the stage only briefly, and not as a cast member. His job was to pop on and \u201csay something funny or rude, which sadly, comes quite easy to me,\u201d he says in a recent interview at a cocktail lounge just north of the theatre.<\/p>\n Explaining his scaled-back involvement in this iteration of his meta-musical, Idle says that at the golden age of 82, \u201cI can\u2019t do anything eight times a week\u201d \u2013 though his agenda that day begged to differ.<\/p>\n He had woken up around 6am for his daily writing session, powered through a meeting with his book publisher and capped off the sunlight hours with some Spamalot<\/em> promos and a photo shoot, all before sitting down to dinner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Cast](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/03\/28\/e9141087-81a5-46c0-bf5e-116aedac1582_c3e28960.jpg\" "\\"Cast")
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