After concluding work on the fourth and final series of
Monty Python's Flying Circus
, writer/actors
Michael Palin
,
Graham Chapman
John Cleese
Eric Idle
Terry Jones
, and
Terry Gilliam
adapted many of the classic sketches for the stage. This album commences with a faux sincerely toned
"Introduction"
from
Idle
in the role of narrator, as he observes: "...Amongst the glittering audience here tonight I can see, uhm...oh...what's his name, uhh, the...the fellow with the glasses on the telly. And next to him is, uhm...oh, uh, the lady with the big knockers in the jam commercial." There are notable variations between the scripts used for the TV show and the dialogue incorporated during live performances. Additionally, this disc includes a few items that were presumably created for the staged show. Among them are former
Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
member and part-time
Python
Neil Innes
'
"Idiot Song,"
"Secret Service,"
and the remarkable physical
comedy
involved in
"Wrestling,"
which is countered by an equally silly color commentary from
Cleese
. Many of the better-known titles (
"Communist Quiz,"
"Nudge, Nudge,"
"Lumberjack Song,"
"Pet Shop,"
"Albatross,"
and
"Colonel"
) date back to some of the earliest episodes and have clearly become favorites of those in attendance. The core of their set remained intact when
the Pythons
brought the show stateside in 1976. However, as their other concert album,
Live! At City Center
(1976), demonstrates, there are subtle differences in delivery and pacing, as well as a few new links such as
"Short Blues"
Innes
' brilliant
"Protest Song"
Rutland Times
(1976), a conceptual collaboration with
that would ultimately yield the sublime
Beatles
parody and mockumentary
All You Need Is Cash
(1978).
Live at Drury Lane
is a great place for
enthusiasts to start and revisit, as the presence of a live crowd progresses the humor to a new strata that is absent from the comparatively sterile TV versions. ~ Lindsay Planer